SETTABLOID

Riccardo Calafiori has been keeping himself busy over the international break having not been called up to represent Italy because of a knee injury. The defender suffered the issue during the Champions League clash with Shakhtar Donetsk back on October 22 and is yet to return.

The summer signing is just one of many Arsenal stars to have been absent this season because of injury with fellow new arrival Mikel Merino having also missed a period of action due to a fractured shoulder. Elsewhere, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Ben White and Martin Odegaard have all missed games because of injury.

Every one of those names, minus Merino, has remained at London Colney over the break to recover from varying problems. For Odegaard, the next two weeks will be focused on recovery after he played 90 minutes against Chelsea this past weekend in his first start for the Gunners in two-and-a-half months.

As for Saka and Rice, they were both subbed off against the Blues and subsequently pulled out of the England squad for Nations League games against Ireland and Greece. White meanwhile, has undergone a minor procedure this week.

His potential absence will likely see Timber move over to right-back with Calafiori slotting in at left-back upon his return from injury which is expected to arrive against Nottingham Forest following the conclusion of the November international break.

While out with injury, Calafiori has certainly been keeping busy and has regularly kept supporters up to date with what he has been doing. On Instagram, the 22-year-old posted a picture of him watching the Newcastle game and he was also in attendance at Stamford Bridge for the Premier League draw with Chelsea.

Martin Odegaard showcased exactly why he’s been such a crucial missing piece for Arsenal when he returned to action against Chelsea on Sunday. Despite a year marred by injury setbacks, the midfielder continues to lead the Premier League in creative statistics.

Odegaard has created 62 chances from open play in 2024, three more than Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, with Liverpool’s Luis Diaz trailing closely behind on 58. This remarkable tally comes despite the Arsenal star missing 15 league matches due to injury.

In his return to the pitch at Stamford Bridge, Odegaard played a key role in Arsenal’s 1-1 draw, providing the assist for Gabriel Martinelli’s opening goal and creating four chances overall. Speaking after the match, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was full of praise for his captain’s performance, stating, “I don’t know any other player in the league capable of doing that after six weeks out. He had a day and a half of training, and just to be physically and mentally connected the way he was with the team is unbelievable.

Arsenal fans had feared for their captain’s fitness after he was called up for international duty with Norway. However, Martin Odegaard has since withdrawn from the squad to continue his recovery at Hale End, much to the relief of Gunners supporters.

Arsenal will be sweating on the fitness of Bukayo Saka ahead of the Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest after the international break. The winger suffered an injury against Chelsea, and has since pulled out of the England squad.

Saka was due to feature in Lee Carsley’s final games in charge of the national side when they take on Greece and the Republic of Ireland in the Nations League. But he is now one of nine players originally picked by the interim boss to withdraw from the squad.

The number of withdrawals has earned criticism from England captain Harry Kane, who himself has a slight injury, making him a doubt to start against Greece on Thursday night.

“It comes before club and it is the most important thing you play as a professional footballer. Gareth was hot on that and he wasn’t afraid to make decisions if that started to drift from certain players.

“It’s a shame this week obviously. Yeah, I think it’s a tough period of the season and maybe that’s been taken advantage of a little bit.

“I don’t really like it if I’m totally honest. I think as I just said there England comes before anything, any club situation. The joy to play for England – I think Gareth brought that back.

“Every camp, people were excited to come. Every camp people wanted to play for England and, yeah, that’s the most important thing.”

The comments have been a talking point for England fans over the last few hours, and has shone a light on the injuries within the squad. With that in mind, here is everything we know about Bukayo Saka and a potential return after the international break.

Saka injury latest

There is a slight mystery over the extent of the injury to Saka. The winger didn’t finish the game against Chelsea after hobbling off the pitch with what looked like a muscle injury, and has since pulled out of the England squad.

Gabriel Martinelli has played against some of the best of the best when it comes to Premier League defenders over the past few years.

The Arsenal star has faced off against the likes of Ruben Dias, Virgil van Dijk and Thiago Silva during his time in the Premier League.

Martinelli is one of the fastest players in the Premier League, and he can often use that pace to get the better of his opponents.

However, sometimes, simply out-running a player isn’t an option, and speaking to Men in Blazers, Martinelli has named two very fast defenders as his toughest opponents in the Premier League.

Martinelli spoke about his toughest opponents, naming Ibrahima Konate as one of the hardest defenders he’s ever had to come up against.

Martinelli says that Konate’s pace makes him a very difficult opponent, and when you look at the stats, it’s easy to see why Martinelli struggles against the Frenchman.

Indeed, the top speed stats show that Konate is able to give Martinelli a run for his money when it comes to pace, while Kyle Walker isn’t quite as quick as he once was.

Arsenal have experienced a downturn in form which has seen them lose ground in the Premier League title race.

Although Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville still believes the Gunners could win the league, there’s clearly a lot of work for Mikel Arteta and his players to do.

