The international break has left its mark on Arsenal. As the Premier League resumes after three weeks of interruption, Mikel Arteta must manage a series of physical problems which affect six players of the London club. Second in the championship, Arsenal hoped to take advantage of this break to rest their managers before tackling a busy schedule, particularly in the Champions League. But international gatherings have thwarted these plans and plunged the Gunners into uncertainty as their next deadlines approach.
Piero Hincapié was the first to withdraw from his entire selection. Kai Havertz then left the German squad led by Jürgen Klopp prematurely after suffering a hamstring injury sustained against the Netherlands. Max Dowman, Ezri Konsa, Christos Tzolis and Martin Ødegaard also experienced physical problems or medical scares.
If the seriousness of certain cases remains to be clarified, this series of glitches is already complicating the preparation of Arteta, who will have to assess the state of everyone before the resumption.
However, the number of minutes played is not enough to explain this accumulation of problems. According to figures relayed by the Daily Mail, Arsenal internationals played an average of 177.1 minutes each during the break, the thirteenth total in the Premier League. Tottenham dominates this ranking with 254 minutes per player called up. Despite this relatively moderate charge, Arsenal must now deal with several uncertainties as they enter a decisive period. Before the match against Leeds this Saturday, Arteta will have to adjust his choices and hope to quickly recover his players to preserve his team’s ambitions in the title race.
