Arsene Wenger Confirms Mikel Arteta and Aaron Ramsey Will Miss Galatasaray Game
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed both Mikel Arteta and Aaron Ramsey are set to miss the Champions League game against Galatasaray on Wednesday after the pair picked up injuries during the 1-1 draw against Tottenham.
The midfield duo were forced to leave the pitch before half time and Wenger confirmed after the game the pair are likely to be absent for two key games.
"I don't know how long they will be out but they will be out next week. Arteta and Ramsey will probably be out for Chelsea," Wenger said.
"We will see but if they have a muscular problem I can't see how they will be ready for the next game."
Wenger also expressed his concerns over Jack Wilshere after the midfielder went over on his ankle in the first half.
"Wilshere, I don't know," he said.
When quizzed on his decision to leave Alexis Sanchez on the bench for the start of the game Wenger explained: "There was no medical reason to leave him on the bench. It was just a team selection."
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain cancelled out Nacer Chadli´s opener to earn a point for Arsenal but Wenger was still left frustrated by Mauricio Pochettino´s defensive approach to the game.
"You want always to create more but that's the Premier League now. Everybody defends deep, stands in front of the box and waits for you to get you on the break.
"They didn't play and I had reduced options as well because I lost players early [Mikel Arteta and Aaron Ramsey were both substituted with injuries]," he said.
"When you have so much domination in the second half it's sometimes decisive to have two fresh players you can bring on. I had only one option at half-time and maybe one or two more would have helped us to win the game.
Despite his frustrations, Wenger was delighted with his team's response to Chadli´s goal.
"We had a lot of the ball but in the end it finished 1-1. I'm frustrated because we put the effort in. We had a great spirit, great determination.
"On top of that in the second half we had 77 per cent possession, that's unbelievable in a game like that. I'm frustrated for the effort the players put in, I'm frustrated we dropped two points but as well I'm frustrated because we didn't do enough with out set-pieces today.
"Especially with our corners and we have real room for improvement there and very quickly."
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