Arsenal legend Ray Parlour has urged Mikel Arteta to think twice before starting Jurrien Timber in the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain, unless the Dutch defender is fully fit. Timber has been sidelined for two months with a groin injury, missing 12 matches across all competitions for the Gunners.
Timber's Injury Woes
There were hopes that Timber, widely regarded as one of the best right-backs in European football, could return for Arsenal's run-in. However, Arteta has been unable to confirm whether the 24-year-old will feature again this season. The situation worsened last week when Ben White, who had been deputising for Timber, suffered a significant medial knee ligament injury that rules him out for the remainder of the campaign, also casting doubt on his World Cup participation.
With White unavailable, Arteta faces a selection headache ahead of the final in Budapest. Cristhian Mosquera and Declan Rice have been used as makeshift options after White's withdrawal against West Ham. Mosquera is expected to start in Arsenal's penultimate Premier League game at home to Burnley.
Arteta's Alternatives
“We need to look at alternatives,” Arteta told reporters. “The two players that we have there are not available at the moment. We need to look and do something else. The good thing is that we have experienced that all over the pitch this season. When we had issues, normally, they’ve been in the same positions as well. We have managed to find the right level of performance and consistency. I’m sure we will do that.”
Parlour's Concerns
Whoever plays on the right side of Arsenal's defence will face a tough test against Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, one of the most in-form attackers in the Champions League. The Georgian has scored ten goals and provided six assists in 15 appearances for PSG in the competition. Parlour, a former Arsenal midfielder, is well aware of the threat.
“He’s, for me, one of the best players I’ve seen for a long time,” Parlour told Goal on behalf of 10bet. “I mean he’s great – what he does with the ball, he chops inside. So that is a bit of a worry. I don’t know what sort of time Timber has been out. A long time. Whether he can throw him straight back in, I don’t know, because it’s nothing like when you’ve missed so many games out injured. You can’t just suddenly go in and do a great job. So it’d be interesting to see what he can do there. I don’t know. I mean that’s going to be the worry for him, there’s no doubt about that.”
Defensive Approach Expected
Parlour expects Arteta to adopt a cautious, defensive-minded approach at the Puskas Arena, given PSG's attacking talent. “Whoever plays there has just got to give his all,” he added. “You’re not going to be going forward too much as a right-back; you’re going to be more defensive-minded against him because you know what he can do. So I think it won’t be the full-backs flying forward like normal. I think it’d be a much more structured back four, saying, ‘Well, let the guys in front of us do the damage if we can go forward, but we make sure we don’t get caught out of position’, because you know how good they are on the break and you know how good they are going forward. I think that’s how Mikel Arteta will approach the game.”
