Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Man United boss Erik ten Hag's injury stances speak volumes

Historically, Arsenal and Manchester United have been two of the Premier League's powerhouses but since they were battling it out at the top together in the early '00s, they have rarely been at their peak at the same time.

After winning their last in 2004, fell off the radar as Sir Alex Ferguson's spell of dominance continued. Once the Scot retired, Arsenal have steadily built to a stage now that Mikel Arteta's side are on a different level alongside and .

Such a switch in dynamics is evidenced on a near day-to-day basis. There would have been a time when drawing at a struggling Fenerbahce in Europe's second-tier competition would have caused a huge shockwave among the fanbase - this week it felt almost acceptable.

Likewise, Arsenal losing away at Bournemouth with ten-men would have been seen as frustrating but not the end of the world before arrival. Now, there was some talk this week that it could remarkably spell the end for their title challenge albeit such takes seem premature.

But it is not just in fan behaviour where the difference between the two camps is evident, it also stems from the managers too. Both Arsenal and United are missing seven players this weekend who, if available, would likely be in their squads one way or another.

While all seven of men find themselves sidelined with injuries, six of Arteta's are out with medical issues as William Saliba serves a one-match ban for his sending off on the South Coast. Although they both sit in very similar positions, their responses to their respective injury worries are as different as night and day.

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For Ten Hag, he sees the injury issues as a means to deflect from problems that have been evident throughout his tenure so far. "Yeah, [the injuries] holds us back in our levels and also in our position in the league," he claimed in his pre-match press conference.

"When you don't have the players available, you can't line up the best team and that is what's holding us back in this moment and we need more players more often available. We have to work all together on this point, players, coaching staff, all the other staff we have to do better to get more available players because we know when we have them we are a really tough team to play and can be really successful, which is what we have shown over the last couple of months."

Arteta had every right to follow the same approach in his press conference, especially with title rivals Liverpool around the corner. Yet instead, he made no excuses.

"This is the game," he explained. "Obviously we didn't want to be in those situations but we are really lucky as well to have the squad that we have, to have the players that we have, to have the attitude that we have.

"When it comes down to reacting to a difficult situation, don't feel sorry for ourselves; face it." Perhaps it is easy to say this when you are not under pressure from the very top and your job is not under constant scrutiny.

However, it speaks volumes as to the standards being set by both coaches and how one is happy to justify bad performances due to squad injuries while the other will not allow standards to drop regardless of how the injury room looks.