At first of the season, Mikel Arteta may not have traded a spectacular Manchester Metropolis droop for the succession of key accidents Arsenal have suffered throughout their try to succeed their most acquainted current rivals as champions.
Knowledge from statistics web site Transfermarkt in late February confirmed that runaway leaders Liverpool had been lacking at the very least one key participant for 10 video games, with goalkeeper Alisson accounting for eight of these.
By that point, Bukayo Saka’s absence alone had exceeded that whole, with captain Martin Odegaard lacking eight video games and in-form ahead Kai Havertz out for 5.
Arsenal’s state of affairs has worsened since, together with the information on April 3 that inspirational defender Gabriel will miss the remainder of the season, making their Champions League quarter-final towards Actual Madrid the next week look an much more onerous process.
101GreatGoals.com takes a take a look at Arsenal’s damage predicament, potential return dates for the likes of Gabriel, Riccardo Calafiori and Kai Havertz and who may begin of their remaining Premier League fixtures and towards the reigning European champions.
Arsenal accidents: Saka strikes again
Let’s begin with the excellent news: after 101 days out with a hamstring damage, substitute Saka scored seven minutes after making his comeback with what proved to be the essential aim in Arsenal’s 2-1 residence win over Fulham on April 1.
The timing of the England ahead’s damage significantly stung due to the exceptional begin to the season Saka had made, together with his numbers setting the 23-year-old aside as probably the most influential inventive participant in Europe and placing him firmly on the right track to interrupt the Premier League assists document for a single season of 20, held by Arsenal legend Thierry Henry and Manchester Metropolis’s Kevin De Bruyne.
Whether or not he can add to his 11 league assists and 6 targets could also be immaterial given the 12-point hole between Arsenal and Liverpool firstly of April, however Saka’s return and immediate impression couldn’t have been extra well timed every week earlier than Madrid’s arrival for the primary leg of the last-eight tie.
“It was particular,” midfielder Declan Rice instructed Optus Sport after the win over the Cottagers. “You heard the group’s response. That’s a particular second for B, as a result of he’s labored his socks off for three-and-a-half months.”
SAKA SCORES SEVEN MINUTES INTO HIS RETURN FROM INJURY 👊 pic.twitter.com/O67jbVOzod
— B/R Soccer (@brfootball) April 1, 2025
Gabriel: Damage ends season
Arsenal followers will probably be acquainted with the figures round plummeting performances when Gabriel is injured, having been reminded of the centre-back’s affect when the Brazil worldwide missed three video games with a knee damage in November and December.
They dropped factors at Fulham in a type of matches however beat Manchester United and Monaco, leaving them on a win proportion of 44% with out Gabriel since his debut in 2020 and 64% when the 27-year-old is concerned.
The apparent problem is that Gabriel, who has additionally contributed 5 targets and three assists this season, would have been extra necessary than ever at a time when his group will probably be lacking a whole backline. Apart from the win over Monaco, he has missed six minutes of their Champions League marketing campaign.
“It’s unhappy for Gabi,” Arteta mentioned after Gabriel lasted 16 minutes towards Fulham earlier than struggling a hamstring damage that may require surgical procedure, including that Jakub Kiwior “actually needed to play as properly and will probably be wonderful [deputising].”
BREAKING: Arsenal have confirmed that Gabriel has sustained a hamstring damage which requires surgical procedure, after being substituted through the membership’s match towards Fulham on Tuesday 🚨 pic.twitter.com/KgoiYHplZQ
— Sky Sports activities Information (@SkySportsNews) April 3, 2025
White knee problem curtails Arsenal comeback
Ben White’s versatility would have been vastly useful to Arteta in navigating the assembly with a ahead line together with the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, just for the 27-year-old to endure from one other knee problem in coaching lower than a month after coming back from surgical procedure.
The previous England worldwide has performed for a mixed 9 minutes within the league since November 10, though his one begin noticed him characteristic for 79 minutes within the second leg of the last-16 tie towards PSV on March 12 when Arsenal had been 7-1 forward from the primary leg.
“Ben White hasn’t participated in any respect this season,” mentioned Arteta, who had praised the pure right-back as “actually necessary” with transformative qualities for the “group dynamic”.
“It’s what it’s. You’re scratching your head. On the identical time, it’s been an ideal studying expertise for us and all of the coaches and workers to handle the state of affairs. You begin to really feel sorry for your self and say ‘it’s not possible.’ However these boys don’t provide the motive to behave like that and we are going to see the place we’re in April.”
💬 ”He had slightly niggle two days in the past. Yesterday we tried, he wasn’t feeling proper, so we determined to not put him within the squad in the present day.”
Mikel gives an replace on Ben White. pic.twitter.com/UaSryDuEtN
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) April 1, 2025
Tomiyasu: Damage ‘hardest interval in my profession’
Takehiro Tomiyasu first had knee surgical procedure in March 2023, and the luckless right-back has twice tried to make comebacks from the identical problem this season, culminating in a “additional corrective surgical process” on his proper knee that ended his season in February.
The one look for the Japan worldwide, who additionally missed 13 video games with a calf damage in 2023/24, has been a six-minute outing at residence to Southampton on October 5.
“It has been the hardest interval in my profession, for certain,” the 26-year-old mentioned on February 18, sharing a photograph of himself on crutches in a put up that drew assist from Gabriel. “It carries on a bit extra, however I received’t hand over.”
Tomiyasu could not return till 2026 and is for certain to go at the very least 14 months with out beginning for the membership; the final such event was a goalscoring look within the 2-1 residence win over Everton in Arsenal’s closing sport of final season.
