Back in Action and Injured Again? Arteta: Timber Felt Uncomfortable, So We Substituted Him Early

On the morning of October 2nd, Arsenal secured a 2-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, delivering an exciting win for the fans. Notably, Dutch defender Jurriën Timber started as the right-back, marking his seventh consecutive appearance in defense, truly living up to his “iron man” status. Timber was like an impenetrable wall on the defensive line, helping the team maintain their lead steadily with brilliant goals from Havertz and Saka.

However, at the start of the second half, keen-eyed fans noticed a small incident—Timber was missing! Indeed, he was replaced by Kiwior. It turned out that Timber felt some “protest” from his muscles at the end of the first half. To avoid any risks, Coach Arteta made the decision to substitute him promptly. “He performed incredibly in the first half, but he felt some muscle discomfort and wasn’t sure himself. So I didn’t want to take any chances. He has been out for a year, and now he’s played a lot of games, possibly more than we wanted over the past few weeks. We need to manage his playing time well,” Arteta explained after the game.

Speaking of Timber, last season he missed almost all matches due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury, becoming an “invisible warrior.” However, after rigorous rehabilitation training, he has become a regular under Arteta. From coming off the bench against Wolves at the beginning of the season to starting five consecutive Premier League matches, Timber’s performances have caught everyone’s attention.

Arteta is full of hope for Timber’s recovery, especially with a big match against Southampton on Saturday. Additionally, Timber has been called up by the Netherlands national team to prepare for friendlies against Hungary and Germany.