Arsenal Boss Arteta Reveals Devastating Injury Fears for Star Duo Before Crucial Chelsea Showdown
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta disclosed that William Saliba and Leandro Trossard are both fitness "concerns" before Wednesday's Carabao Cup semi-final clash away at Chelsea.
This development arrives as an unwelcome shock. The duo were absent from the journey south to take on Portsmouth in the FA Cup during the weekend in what was broadly viewed as nothing more than standard squad rotation.
Some recuperation would have been logical: Saliba and Trossard represent two of Arteta's most highly prized players and both have encountered problems with minor knocks this campaign.
Saliba was sidelined for four straight games as November transitioned into December with an injury, while Trossard was managing an ankle problem during the same timeframe.
During his briefing for Wednesday's cup encounter against Chelsea, Arteta didn't anticipate any of his current injury casualties to return before unexpectedly mentioning: "The other concerns are Saliba and Trossard."
Before Gabriel Martinelli's treble against the Championship strugglers during the weekend, Trossard stood as Arsenal's joint-leading goalscorer this season. The reliable Belgian also tops the squad with six assists in all competitions, a figure made even more remarkable given that he isn't the primary set-piece specialist.
Saliba doesn't provide the same offensive contribution as his centre-back partner Gabriel Magalhães but remains equally vital to the team's defensive stability. The imposing Frenchman was absent for Arsenal's initial visit to Stamford Bridge at November's end and observed his colleagues nervously secure a 1–1 stalemate despite facing 10 men for over 50 minutes.
Should Saliba end up missing the cup fixture and Arsenal fail to welcome back one of their multiple defensive absentees, Arteta might be compelled to move Jurriën Timber into a central position with Ben White maintaining his spot at right back.
Arteta Confirms Four Absentees for Carabao Cup Semi-Final
Arteta Confirms Four Absentees for Carabao Cup Semi-Final
Piero Hincapié was also absent from Arsenal's journey to Fratton Park, leading to an unclear injury assessment from Arteta which wasn't encouraging. The Basque manager confirmed on Tuesday that the Ecuador defender would miss the midweek London clash.
"It's a muscular problem," Arteta explained. "He's improving, but we're uncertain. I believe it will be an issue for several weeks likely, but we don't know precisely when."
No recovery schedule was given for the missing Riccardo Calafiori, who has been absent for five consecutive matches with a muscle injury that continues to trouble him. Arteta hesitantly provided some information about Max Dowman and Cristhian Mosquera, who both happen to be dealing with ankle injuries.
"Very comparable injuries, very similar recovery periods," Arteta commented about the young pair. "Both progressing really well, but they're not training yet, so they're still several weeks away."