Riccardo Calafiori
Riccardo Calafiori
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Injury lists can shape the way a title-chasing side approaches a demanding run of fixtures. When several first-team players are unavailable at the same time, every selection carries an extra layer of calculation. Supporters who have followed recent weeks closely will recognise the pattern of points being collected while the treatment room remains busy.
The 2-0 win over Everton kept Arsenal level with Manchester City at the top end of the Premier League table. It was comfortable enough, yet the conversation quickly shifted away from the result and back towards fitness. That is where the club stands at present, collecting points while decisions continue about who can be protected and who must play.
Bukayo Saka remains the biggest concern. When he went down against Bayern Munich there was immediate worry. There was no challenge of note, no obvious impact, just a player signalling that something had gone wrong
Arteta later confirmed it was a quad issue. “We have to wait. It will be weeks,” Arteta said before Arsenal’s win over Everton. “I think in a week or ten days we’re going to have another scan because there’s so much fluid at the moment. So the picture is not that clear to give you an exact amount of time. But it looks like it’s going to be weeks.”
The current expectation points towards a return in December, potentially for the home game against Manchester United on December 20. Until then the right side will be patched together.
Riccardo Calafiori is a different case. His absence from the starting line-up against Everton raised eyebrows because he had started each of Arsenal’s previous seven Premier League matches. He came on late and spent much of stoppage time stationed up front before heading straight down the tunnel.
“Yeah I wasn’t that mad to change those two from their positions,” Arteta said. “It was because he had a slight issue, we don’t know what it is, it seems to be something very small, but he was cautious about it.” Fleetwood Town in the Carabao Cup would likely have been a game to manage his minutes.
The problem is what comes next. Arsenal go to Liverpool on Sunday, and Calafiori has become important quickly. For now, Liverpool away on November 1 remains the working target and the Italian is expected to be fit for the game at Anfield.
William Saliba has not played this season because of a back injury aggravated while away with France. He has returned to individual work on the grass. “Next week, we have another MRI with him to see how the healing process is at the moment,” Arteta said. “Every sign so far has been very, very positive. It will be great to have him.” A December return still looks the most realistic outcome.
Christos Tzolis picked up a hamstring injury while away with Greece. “Tzolis has a muscle injury, and he’s going to be out for a few weeks. He’s not available yet,” Arteta said. The initial expectation was around three weeks, and that timeframe has now passed. That puts him in contention for Fleetwood and, if all goes well, the trip to Liverpool. Piero Hincapie has already taken a step back into the matchday squad after an ankle problem, which gives Arteta at least one useful body as the schedule tightens.
Saka is the big one and there is no clean answer yet. Calafiori is a fresh concern but the issue is minor. Saliba is progressing, but carefully. Tzolis is also expected to return, Hincapie is back involved, and Arteta will keep doing what he has done for weeks, winning where he can and managing risk everywhere else
The duo of Calafiori and Tzolis both appear set to be available for the Liverpool clash, providing a timely boost ahead of one of the biggest fixtures of the campaign.