"It was a huge blow" - Mikel Arteta claims injury to two star players ruined Arsenal's season 

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta lamented Thomas Partey and Jurrien Timber's absence due to injury ahead of his side's FA Cup clash against Liverpool this Sunday, January 7.

Partey suffered a hamstring injury last November and has missed 11 games for the Gunners. The Ghana international was touted with a potential January return. However, he is nowhere near fit to return to training, as Arteta stated in the pre-match press conference.

Timber, meanwhile, only saw 50 minutes of Premier League action after his £40 million move to the Emirates from Ajax last summer. He suffered a knee injury in his first game for the club and has been out of action since.

Speaking about the Arsenal duo's importance in the team, the Spanish manager told reporters (as quoted by GOAL):

"It was a huge blow. Everyone could see from day one what he was going to bring to the team. The versatility, the quality, the leadership. And an ability that we did not have in the backline."

He added:

"It was a huge blow, as well, losing Thomas. We had other plans as well with him, to become very versatile and unpredictable in our way of playing. We have not had them and that is difficult. We have them in the building, which is a joy. But we have not had them on the field as much as we wanted.”

Partey has missed a major part of the 2023-24 campaign so far, having suffered a groin injury before his hamstring issues. The Ghanaian midfielder has registered just four Premier League appearances for Arsenal this season.

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“Can we tweak it" - Mikel Arteta makes plea to Arsenal fans after dip in form

Arteta has called on his club's supporters to create a more hostile environment in their FA Cup third-round clash against Liverpool at the Emirates this weekend.

The Gunners have recently suffered a dip in form after back-to-back Premier League defeats to Fulham and West Ham United. This has seen them move down to fourth place in the league standings, five points behind leaders Liverpool.

Third-placed Manchester City are level on points with Arsenal, but have a game in hand, and Aston Villa are two points above in second. Arteta made a plea to his supporters to turn up and said (via GOAL):

“Can we tweak it and make it even more hostile? I think we can. That’s the next step in my opinion. We have to be so grateful for what we’re achieving in our home ground. Sunday is going to be another big one."

Arsenal played out a 1-1 draw against Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League earlier this season.