Arsenal’s injured trio of Riccardo Calafiori, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli returned to the squad for Sunday’s north London derby at home to Tottenham Hotspur.
This serves as a massive boost for Mikel Arteta at a time when his extensive resources have been depleted. Talismanic centre back Gabriel will be sidelined for several weeks while Kai Havertz has suffered a relapse in his recovery from a knee injury sustained on the first day of the season.
Marquee summer signing Viktor Gyökeres remains out of action, as does Martin Ødegaard, who had been spotted on Arsenal’s prematch walk on the day of the derby, giving hope of four returnees.
The Gunners faithful would have to settle for three unexpected boosts.
That any of the players made there return was unlikely given Arteta’s track record. The Basque coach is known to lean upon deception and skulduggery when it comes to the health of his team.
Former Arsenal fullback Oleksandr Zinchenko revealed in his autobiography Believe: “[Arteta] likes to play games with the opposition. I’ve seen him tell injured players to come on the team bus and walk into the dressing room with their wash bag, to put the other manager off the scent.”
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The Arsenal boss himself admitted last season: “I don’t want to make it easy for anyone.
“The opponent has to make sure they do their homework—like I have to. When I know, I am not going to lie to you, I am not going to say, ‘He’s not fit’ and then I play him—I would never do that—but, if I am certain or I don’t want to tell you, I will keep you guessing.”
Arteta, in his defence, did not explicitly rule out any of Ødegaard, Madueke, Calafiori or Martinelli.
Specifically on the topic of the Italian defender who returned early from international duty, Arteta revealed on Friday that he had not yet been fit enough to train with the team. “Tomorrow we have another training session and we’ll see how he is.”
That was the message for the rest of the absentees. “See how some of them are feeling, whether it’s a bit too close for this game, or we feel that they can contribute to the game,” Arteta insisted. “I’m hopeful that we can make another step, but I certainly cannot say.”
Arsenal Starting XI vs. Tottenham
(4-2-3-1): David Raya; Jurriën Timber, William Saliba, Piero Hincapié, Riccardo Calafiori; Declan Rice, Martín Zubimendi; Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze, Leandro Trossard; Mikel Merino.
Martin Ødegaard Sends Positive Message
Ødegaard has been riddled with injuries this season. After repeatedly inflamming a shoulder issue, the club captain has been sidelined for the past six weeks with a knee problem. The Norway international joined up with his country over the November break, prompting his manager Ståle Solbakken to claim that he was still “some distance away” from returning to action.
He wasn’t able to make the bench but the player himself offered some hope to Arsenal fans with a message of encouragement in his programme notes.
“This week I’ve been working really hard on my rehab—it’s going very well,” the captain wrote. “I can feel I’m getting closer every day and getting towards the final stages, where it’s a lot more exciting.
“I’ve been doing some pitch work and training, so I really feel like I’m getting there. That’s the best part of the rehab, when you’re getting closer to joining the team, you can do a lot more on the pitch and you can be more aggressive in the rehab.
“I feel like I’m getting stronger and stronger. I can’t wait to be back now, we’re on a good path and it’s looking good. I’m really excited.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Arsenal Given Shock Triple Injury Boost for North London Derby.
