Jurriën Timber is confident Arsenal will rise to the challenge of playing without Bukayo Saka as he insisted there will be twists and turns to come in the Premier League title race.
Arsenal began what will be a lengthy spell without the injured Saka on Friday when they beat Ipswich 1-0 at the Emirates, closing to within six points of Liverpool, albeit having played one more game than the leaders.
Saka has undergone hamstring surgery and as he faces up to a minimum of two months out, there was a focus on Arsenal’s right flank where Timber in the full-back position had Gabriel Martinelli ahead of him.
Mikel Arteta moved Martinelli over from the left wing to start instead of Saka and the Brazilian struggled against a compact Ipswich team. The right-footed Martinelli is used to cutting inside from the other flank, much as the left-footed Saka does from the right.
Timber acknowledged the obvious differences between the pair but he has faith in Martinelli and the team to overcome this latest setback. Arsenal missed their captain, Martin Ødegaard, for seven league games from mid-September; they won three of them without him. They have also been hit by injured players in defence.
“It’s not the first big challenge this season that we have faced,” Timber said. “As a team we will just try everything to win our games. Of course, it is a bit different to having Bukayo. But Martinelli has showed already a couple of times that he can play both sides. He is a big threat for every defender and I think he is going to show it.
“Everyone knows how important Bukayo is for us, what he did for Arsenal for the last couple of years. Of course we are waiting for him to get back but it’s a nice challenge for the team, for others to step up.”
Timber was asked about the gap to Liverpool, who have already visited the Emirates, drawing 2-2 in October. The return at Anfield is 10 May, their third last fixture of the season.
“What I heard from the guys is that in the Premier League everything can happen,” Timber said. “We just have to focus on ourselves, win our games and from there we will see.”
