Riccardo Calafiori gingerly strolling off the pitch has to have been near the final level Mikel Arteta supposed to see at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night.
Arsenal have truly been struck exhausting by accidents and shedding the Italian will surely be a real hammer strike prematurely of Sunday’s Premier League face-off with Liverpool.
The Gunners will definitely lack the placed on maintain William Saliba, whereas Jurrien Timber was lacking as soon as extra for the 1-0 Champions League win versus Shakhtar Donetsk.
Takehiro Tomiyasu, that has truly maintained Mohamed Salah peaceable previously, is likewise out after having a bother in his return from a knee harm.
Arteta has truly developed this Arsenal group on its demanding safety, but he would possibly at the moment be pushed right into a rethink versus Liverpool as accidents and suspensions take their toll.
Here, Standard Sport analyzes his decisions …
Partey at right-back
Arteta will surely by no means ever confess, but one must query if the 2nd fifty % versus Shakhtar was a totally dry run for Sunday.
After hooking Ben White on the break, Arteta relocated Thomas Partey to right-back which might be the place the midfielder is compelled to wager Liverpool.
With no Saliba, and doubtlessly no Timber, there’s a nice probability Arteta relocations White to centre-back along with Gabriel provided each developed a powerful collaboration all through the 2021-22 interval.
Partey has truly dipped into right-back beforehand, consisting of all through his days at Atletico Madrid, and he positioned in a steady show display versus Shakhtar.
But the Ghana international was not as dependable as he remained within the heart of the park within the very first fifty %, whereas there would undoubtedly likewise be worries regarding him dealing with Cody Gakpo or Luis Diaz on the Liverpool wing.
Liverpool’s pace on the counter is amongst their most vital instruments and Partey might be subjected in huge areas.
Possible safety: Partey, White, Gabriel, Kiwior
Kiwior at centre-back
If Timber is out and Arteta needs to keep up White at right-back, after that Jakub Kiwior might be parachuted proper into the guts of safety.
The Poland international completed nicely at left-back final interval, delighting in a run within the group across the flip of yr, but he’s a centre-back by career.
Kiwior started at Bournemouth final Saturday when Saliba was dispatched and performed along with Gabriel.
It will surely go away Arsenal with 2 left-footed centre-backs, which isn’t appropriate for precisely how they want to play out from the again.
Kiwior likewise had a difficult online game at Bournemouth, along with his loosened back-pass inflicting David Raya distributing a cost.
The 24-year-old wager Liverpool final interval, starting at half-time in a 3-1 win, and completed nicely.
Possible safety: White, Kiwior, Gabriel, Zinchenko
Lewis-Skelly at left-back
It will surely be a big program of confidence by Arteta, but he can resolve to start Myles Lewis-Skelly
Such a circumstance seems unlikely, but it must be stored in thoughts that Arteta reworked to Lewis-Skelly versus Shakhtar when Calafiori went off harm.
Oleksandr Zinchenko is just merely again from calf bone harm, which could partially describe that, but the 17-year-old has truly likewise been thrilling just lately and might rapidly have truly gone up the place.
Lewis-Skelly supplies an excessive amount of what Arteta wishes from his left-back as a result of he fasts and stable, and adequate on the spherical that he can put proper into midfield.
He got here with the rankings as a foremost midfielder, but the membership have truly reworked him proper right into a left-back.
There are actually excessive count on Lewis-Skelly, but handing him his very first Premier League starting versus Salah will surely be baptism of fireside.
It will surely be simply one of many boldest possibility phone calls Arteta has truly made.
Possible safety: Partey, White, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly
