"Why are we risking him", "Wtf is wrong with Arteta" - Fans question Arsenal superstar's inclusion in XI for Port Vale clash

Arsenal fans on X (formerly Twitter) are puzzled by manager Mikel Arteta's decision ot start Bukayo Saka in the Carabao Cup clash against Port Vale on Wednesday, September 24. They believe that the Spaniard is pushing the Englishman to play when the winger is just recovering from an injury.

Arteta has picked Kepa Arrizabalaga to make his Arsenal debut after making his move from Chelsea in the summer. William Saliba keeps his place in the starting XI in the backline, with Ben White, Myles Lewis-Skelly, and Cristhian Mosquera alongside him.

Mikel Merino is the only player remaining in the midfield from their Manchester City draw, with Christian Norgaard and Ethan Nwaneri coming in for Martin Zubemendi and Declan Rice. Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze, and Gabriel Martinelli are playing in attack.

Arsenal fans are unhappy with Arteta's decision to pick Saka, especially given that Noni Madueke is ruled out for two months. They posted:

Arteta spoke about Saka in his press conference and said:

"He needs minutes and he's demanding that as well. Obviously, when he's been out for a while, you just need to get in the rhythm, you need to get that confidence on the pitch, and repeat actions and exposure. We will do that, gradually, because he's been out for a while. But I like what I saw the other day when he came on."

The Gunners are coming into the game after a 1-1 draw against Manchester City. They were 1-0 down before Gabriel Martinelli scored an injury-time equalizer.

Mikel Arteta comments on Arsenal injuries

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has refused to blame bad luck for their injury issues this season. He claimed that the injuries have been unfortunate, but they have been recurring issues for the players and said:

"We looked at everything. The one with Noni is bad luck; it's a very unfortunate incident. With Kai, something similar. With Ben White, it was similar. With Martin [Odegaard], same as all the guys that have been out, very similar, because he damaged his shoulder twice during the same action on the floor, which is very unlikely to happen. With Bukayo, it was more of a muscular injury with the hamstring, maybe something to look more in depth, and we absolutely did that. We try to keep that as low as possible; that's what we are trying to do."

Arsenal are without Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard as well for the next few weeks.

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Sripad is a veteran Sportskeeda football journalist who has been with the company for around 10 years. His tryst with writing happened in class XI when he started penning blogs, and his foray into football was during the early 2000s, watching matches with his cousins.

Sripad has been a Chelsea fan through and through since the age of 9 and can watch their 2012 Champions League triumph on repeat. The undisputed ‘GOAT’ according to him is Lionel Messi and his favorite managers are Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson. Apart from popular European leagues, he also likes to follow other leagues like the MLS, Saudi Pro League, Eredivisie, and Liga MX.

Sripad believes in only using the right sources for his articles, and is an expert in understanding how to get the right quotes for each news to provide proper background information. His exploits have led him to become a popular figure in European Football and interviewing Premier League legends such as Alan Shearer, Shay Given, Paul Dickov, and John Barnes. His articles have been much revered amongst the football fraternity and have been shared by the likes of John Terry, Gary Lineker, and Declan Rice.

If given a chance to change a football rule, Sripad wants VAR to be fully automated and offside rules to be less stringent. When not working, he likes to watch past Formula 1 races and play FIFA.

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