Written by William Saliba is the latest casualty in Arsenal to get injured. He was not featured in the 2-2 draw against Aston Villa over the weekend at the Emirates stadium. Mikel Arteta confirmed that he got a knock and therefore he could not play.
His absence really disrupted the flow of the game for the Gunners. Arsenal looked so exposed in the defence and it can all be pointed down to William Saliba’s absence. The partnership and good defending chemistry that they have had together with Gabriel Magalhaes was nowhere to be seen because Jurrien Timber is not used to it.
It has been confirmed that William Saliba will be sidelined for two weeks. During this period, he will miss the last two crucial Champions League games for the Group Stage. He will miss the game against Dinamo Zagreb at home before missing the Premier League clash against Wolves away and then the last group stage game of the Champions League against Girona.
The good news is that, William Saliba will be in the run to recover ahead of a very crucial and important match at the Emirates Stadium against their arch rivals Manchester City, who have found their form again especially after beating Salford City 8-0 in the FA Cup tie and also beating Ipswich Town 6-0 in the Premier League.
It is still not very clear if Mikel Arteta will stick to the defence that did not produce results for him against Aston Villa or change his team. He needs to do something because the race for the Premier League is so stiff and it needs him to adjust his team if he wants to get all the three points.
Arsenal should also take the Champions League games very seriously because a win will enable the club to automatically qualify for the round of 16 without going for play offs.