Arteta says having Saka & Calafiori available is ‘not enough’
Arteta says having Saka & Calafiori available is ‘not enough’ Mikel Arteta says it’s not enough for Bukayo Saka and Riccardo Calafiori to simply be available, at this stage of the season they also need to produce their best football. Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta revealed in his pre-Newcastle United press conference on Friday that he expects Bukayo Saka and Riccardo Calafiori to be in the squad for the game against Eddie Howe’s side on Saturday. That’s big news for Gunners fans, given both Saka and Calafiori are first-choice players in their positions when fit, and they’ve each been unavailable for around a month of football.
But Arteta believes it’s not enough just to have them available, given the difficulty and significance of Arsenal’s remaining games. Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images “We need to get the best version out of them [Bukayo Saka and Riccardo Calafiori],” Arteta said . “Being available is not enough.
“Being available with your best version is what we need in this stage of the season. But at least they are with us. They certainly make us stronger.
We [missed] them. “And now all the players as well, they’ve just come back as well. They’re going to have more games, more minutes, and hopefully we will see a performance as well.
” Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images On Calafiori’s fitness specifically, Arteta added: “You accept certain situations because it is what it is, but we are trying to implement a lot of things to give ourselves a better chance. He’s been much better this season than he was in the previous season. “He was really unlucky in the previous season that he had last year as well.