Arsenal have been gifted a major boost by the return of star playmaker Eberechi Eze ahead of Bournemouth, but he's not the only one who has made good recovery process.
Arsenal host Bournemouth as Arteta looks to lift Gunners mood
Arsenal's Premier League title bid resumes tomorrow morning when Bournemouth arrive at the Emirates for a 12:30pm kick-off.
Saka-Arteta-Arsenal
The Gunners hold a nine-point lead at the top of the table heading into the fixture and have won four consecutive league games, but the next few weeks carry genuine significance.
Man City have a game in hand and host Arsenal on April 19, so anything other than three points against Bournemouth tomorrow would narrow the margin at precisely the wrong moment.
Andoni Iraola's side arrive having gone eleven top-flight games without defeat, yet seven of those have ended level — including each of the last five in a row.
Arsenal's last seven Premier League games in title charge Date
Bournemouth (home) April 11
Man City (away) April 19
Newcastle (home) April 25
Fulham (home) May 2
West Ham (away) May 10
Burnley (home) May 17
Crystal Palace (away) May 24
They are a team that have made themselves very hard to beat without always finding a way to win, which is a profile that can test Arsenal's patience at the Emirates.
Arteta will be aware that Bournemouth took all three points at this ground nearly 12 months ago, even if the context this season is very different.
Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber are both doubts after missing Tuesday's Champions League first leg against Sporting Lisbon, while Piero Hincapie appears to remain unavailable.
Arteta was very cryptic in his press conference today, and when pressed on the availability of Saka, Martin Odegaard, Timber and Riccardo Calafiori, he simply stated: "I don't know, some of them."
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Eze, though, returns to the squad after a lower leg problem and ahead of schedule, in what is a major boost for the north Londoners.
The biggest absentee, as has been the case since January, is Mikel Merino — but Arteta delivered his most positive update yet on the Spaniard's recovery at his press conference.
Mikel Arteta suggests Mikel Merino could return for Arsenal ahead of time
Merino has been out of action since picking up a rare stress fracture in his right foot during the defeat to Man United in January.
Mikel-Merino-Arsenal
Surgery was carried out in early February, at which point Arteta cautioned that bone healing of this nature could take anywhere from three to five months.
Before the injury, the 29-year-old had contributed 12 goals across all competitions for club and country and had been one of Arteta's most reliable options — a midfielder capable of operating in multiple positions, including as a makeshift centre-forward when the situation demanded it.
The tone from Arteta about Merino's recovery has shifted noticeably.
Arsenal-Mikel-Merino
He confirmed the Spaniard is no longer in a protective boot and has begun doing physical work again, and suggested the original timeline could yet be shortened.
"He's another one who is going to push every boundary," Arteta said.
"He's out of his boot now, he's doing quite a lot of exercises already. He's reacted really well to the surgery, he's got no pain.
"It's more for the medical staff to go a bit further on that. But I'm sure there is a chance to make that period shorter. If there is a person who can do it, I'm sure that's going to be Mikel again."
The "another one" reference pointed to Eze, whose return from a lower leg problem has come sooner than expected.
Arteta's suggestion that Merino could follow a similar pattern raises the possibility of him featuring before anyone had anticipated — whether that means this season remains to be seen.
For now, tomorrow is what matters.
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