Arsenal were back out at London Colney on Wednesday morning to finish preparations for Liverpool, though the session was not completely full. With the Arsenal injury picture still something Mikel Arteta is juggling, three players were absent from training ahead of Thursday night’s Premier League game at the Emirates.
Training photos never show everything, and they can be misleading at times, but they still tend to offer clues. This set suggested Arsenal are close to having most of the squad available, though not quite there yet, which feels familiar at this stage of the season. There is also context around this fixture that matters. Manchester City and Aston Villa both play a day earlier, so Arsenal will already know the landscape before they kick off. That alone adds pressure. Availability matters more when margins tighten, and Liverpool rarely allow much breathing room anyway.
SOME POSITIVE SIGNS
The good news came quickly. Gabriel Magalhaes and Declan Rice were both involved and moving freely. Their returns have already shown their value. Both scored in the 3-2 win over Bournemouth, and both looked sharp again on the training pitches.
They featured heavily in the images released by the club. Focused. Engaged. Clearly part of the plan. Arsenal simply look more settled with those two around, and that has been obvious for a while now.
There was a brief question mark over Christian Norgaard after he did not appear in the first batch of photos. That did not last long. He later appeared in the training video uploaded to Arsenal’s website. Sometimes these things really are just timing, nothing more.
DEFENSIVE ABSENCES STILL THERE
Two absences were not a surprise. Riccardo Calafiori and Cristhian Mosquera were again missing and have been ruled out through injury. Arteta has already indicated both are getting closer, but close is not the same as ready.
“I think pretty soon they have to go to the last stage of the rehab,” Arteta said earlier this week. “Everything goes well, hopefully very soon they will be available for selection.”
For this match, though, they are not options. That limits rotation at the back, even if Arsenal still have enough depth to manage it.
HAVERTZ SITUATION EXPLAINED
Kai Havertz was spotted out on the grass, which felt important. He was left out of the Bournemouth squad, but that decision was about managing his load rather than any fresh issue.
“We are monitoring his load,” Arteta explained. “He has been out for a long time for two different reasons. He’s very close, trained again this morning, and hopefully we’re going to have him available and the best version of Kai Havertz.”
That suggests caution rather than concern. It also suggests decisions will continue to be made week by week, rather than locked in early.
ANOTHER NAME NOT SEEN
Max Dowman was the third player not spotted in training, also due to injury. Arsenal have not offered much detail on his situation, and there has been no rush to do so. At this point, that is fairly standard.
LIVERPOOL HAVE THEIR OWN ISSUES
Arsenal are not alone in dealing with missing players. Liverpool remain without Mohamed Salah, who is still away at the Africa Cup of Nations. Hugo Ekitike is another doubt.
Arne Slot confirmed on Wednesday morning that the forward has yet to train.
“Hugo has not trained with us until now,” he said. “We’ll see if he can today. The games come too fast.” That leaves Liverpool making late calls of their own.
WHAT MAY CHANGE
Changes to Arsenal’s starting XI are expected. Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard both came off the bench against Bournemouth and are pushing for starts. Fitness across the squad is improving, even if it is not perfect.
As featured on GoonerNews.com