Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has revealed that he had difficulty sleeping before their 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Arteta explained that his game plan was affected by injuries sustained by some of his players during the international break.
Gabriel Magalhães’ header in the 64th minute secured the win in the first North London Derby of the season. However, Arsenal were without Declan Rice due to suspension and had several injury absentees, including Martin Ødegaard, Mikel Merino, and Riccardo Calafiori. Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney were also unavailable.
“I didn’t enjoy the preparation because I didn’t sleep much,” Arteta admitted. “I had spent four or five days planning for Spurs with a clear strategy in mind. I had prepared all the meetings and training sessions. But then news came in that we lost one player after another, forcing me to completely revise and adapt the plan based on the players available. It was a significant challenge.”