Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta could finish the season without Declan Rice.Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta could finish the season without Declan Rice.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta could finish the season without Declan Rice. | AFP via Getty Images
The Gunners could finish the Premier League season without midfield linchpin Declan Rice.
Just two points separate the Magpies in third and Mikel Arteta’s side in second. A win for Newcastle United on Sunday would see the North East club leapfrog Arsenal with Eddie Howe’s men having picked up a huge three points in the race for the Champions League over Chelsea yesterday.
There are two fixtures left to play in the Premier League season and the Gunners could still be caught by Newcastle United, Manchester City, Chelsea or Aston Villa. Arsenal have been focused on their Champions League exploits but recently dropped points against the Reds, AFC Bournemouth and Crystal Palace recently.
Arsenal handed injury scare
Arteta’s side struggled to get a foothold in the game against Liverpool on Sunday with the Champions going 2-0 up after 21 minutes through goals from Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz before mounting a comeback. Rice has only not seen minutes in three Premier League matches this season and has racked up nearly 4,000 minutes across all competitions.
The BBC now claims that Rice’s absence against Liverpool is believed to be a hamstring strain. The midfielder played all 90 minutes of the 2-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain last Wednesday with the problem picked up since then.
Speaking before the Arsenal game, Arteta said: "Declan couldn't even train so he's injured unfortunately and couldn't make the game."
Arsenal will ‘not risk’ Declan Rice amid hamstring injury fears
It’s claimed that the ‘club medics will not take any unnecessary risks with the England international’ ahead of this weekend’s meeting with Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium. The Premier League season ends with a trip to Southampton for the Gunners, who need just two more points to confirm a Champions League place. Rice’s injury also comes as a worry for Thomas Tuchel and the England camp ahead of next month’s internationals against Andorra and Senegal.
Arsenal will already be without midfielder Mikel Merino, who has been playing in the striker role due to injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus. The Spaniard received a straight red card in the 79th minute at Anfield.
Reacting to that sending off, Arteta said: “I haven't seen it on TV to be fair. I know that Mikel goes to the ball and he gets a little bit pushed and after he reacts it looks like he touches him and he made the decision so that's it.”
The Arsenal manager was also critical of his side’s performance against Liverpool, labelling it as ‘so far off it’. He said: “A lot of parts, especially the defending standards that we had and the areas that after we gave the ball away, which is totally prohibited against this team, so very far off it, really upset.
“Yeah, we had a reaction, I hate reaction, I like action and especially we want to be there winning trophies. You want to be a moment that you win it or you don't and when you don't have to, you have to play another one that you have been working for nine months and that's here today. And if you cannot win it, you have to be the best of the rest. And I was really, really upset.”
In other news, Arsenal next £35m transfer plan emerges after Martin Zubimendi deal agreed.
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