Having an almost fully healthy Arsenal first team roster to pick from for this evening’s London derby versus Chelsea (Saturday) makes Mikel Arteta the envy of many managers.
Nevertheless, the international break prevented the Spaniard from seeing up to 14 of his top players for the majority of the previous two weeks. He revealed that things will become much clearer after the training session at London Colney.
When questioned about the most recent Arsenal squad news, Arteta responded, “Not a lot,” to reporters during the pre-match press conference on Friday morning. There haven’t been many players for us. Today is our first training session; following the session, we’ll have further information.”
Arteta will be able to select the same team that defeated Manchester City nearly two weeks ago if all 14 players have recovered from their international duties without suffering any new injuries. William Saliba and Leandro Trossard, who remained with France and Belgium, respectively, will be included in this.
It is hoped that Bukayo Saka will also be up for selection in the interim. Due to a hamstring issue, the winger was unable to play in the 1-0 victory over the champions and was later left out of the England team for their two-match against Australia and Italy.
Arteta disclosed that the winger has been putting in a lot of effort to be considered, even though she did not explicitly state that the number seven for Arsenal will make the journey to Stamford Bridge: “I’m convinced he wants to play “yes,” the Spanish strategist continued. “He has put forth a lot of effort to get ready for this game. Thus, let’s check in on him now.”
Now, Arteta has three choices to think about if Saka is healthy enough to play Chelsea. Does he put the 22-year-old back into the starting lineup right away, include him in the substitute lineup, or decide to not take a chance on him by leaving him off the matchday roster entirely?
History indicates that the England international will play for Arsenal against the Blues in one way or another if he has fully recovered from his hamstring injury. However, as Arteta is allowed to choose a 20-man matchday squad for the game, a return would mean losing one comrade.
As a forward, it’s reasonable to imagine Saka takes the position of another forward, meaning Reiss Nelson may be the most likely player to be out unless Trossard, for instance, is forced to lose time due to injury. However, the person who is finally selected to be left out will not be the only one.
At least four more Arsenal first-team players will have to watch their teammates from home as there can only be nine replacements used. This is assuming that no new injury worries arise between now and 4.30 p.m. on Saturday.
Naturally, Jurrien Timber is out for the season, Karl Hein is unlikely to start, as it is unusual for two goalkeepers to be named on the bench for a Premier League match, and it wouldn’t be shocking if the same four players were left off the squad against Man City.
