Jurrien Timber was taken off at half-time against Paris Saint-Germain
Jurrien Timber was substituted after he felt a slight muscular issue during Arsenal’s Champions League win over Paris Saint-Germain, Mikel Arteta confirmed.
Timber excelled on the right side of defence as Arsenal raced into a two-goal lead at the Emirates on Tuesday night courtesy of Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka.
However, the Dutchman was subsequently replaced by Jakub Kiwior at half-time, prompting concerns from Arsenal fans.
Speaking at full-time, Arteta revealed that the substitution was a precautionary measure after the 23-year-old felt a slight muscular issue.
‘He was unbelievable in the first half but he felt something muscular and he wasn’t certain,’ the Spaniard said.
Having spent almost the entirety of last season on the sidelines with a major knee injury, Timber has now started seven of Arsenal’s last eight games in all competitions.
And Arteta recognised that he had no desire to risk the defender given that heavy workload and his injury history.
Arsenal are unbeaten so far in the Champions League this season (Picture: Getty)
‘He’s played more minutes than we would have wanted in the past few weeks and we have to manage him.’
Timber’s fitness issues aside, Tuesday’s performance marked another all-round display from the Gunners who looked free-flowing and incisive in the first half but defensively resolute in shutting down PSG’s attacking rhythm as the French side plotted a comeback in the second half.
Such defensive work-rate has become a hallmark of Arteta’s side in recent seasons and the Spaniard insisted his players are more than happy to put in the hard yards to see out a result.
‘Sometimes you don’t want to play in a certain way but if the opponent takes you there you must be happy to do it,’ he told Amazon Prime at full-time.
‘We looked a lot at different scenarios in pre-season and how we would approach them and how we can work to our own game. We want to continue to win in any context so we have to adapt.
‘The players do it and they don’t feel like it is nasty,’ he continued. ‘They feel that it is their duty to the team. And they have started to love it.
‘It is all about how you feel when you do something, if you really feel it you do it well, if not then you are just cheating.
‘These guys don’t cheat, they run and track back every time. If you want to be a top team you better have eleven players that are capable of working.’
Arsenal are back in Premier League action on Saturday as they host winless Southampton at the Emirates.
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