Danny Mills expects Arsenal to cope with the absence of Mikel Arteta when they face Manchester City tomorrow.
The Spaniard is self-isolating after catching covid-19, and he will miss the huge clash against the Premier League champions.
Arsenal lost 5-0 to City in the reverse of this fixture, and this game offers them the chance to get vengeance.
Arteta would have been in opposing dugouts with his mentor, Pep Guardiola if he had been in the stadia for this game, but that won’t be the case.
Former Premier League star, Mills agrees the absence of a manager could affect players in the long run, but he backs Arsenal to play well against City.
He tells Football Insider: “In a one-off game, it can galvanise the players and create a siege mentality. ‘Poor old us, let’s pull together for this one game and get it done for the gaffer’. You can get away with it.
“If it’s just one game or so you can probably get away with it. If you go beyond that you might get into a little bit more difficulty.
“With technology and everything else you expect him to be able to give directions and everything else across to his team.
“He’ll be disappointed because sometimes you want to make changes immediately in games but for a one-off game they will be alright.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
It is always better if the manager is on the sidelines barking out instructions to his players.
Arteta has had a considerable influence on his players from the pitchside, and they will miss that in this game.
However, it also offers them the chance to show him they are committed to being their best version, and they will work hard to achieve a result for him.