The next month will be a huge test of Arsenal’s squad but they must rest and rotate if they are to finally end their Premier League title drought and compete in Europe
Arsenal signed all of those players in the summer to make sure they are well stocked when injuries bite. They cannot afford another season when injuries, missing players and lay-offs undermine their season and chances of winning trophies.
But now they have to put their trust and faith in the squad to get through a demanding month of fixtures. William Saliba suffered a knock in training on Saturday, 24 hours before the Chelsea game and it is hoped that it is only a minor issue and it will be a short lay-off.
Sadly for Arsenal, they are already missing Gabriel (he suffered his injury while on international duty with Brazil) and that makes it four current squad members missing.
Kai Havertz is still out – he could be back training with the group within the next week or so – and Leandro Trossard is also out with a calf issue suffered against Bayern Munich.
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Now they have Martin Odegaard, Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Jesus back. Odegaard and Gyokeres came on at Chelsea and looked sharp.
Jesus scored in a behind-closed-doors and, by all accounts, played well and has come back super sharp and really chomping at the bit to get going.
That is good news ahead of a really busy period with Arsenal facing a huge fixture list with Brentford on Wednesday, Aston Villa Saturday lunchtime and then into the Champions League and Carabao Cup to boot.
What is clear is that Mikel Arteta will have to rest and rotate within a squad which is regarded by many as the deepest and best in the Premier League. But it is only the best if you trust all of the players in it.
That will be tough for Arteta because a manager always knows his best players, his best line-up and the issue is putting trust and faith in players who may not be at their best because they are lacking minutes and game time.
The other reality for Arteta is to ensure that there is no repeat of last season when the shocking and crippling injury list destroyed Arsenal’s season.
That will surely mean tapering down in training to avoid another Saliba setback and to ensure players are not at risk of fatigue or tiredness.
Bukayo Saka played so many minutes, was asked to play in so many games and that surely had an effect on why he got injured, suffering a serious hamstring issue.
Arsenal do have depth now. Piero Hincapie looks a top player. Should not have given an unnecessary free kick at Chelsea which led to a corner, which led to the goal, but looks terrific.
Cristhian Mosquera is also a fine deputy for Saliba. Noni Madueke has really stepped up. But let’s be honest, Gabriel Martinelli has done better from the bench.
Christian Norgaard has barely had a look-in. You have to wonder whether Ethan Nwaneri, one of the country’s best prospects, is getting frustrated.
Myles Lewis-Skelly started against Bayern Munich and did struggle. He came on at Chelsea and got booked early on. You have to feel for him because he is not in a rhythm, he is probably struggling for confidence and when he gets minutes, he is provably trying a bit too hard.
It would be impossible to keep the same line-up from Chelsea to Brentford to Villa. That is why Arteta must now trust his squad and avoid last season’s setbacks.
Interestingly, Arsenal are by no means the worst when it comes to injuries. They currently have four in Ben Dinnery’s excellent Premier League injury table. Nine teams have less. Eight have more.
Considering Arsenal’s schedule and demanding fixture list, that is impressive. But now comes a really tough few weeks and it is now when the squad should come into its own.
They have more players, better players and maybe lessons have been learnt from last season to ensure they can win the major trophies they crave.
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Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
