Mikel Arteta has given Arsenal fans little hope at the press conference ahead of Friday night’s home game against Southampton. The Spanish manager revealed that William Saliba’s recovery is “not progressing as hoped” and also stated that Oleksandr Zinchenko is probably not yet there. He did have good news for Bukayo Saka. The attacker, who failed against West Ham United from the spot, remains the first penalty taker.
The absence of Saliba and Zinchenko raise serious doubts about what the final line should look like. It remains to be seen whether Saliba will be able to take action again this season. The central defender has had to miss the past four games after injuring his back in last month’s Europa League meeting with Sporting Portugal. The injury is not recovering as quickly as Arsenal had hoped.
“It’s a tricky situation, but we want to make sure that when we set it up, it can handle the optimal load that is being asked,” Arteta said at Thursday’s press conference. “At the moment that is not possible. It is still too early to say whether he will play again this season. We will probably get more certainty next week. He is certainly making steps, but is not yet at the level where he should to sit.”
Zinchenko has returned to the training field after the missed away match against West Ham. The Ukrainian is suffering from a groin injury. At Arsenal they hope that he will be recovered in time for Friday’s game. At the end of the press conference, Arteta briefly stopped by Saka, his penalty taker. The England international failed last weekend, but remains confident. “We are aware of the fact that it puts a lot of pressure on his shoulders, but he likes responsibility.”
Arsenal continue their hunt for the league title on Friday with a home game against Southampton. After two draws in a row against Liverpool (2-2) and West Ham (2-2), Arteta’s team can no longer afford a misstep. The lead on closest attacker Manchester City is still four points, but the Gunners played one more game. The two teams will meet at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday. City will play against Sheffield United in the FA Cup on Saturday.