“Arsenal fans should stop blaming me”: Mikel Arteta revealed the two players that he’s disappointed with their lack of contributions to the team – Not Zinchenko and Martinelli

Mikel Arteta admitted that he regretted not being able to use Thomas Partey and Jurrien Timber for most of the season.

Timber has been out since the first day of the season with an ACL injury. This news was particularly devastating for Arsenal as the Dutch international only arrived from Ajax last summer for €40m (£34m).

Partey, on the other hand, has struggled with injuries for most of his time in north London, although this season has been particularly difficult. The Ghanaian has made just five appearances all season and has only played 15 minutes since August due to a number of muscle injuries.

In recent games, Arsenal have struggled with a lack of strength, particularly in midfield and in defense, with Oleksandr Zinchenko and Fabio Vieira also unavailable. Arteta revealed before the FA Cup third round against Liverpool that this is a major problem for his players to overcome.

“It was a big blow,” the Spaniard said of Timber’s injury. “Everyone saw on the first day what it would bring to the team. Versatility, quality and leadership. And the ability we didn’t have in the backline. It was a big blow.

“The loss of Thomas was also a big blow. We had different plans with him as well, to be very versatile and unpredictable in our way of playing. We didn’t have them and it’s difficult. We have them in the building, which is a pleasure. But we didn’t have them on the field as much as we wanted.”

The duo have only started two games together – Arsenal’s Community Shield win against Manchester City and the opening Premier League game against Nottingham Forest. With Partey’s ability to play at right-back as well as in defensive midfield and Timber’s skill throughout the backline, the plan was to use them to make Arsenal even more difficult for opponents to prepare for while keeping the team fresh.

However, Arsenal have suffered this season from apparent predictability. They will look to remedy that against Liverpool, where they will be looking to improve on a run of just one win in their last five games.

Unfortunately for Arsenal, it doesn’t look like Partey or Timber will be back anytime soon. “Unfortunately it’s a very long-term injury,” Arteta said of Timber’s absence in the pre-match press conference. “He is doing really well, but he is far from being able to train with the team. It’s something he has to compete with the team for. We are not expecting him any time soon. This is what we have. We have to deal with the situation we have now that Tomi has to leave.”

Partey has not been included in Ghana’s squad for the Africa Cup of Nations. Arteta revealed in a pre-match press conference that this is because he is still not training with Arsenal’s first team.

“It was a case of common sense,” the Spaniard said. “He had a long-term injury. He tried to speed up his rehabilitation because he really wanted to be in the national team, but he is still far from training with the squad and it didn’t make sense for him to participate.”