Calafiori: ‘Knee feels unusual’
Maybe probably the most mysterious of Arsenal’s present accidents is the affliction precluding Riccardo Calafiori from easing their issues.
The £33.7 million signing from Bologna final July was injured whereas enjoying for Italy on March 20 and has now missed greater than 100 days of soccer this season, struggling three knee points, a calf downside and a muscular damage.
“His knee feels unusual however he can’t reply the query of what he feels,” Azzurri supervisor Luciano Spalletti mentioned after the 22-year-old sustained his newest setback, by way of Tutto Mercato. “I can’t fairly determine it out for the time being.”
Calafiori’s comeback appeared to be continuing in encouraging style when he produced a aim and help within the first-leg thrashing of PSV on March 4, however that was one in all solely three video games by which he accomplished greater than 45 minutes for Arsenal throughout greater than three months. Arteta is optimistic of a return date inside weeks.
🚨⚠️ Arteta: “Calafiori sadly picked up an damage with the nationwide group”.
“Unlucky however fortunate it wasn’t a lot worse. Hopefully a matter of weeks”. pic.twitter.com/eRvRGm7zBR
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 31, 2025
‘Very good’ Martinelli again for Arsenal run-in
One other constructive for Arteta: Gabriel Martinelli accomplished 90 minutes for the primary time in additional than two months towards Fulham, establishing Saka’s aim.
The ahead has had a stop-start season with accidents and health, most notably lacking greater than a month in February with a hamstring damage after a run of three targets and an help in eight league appearances.
Arteta known as Martinelli “very good” towards the Cottagers and estimated that he had not been capable of benefit from the Brazil attacker, who missed nearly seven weeks of final season with hamstring and foot accidents, for round three months of this marketing campaign.
“You see how a lot we missed him,” mentioned Arteta. “That menace, that attacking goal that he has each time he’s on the ball.”
A relentless menace 💫
How did you price Martinelli’s efficiency on Tuesday, Gooners? 👏 pic.twitter.com/85Ti74RQdp
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) April 3, 2025
Jurrien Timber suffers knee damage once more
Apart from Metropolis and West Ham, Arsenal misplaced gamers for a mixed 338 days fewer than another group to complete within the prime half final season – however the 254 days missed by Jurrien Timber with a knee damage was probably the most by any particular person besides Aston Villa’s Tyrone Mings.
In what has successfully been his first season on the membership in consequence, the Netherlands worldwide made 41 appearances in all competitions earlier than receiving therapy and limping off with a knee damage towards Fulham.
Arteta mentioned Timber had been “struggling very early within the sport” with the ache. “He managed to proceed and, in some unspecified time in the future, he couldn’t,” he added. “You possibly can think about – we’ve misplaced 4 gamers within the defensive position in a single week.”
No timescale has been given for a way lengthy the 23-year-old may very well be out for. Timber made his first worldwide begin for 20 months at left-back in a 4-0 win over Hungary in November.
Mikel Arteta on dealing with accidents: “It’s been like this the entire season. Martinelli, lacking three months. Saka, 4 months. Havertz, 4 months. Jesus, nearly the entire season. How we have now managed to be the place we’re with all these accidents.” 😤 pic.twitter.com/3xyAg8qHFY
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) April 3, 2025
Kai Havertz: ‘Very surprising’ damage
After a quick knee downside in October, Havertz added to Arsenal’s hamstring corridor of horrors when he suffered a season-ending damage throughout a coaching camp in Dubai in February, reigniting requires Arteta to signal an out-and-out striker.
“He was going to cease a shot after a set-piece and stretched the leg and felt his hamstring,” mentioned the Spaniard. “We had been having an ideal camp in Dubai.
“[We were] recharging, coaching, having a while off and connecting once more with nature in a special setting. Then the damage occurred in a really surprising means.”
4 of Havertz’s 15 targets and two of his three assists this season have come within the Champions League. The Germany worldwide scored and arrange one other in a 5-1 residence win over Manchester Metropolis on February 2 in what proved to be his closing look of the season.
Gabriel Jesus: One other knee damage
Arteta’s “huge fear” was justified after Gabriel Jesus was stretchered off throughout Arsenal’s FA Cup defeat to Manchester United on January 12, with the Brazil worldwide requiring surgical procedure on his left knee.
The 28-year-old has had a succession of extra minor knee, hamstring and groin accidents since having an operation on his proper knee in 2022, and Arteta mentioned he was capable of “perceive” calls at the moment for a substitute ahead.
“I can’t love our gamers extra,” Arteta argued in reply. “I’m very a lot targeted on those I’ve to carry out on the highest stage.”
One potential comfort for followers is that Jesus has not been prolific this season, returning three targets and an help from 23 league, Champions League and FA Cup appearances.
Arsenal beginning group: Who will play?
The largest query mark for Arteta is maybe at right-back. William Saliba is nearly sure to start out at centre-back, with England newcomer Myles Lewis-Skelly at left-back.
Left-back or centre-back Kiwior made his first league look since December 8 when he changed Gabriel towards Fulham and performed all through the second leg towards PSV.
The vastly skilled Oleksandr Zinchenko, who can be a left-back, has barely featured this season however made his second begin of the Champions League marketing campaign within the second leg of the last-16 tie, scoring his first ever aim within the competitors.
One other left-back, Kieran Tierney, made his solely begin since coming back from a hamstring damage in November when he additionally performed towards the Dutch facet.
“We’ve received different gamers who’re unbelievable,” Rice mirrored on Arsenal’s damage quandary. “We’re able to go, regardless of who we play towards. Whoever the supervisor picks will all the time be prepared.”
