The sight of Riccardo Calafiori limping out of Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk was a serious concern for Arsenal fans.
Calafiori joins three other full-backs on Arsenal’s injury list — Jurrien Timber, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney. With William Saliba suspended having been sent off against Bournemouth, it means Arsenal’s defence could well be significantly weakened when Liverpool visit on Sunday.
Arsenal do have Oleksandr Zinchenko available again, but the Ukrainian has played just 10 minutes of football since the Premier League’s opening day. When Calafiori was forced to come off on Tuesday, he was replaced by 18-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly, who is yet to start a league game.
The absence of so many full-backs — a chronic issue at Arsenal — raises interesting questions. Have Arsenal recruited players with underlying fitness issues? Certainly, Tierney, Calafiori and Zinchenko had all endured protracted absences with their previous clubs.
Or is there something about the modern full-back role that makes it particularly perilous? Many Premier League clubs ask a huge amount of their full-backs, operating in multiple zones of the pitch and covering swathes of ground in the process, and you do not have to look for too long to find examples at other clubs where players in these positions are struggling with injury issues. Factor in the sprints required to support the attack and recover defensive positions, and perhaps muscular injuries should come as no great surprise.
In Saliba’s absence, the logical choice might be to promote Jakub Kiwior, who came on during the defeat at Bournemouth. However, the Polish international’s underhit backpass led directly to Bournemouth’s second goal, and the left-footer did not look especially comfortable playing to Gabriel’s right.
The alternative, then, is to shift Ben White inside to play alongside the Brazil international. White and Gabriel made for an effective partnership throughout 2021-22, and they may be asked to reprise that relationship.
The full-back selection will depend on which of Zinchenko, Timber, Calafiori or Tomiyasu are declared fit to play. Tomiyasu has been a peripheral figure of late, but Mikel Arteta will rue his absence here. He has been used more than once as a left-back against Liverpool, to help counter Mohamed Salah’s tendency to cut inside. Tomiyasu or Timber would be the two men most capable of fulfilling that role.
It’s possible Arteta has been managing Zinchenko’s comeback with this big game in mind. The idea of him defending one-on-one against Salah, however, will not fill the Arsenal fans with confidence. A game of this magnitude surely comes too soon for youngster Lewis-Skelly.
On the right, if White is moved infield, Thomas Partey could find himself in contention. The Ghana midfielder spent the second half of the Shakhtar Donetsk game in the right-back berth, and has been used there fairly frequently by Arteta. Whatever iteration we see, the likelihood is that Arsenal’s defence will be some way from its best. As evidenced in the 2022-23 run-in, the absence of Saliba alone can be enough to destabilise the back four.
It’s not only the defence Arteta must ponder between now and Sunday. Having conceded just three goals in seven Premier League games, Liverpool have the division’s best defence — by a distance.
Arsenal enter the game with concerns over their two most creative players: Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka. Norway manager Stale Solbakken has spoken with optimism about the prospect of calling Odegaard up for November’s international matches, but he is not yet ready to return.
Saka, meanwhile, is in a race against time having limped out of England’s 2-1 defeat in the Nations League against Greece. He is expected to resume full training this week, which could put him in contention for a start on Sunday.
If Saka is available, Arteta’s big decision remains how to replace Odegaard. Does he go with the physical midfield trio of Partey, Declan Rice and Mikel Merino that started at Bournemouth?
Arsenal have had a difficult start to the season, with away trips to the Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City. This context of this Liverpool game, however, might make it their most important match so far.
The table is beginning to take recognisable shape. Defeat at the Emirates Stadium would leave Arsenal seven points adrift of Slot’s men, and potentially six behind City. The last time Arsenal lost consecutive league games were the matches against West Ham United and Fulham in December 2023. Many feel that brief blip is what cost Arsenal last season’s title.
Arteta will doubtless give nothing away in his pre-match press conference. Behind the scenes, however, he will be working furiously to find solutions.
(Top photo: Could Zinchenko and Tomiyasu come in for rare starts? Getty Images)
