MIKEL Arteta has revealed Arsenal’s preparations for their 3-1 win at Brentford were hampered by a virus that swept through his squad.
Several of Arsenal’s stars were struck down by the illness on the eve of the crucial Premier League clash on Wednesday.
German forward Kai Havertz was sent home with the bug, while England midfielder Declan Rice was only able to come off the bench in the second half.
Martin Odegaard reportedly struggled with the virus ahead of kick-off and although he was able to start, the Arsenal captain made a mistake that led to Bryan Mbeumo’s opener and was replaced in the second half.
But the Gunners recovered impressively at the Gtech Community Stadium as they ignored the illness outbreak to climb back into the title race.
Goals from Gabriel Jesus, Mikel Merino, and Gabriel Martinelli ensured Arsenal would not be derailed.
“It affected players on the pitch and off the pitch,” Arteta said after second-placed Arsenal moved within six points of leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand.
“It is nothing serious. But it wasn’t the ideal situation. In relation to the symptoms, with Kai it was obvious. He wasn’t feeling well at all. He had very clear symptoms so stay away from it, put him in a car, and go back to London.
“These things happen. In this period, there are always things thrown at you, infections, viruses, so I try to delay the line-up as late as possible because you can get up in the morning and unfortunately have a surprise like this.”
Arteta is hopeful the virus will have abated for his side’s trip to Brighton on Saturday.
