Mikel Arteta will be watching this week's international matches nervously as he bids to mastermind Arsenal's first title win for 19 years.
The Gunners are in control of the title race, but will need to avoid injuries over the next week to give them the best chance of success. Those nerves come as Mesit Ozil announced his retirement, with Bukayo Saka's opinion of the German now re-emerging.
Arteta has also charged his medical team with taking extraordinary measures to keep his players fit and the Spaniard sent a message to his stars as they left for international duty. Here, Mirror Football rounds up the latest Arsenal news.
Saka's verdict on Ozil re-emerges
Bukayo Saka spent just over two years year playing alongside Mesut Ozil at Arsenal. The German left on a free transfer in January 2021, having fallen out of favour under Arteta at the Gunners.
But while Arteta was not a fan of him towards the end of his time at the Emirates Stadium, it appears Saka was. The winger made his senior debut in 2018 and following that game, singled out Ozil for praise.
"He plays in his own world," Saka told Football Focus. Some of the things he does and you look at him, just wow."
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Gunners take desperate Partey measures
Arsenal are taking desperate measures to ensure their star players stay fit for the Premier League title run-in. That includes sending their lead performance physio join Thomas Partey with the Ghana squad in a bid to keep the midfielder fit.
Partey has linked up with the Black Stars for their upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualification games against Angola. He has missed 37 games due to injury since arriving at the Gunners from Atletico Madrid in October 2020.
Missing any time in the run-in would be a huge blow for the Gunners as they look to secure the title. And in a desperate bid to keep him out of the treatement room, Arsenal chiefs have sent Simon Murphy out to Africa with the midfielder.
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Arteta sends title message
Back-up goalkeeper Matt Turner has revealed the message that Mikel Arteta has sent his players ahead of them going away on international duty. The American has disclosed that Arteta has urged his squad to keep their focus on the title over the break.
"No one's looking at this international break as an escape or as a little bit of time away. I think the message from our manager and the message amongst the players is very clear," Turner said.
"You're going away to keep fit, to keep playing at the highest level, obviously stay healthy, treat your body right and come back firing on all cylinders because we're definitely not the only club that's on pause right now."
