🔗 Share this article Arteta Praises ‘More Reliable’ Team and Acknowledges Havertz Injury Blow. Arsenal's manager remains confident that his team can continue to cope with fitness issues after revealing that forward Kai Havertz will not return for a few more weeks. Extended Absence for German Star Havertz has been sidelined for months due to knee surgery. Originally slated to be available earlier in December, the manager stated the player encountered a problem when increasing his recovery and could not progress “the next phase.” “We took lessons, and managed to assemble a team that is much more reliable and has increased versatility,” commented Arteta. Tactical Decisions for Midweek Fixture This news leaves a tactical puzzle for the midweek match against Brentford. The manager needs to decide between sticking with Mikel Merino, who scored playing out of position last weekend, or reinstating Viktor Gyökeres, who came back off the bench off the bench. Veteran striker Gabriel Jesus is also an option after 11 months out. Fitness Doubts Linger Further fitness issues involve defender William Saliba and winger Leandro Trossard, who sat out the weekend encounter. Therefore, new recruits Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapié are likely to continue in the backline for the table-toppers. Arteta feels the significant outlay on reinforcements in the last transfer window has resulted in a far better place to deal with such setbacks. Squad Depth Key to Title Challenge In response if increased squad depth was benefiting their title quest, his response was positive. “Absolutely, since the current term has seen more issues in some areas, and now the situation with the defence,” he noted. “We learned from the past that we must deploy players in alternative spots, and they need to be prepared to adapt to new tasks if we are to fight at this level. And the example of Mikel is just the best one.” Manager’s Sympathy for Frustrated Havertz Addressing the delay previously mentioned by national team coach Julian Nagelsmann, Arteta offered further detail. “He followed all protocols. He was unable to progress to the required step and now it’s looking like we have solved that issue.” Arteta expressed his keenness to have him back. “We’re all desperate to have him. I mean, Havertz is someone that, personally, I admire greatly for the qualities he offers to the team, but his personality, his personality. I observe his frustration while sidelined.” “His availability record is phenomenal, he's rarely been injured, and I can’t wait to see him return around the team on the pitch because I think it’s going to be a massive boost.”