Arsenal Star Issues Bold Challenge to Teammates: "You Need This"
Arsenal's Jurriën Timber is determined not to overreact to Saturday's tight 2-1 loss against Aston Villa, emphasizing that his squad must transform their disappointment into positive energy.
The North London side appeared set to secure a valuable away point after Leandro Trossard equalized Matty Cash's early Villa strike. However, Emiliano Buendía, notably linked with Arsenal in 2021, delivered a devastating winner during the fifth minute of added time.
Following Manchester City's victory over Sunderland, Arsenal's advantage at the Premier League summit has shrunk to merely two points. Villa find themselves just one point further behind.
Following the Villa Park disappointment, Timber emphasized that Arsenal must capitalize on the setback by using the loss to fuel their comeback. Any emerging overconfidence should have been eliminated by such a painful defeat.
"I believe ultimately you must utilize it as inspiration and eventually as power, because it occurred and we must acknowledge it and we must improve," the Netherlands international stated.
"During the campaign, these situations arise, disappointments, and you simply must rise above them afterward."
Arsenal welcome struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers in their upcoming Premier League fixture, followed by a visit to resurgent Everton on Dec. 20. Prior to that, though, there's a Champions League obligation that presents a chance to strengthen their position at the summit of the league phase table. Taking the brief journey to Belgium, Club Brugge awaits as their opposition.
Arsenal's Defensive Injury Crisis Stretches Depth
It seems like just weeks ago that some were prepared to crown Arsenal as Premier League champions already. However, since their 2-0 victory over Burnley in early November, the Gunners have secured just two wins from five Premier League matches. During the same timeframe, City have claimed four victories and stumbled only once.
Yet a crucial factor has been the injuries affecting Arsenal in their primary asset—central defense. Regular partnership Gabriel and William Saliba are both unavailable, with reserve choice Cristhian Mosquera also succumbing to injury during the midweek triumph against Brentford.
Timber, who had established himself at right back, began at center back on Saturday as replacement, alongside Piero Hincapié. The Dutch defender is familiar with the position, as are fellow fullbacks Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori, but their squad depth is being severely examined.
"I believe we possess an excellent team," Timber commented. "I believe substitutes who enter always perform admirably, but clearly it's not always simple. We cannot field identical players weekly and when players become unavailable again, it's challenging. But I believe it's also part of what occurs during the campaign. I believe it affects every club. For us it's identical and we simply must handle that and secure our victories."