Mikel Arteta watched his Arsenal side beat Brentford 2-0 on Wednesday night but was left to fret over injuries to Declan Rice and Cristhian Mosquera following the victory at the Emirates.
The Gunners reclaimed a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table courtesy of goals from Mikel Merino (11') and Bukayo Saka (90+1'). A 10th win of the league campaign has put Arteta's men in a strong position to go on and lift the title come May next year.
But injuries continue to plague the North Londoners, who are without defensive duo William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes. Rice and Mosquera look set to join them on the sidelines, and an injury expert has detailed how long that may be for.
Injury Expert Verdict on Rice and Mosquera
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Mosquera was forced off in the 43rd minute after an awkward landing when attempting a header, and Jurrien Timber came on as his replacement. It seemed to be a knee or ankle problem for the Brazilian centre-back, who has performed well filling in for the injured Saliba and Gabriel.
Rice later gave Arteta a massive headache when he appeared to sustain a calf injury and couldn't continue beyond the 83rd minute. The English midfielder has arguably been his side's best player this season and they won't want to lose him for a lengthy period leading into a busy winter period.
A football injury analyst on X (@physioscout) gave their thoughts on Rice's injury by suggesting it doesn't look too serious. They wrote:
"Declan Rice had to come off with what looks to be a calf injury. When palpating, he seemed to pinpoint the soleus/peroneals. Soleus strains/tightness are they common as they are the primary calf muscle used for endurance. Most calf issues tend to be minor, and do facilitate a quick recovery. I’d say he wouldn’t miss more than a week or two based off initial analysis."
They similarly feel as though Mosquera will be out for up to two weeks:
"It doesn’t look like a major injury. Looks more muscular, and a discomfort/tightness if anything. Quad/groin region are particularly susceptible in that lengthened position. Hamstring too. Doesn’t really matter exactly which muscle, as it does look more minor. Likely chance Arteta will say Mosquera would have ‘felt something’."
Arsenal are next in action on Saturday (December 6) when they face an Aston Villa side who are flying high up in third and Arteta will likely come up against Unai Emery's Villans without Rice and Mosquera. The Spaniard may well have been planning to use a visit to Club Brugge in the Champions League (Wednesday 10) to rotate before colliding with Wolverhampton Wanderers three days later.
"Never Good News" - Arteta on Rice and Mosquera
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Arteta has only just welcomed Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz back from lengthy spells on the sidelines, but he now could be without another duo as the injuries continue to pile up amid a title charge. He delved into the situation when speaking to reporters after the win over Brentford:
"Yes, obviously it's never good news. Declan had to come off, we don't know. We have to see tomorrow what he's got. And Mosquera is the other one that is out. Obviously we have Gabriel and Willy are out as well. So we have to adapt."
The Spanish coach pointed out the impact a grueling fixture list is having on players:
"[Rice] can walk. He cannot play. The thing is playing a lot of minutes, but as well when. Now we play Wednesday night and we have to play Saturday morning as well."
He added:
"We can play minutes, but if they can please give us just a little bit more time to recover and to make the well-being of these players a little bit easier, that would be great."
Rice has been key for Arteta, especially from set pieces, with two goals and four assists in 14 league games. But losing Mosquera is equally problematic, given his preferred centre-back pair, Gabriel and Saliba, who he claims could be back in "a matter of days", have been sidelined.