Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has spoken for the first time since his side’s Carabao Cup clash against Liverpool was postponed.
The EFL granted Liverpool's request to postpone the first leg of their semi-final with the Gunners that was due to be played on Thursday night.
The Reds made the request after they were struck down by a COVID outbreak that forced the club to shut its AXA Training Centre for a couple of days.
Several Liverpool players, their manager Jurgen Klopp, and his assistant Pep Lijnders, have all been struck down by the virus.
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The first of the two legs will now be played at Anfield this coming Thursday before the return leg is scheduled to be played at the Emirates Stadium a week later.
And while Arteta has admitted his team wanted to play as planned, he has no ill-feelings towards the EFL for calling off the game.
“We wanted to play the match, but you have to understand that clubs are having a lot of issues,” the Spaniard told a press conference on Friday afternoon.
“People who are in charge make the final decision whether the game has to be played or not and I believe they should have enough arguments not to play the game, if the authorities manage to postpone the match, but of course, we wanted to play.”
Arsenal have had their own COVID problems in recent weeks, with Arteta missing last weekend’s Premier League defeat to Manchester City after testing positive for the virus.
And Arteta has revealed that the Gunners are still having some problems with COVID ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup tie with Nottingham Forest.
He said: “I will have them [the players] all tomorrow, we have some issues, but we will know more tomorrow.”
Before he continued on his own health, saying: “I feel good. I had a few rough days but I feel in top form. I am so happy to leave my house after being there for seven or eight days so I'm really good.”