Nonetheless, Arsenal have still done well and a fair few of their players have been impressive this season.

Highbury legend Martin Keown has sung the praises of one Gunners player, saying he’s been the second-best in the league in his position this term.

Martin Keown hails ‘absolutely class’ Arsenal star William Saliba

The player in question is William Saliba, who has made a name for himself as one of the Premier League’s standout centre-backs.

Keown named the Arsenal star ahead of Wesley Fofana, Micky van de Ven and John Stones, with just Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate ahead of him.

Saliba has formed one of the best centre-back partnerships alongside Gabriel Magalhaes and helped the Gunners compete for the Premier League title two seasons in a row.

Indeed, Neville even thinks Saliba already is the best defender in world football.

However, individual success can sometimes be a double-edged sword, with Saliba now finding himself linked with the likes of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.

It has recently been reported that Saliba is “not indifferent” to the idea of joining Real Madrid – after he learned the Spanish giants are keen on him.

It’s fair to say that the international break came at a good time for Arsenal.

The Gunners have won just two out of their last eight games in all competitions. Their 1-1 draw with Chelsea at the weekend sees their Premier League title challenge left in the balance.

Mikel Arteta’s side already find themselves nine points off the pace. But the international break has given Arsenal a great opportunity to reevaluate.

It will also allow a number of the Gunners’ injured stars to recover from their respective issues. Take a look at the latest news from the Emirates Stadium:

Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli believes that Ibrahima Konate is a more difficult opponent than Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk. when picking his two toughest defenders to play against one-v-one, Martinelli told Men in Blazers: “It has to be [Kyle] Walker (of Manchester City) and Konate from Liverpool. They are both tough to beat.”

Funnily enough, those comments are very similar to a claim made by ex-Arsenal star William Gallas. He said: “Right now, I think the best defender in the Premier League this season is Ibrahima Konate.

Arsenal head into their final international break of 2024 nursing several injuries after a poor run of form.

A number of key players find themselves in the treatment room this November as the Gunners look to return to full strength over the next couple of weeks before the intense festive period begins.

It is unclear how long White will take to recover from his procedure but it is hoped that it won’t be too long before he is back to full fitness. Riccardo Calafiori remains absent too with Mikel Arteta remaining tight-lipped about his fitness situation.

Focus will be on the Italian in the hope he recovers from his knee injury in time for the Premier League’s return a week on Saturday against Nottingham Forest. Arteta remains uncertain about another defender’s return date, Takehiro Tomiyasu.

The full-back has had little luck with injuries recently and while Arteta was confident that he would not be out for long, he was also aware that it could be late November to early December when he could be back on the training pitch. Martin Odegaard’s absence from the Norway squad this break had raised alarm bells but this seems little more than a precaution as the captain transitions back to full fitness.

Declan Rice is more of a concern though with nobody quite sure of the severity of his injury. He is unavailable to play for the England squad this break and it is unclear when he will be back to feature for the Gunners.

FIFA are reportedly exploring an alternative to the current VAR system that would allow football coaches to challenge refereeing decisions during matches, a move that could be welcomed by Arsenal and football fans alike.

According to French media outlet L’Equipe, FIFA are working on a new system called Football Video Support (FVS), which would enable coaches to challenge up to two refereeing decisions per game, similar to the challenge system used in basketball. The proposal is said to be “seriously considered” by FIFA, with the governing body hoping to obtain approval from the board to continue testing FVS.

The FVS system was approved by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) earlier this year and has already been trialled in the Under-17 and Under-20 Women’s World Cups. FIFA’s head of referees, Pierluigi Colina, emphasised that while FVS is not intended to replace VAR, it is a distinct system with fewer cameras, meaning it can offer limited video support compared to VAR.

Kieran Tierney has admitted there is “every chance” he may still leave Arsenal, despite his unsuccessful bid for a summer transfer. The Scottish defender, who spent last season on loan at Real Sociedad and made 26 appearances despite injury setbacks, has not featured for Arsenal since their Community Shield victory over Manchester City in 2023.

Tierney joined Arsenal from Celtic in 2019 for a reported £25 million and initially held the starting left-back spot until Oleksandr Zinchenko’s arrival from Manchester City in 2022. Recent defensive additions, including Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori, have pushed Tierney further down Mikel Arteta’s depth chart.

Arsenal defender Ben White has undergone a knee procedure for an injury he has been managing for the past 18 months.

The Arsenal account, which is famous for breaking news about the North London club on social media and is followed by the likes of Kaya Kaynak, Simon Collings, Charles Watt and Sami Mokbel on X (formerly Twitter), has claimed that the initial prognosis is around eight weeks out, but it could be a couple either side.

Arsenal are expected to officially announce that White has been operated on, and it is a huge blow for manager Mikel Arteta given how influential and reliable the Englishman has been since joining the club.

The 27-year-old has played 145 games for Arsenal since joining in the summer of 2021, and it first emerged back in March that he had been carrying a knee problem for much of the 2023-24 campaign.