SETTABLOID

Arsenal entered the first international break of the season with several selection issues ahead of the North London Derby and will end it with many more for Mikel Arteta. Having already been ready for the absence of Declan Rice and Mikel Merino due to suspension and injury, things only got worse.

Martin Odegaard’s second-half collapse for Norway in their Nations League clash against Austria has left two of the three first-choice midfielders unavailable for Sunday’s trip to Tottenham. Arsenal are now likely to be without Odegaard for at least the rest of September and into October.

Jurrien Timber has sent a clear six-word Arsenal warning to rivals Tottenham before this weekend’s North London Derby showdown. The Netherlands international has started the last two Premier League matches for the Gunners after enduring a challenging debut campaign – because of a long-term knee injury.

After seriously damaging his knee in last season’s Premier League curtain raiser, Timber made his senior return on the final day against Everton. Although the defender has been able to get a full pre-season under his belt, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has carefully managed his minutes with a foot issue also impacting his fitness.

An Arsenal legend has criticised current Gunners star Bukayo Saka, and fans are bemused by the absurd reason behind the legend’s criticism.

Saka is widely regarded as Arsenal’s best player and is seen by many as one of the best players in the Premier League, if not the world, but that appears to not be enough to impress Robert Pires, who was famously part of the Gunners’ Invincible squad from the 2003/04 season.

Arsenal fans have reacted with bemusement and anger at Pires’ comments, with many struggling to understand the basis for any sort of criticism for Saka – especially for a perceived lack of consistency.

The 23-year-old star already has four goal involvements (one goal and three assists) in Arsenal’s three opening Premier League games this season and, in the previous campaign, he netted 20 goals and contributed with 13 assists in 46 appearances across all competitions.

Benjamin Sesko scored a sensational hat-trick for Slovenia on Monday. The 21-year-old, who was subject to interest from Arsenal before committing his future to RB Leipzig back in June, fired a treble as his nation thrashed Kazakhstan and continued their unbeaten start to the Nations League campaign.

Sesko, who also netted in the 1-1 draw against Austria last Friday, is now the top scorer in the Nations League after Matchday 2 with four goals in two games. Sweden duo Viktor Gyokeres and Alexander Isak – both of whom were linked with a move to Arsenal over the summer – are tied second with three goals.

William Saliba played 90 minutes and kept a clean sheet in France’s 2-0 win at home to Belgium in the UEFA Nations League on Monday night.

France’s goals came courtesy of Randal Kolo Muani and Ousmane Dembele either side of half-time, and Les Bleus are now second in League A Group 2 with three points from two games.

Elsewhere in the competition, Martin Odegaard played 67 minutes of Norway’s 2-1 win at home to Austria before being forced off with an ankle injury.

Norway went ahead through Felix Horn Myhre in the ninth minute before Marcel Sabitzer reduced the arrears with half-time approaching. Erling Haaland struck the winning goal for Norway with ten minutes remaining.

This season’s north London derbies will have a similar feel to them with the usual excitement and passion, however they will have a different look than seasons gone by.

That’s because both teams will be wearing their away strips in the fixtures this campaign, after the PGMOL and Premier League ruled that our 2024/25 home kit features too much white, thus clashing with Tottenham’s traditional colours, even with the option of red shorts and socks for us, which was also discussed.

As a result, for the first time in recent ‘NLD’ history, we’ll be wearing our changed colours, with our black adidas away kit being donned at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium where we’ll aim to clinch a third-straight victory at the venue.

Highly-rated Ajax defender Jorrel Hato has opened up about his admiration for Arsenal star Jurrien Timber, revealing that despite being advised to learn from Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk, he has always looked up to Timber as his role model.

The 18-year-old Dutch defender is regarded as one of Europe’s brightest young talents, with top clubs closely monitoring his progress in Amsterdam. Hato, who already boasts 68 senior appearances for Ajax and has featured for the Netherlands national team, spoke about Timber’s influence on his development.

Mikel Arteta may be tempted to alter his Arsenal system in order to cover for three potentially huge absences in this weekend’s North London Derby against Tottenham. The Gunners head into the clash against their bitter rivals facing a midfield crisis with Mikel Merino and Declan Rice already set to be absent.

In the build up the 1-1 draw against Brighton, Merino suffered a shoulder injury which looks set to keep him out for a significant period. Rice meanwhile, was sent off in the clash against the Seagulls which means he now has to serve a one-match ban.

With two key midfielders unavailable, club captain Martin Odegaard could join the duo in missing out after he picked up an injury on international duty. The 25-year-old fell awkwardly on his ankle in a challenge with Austria’s Christoph Baumgartner which saw left in pain on the ground and subsequently replaced.

Odegaard has returned to London today in order to undergo assessment but it does not look good, especially as he was pictured boarding a plane with crutches and without a shoe on his left foot. As such, not only will Arteta have to replace Rice in his starting XI, but the worst-case scenario would see him also need someone to come in for Odegaard.

Being extremely cynical, because in reality nobody likes international breaks, especially not one that comes three weeks into the Premier League season and after a summer of major tournaments, Arsenal’s midfield squad building needs questioning. That has not been something levelled at them much in the past two years.

Edu Gaspar has got things pretty much spot on with Mikel Arteta and the return has been a meteoric improvement in Premier League results. But heading into the 2024/25 season, Arsenal looked light.

This is not just hindsight because Martin Odegaard has been cast as a major injury doubt just ahead of the first North London Derby of the campaign, but it is the unshakeable truth following the summer that has just passed. Arsenal’s core group of trusted players is smaller than most teams, let alone ones competing in European competition at the top end, and that didn’t clearly change over the summer.

Gary Lineker has taken issue with a referee assessment panel that has supported match official Chris Kavanagh in his decision to send off Declan Rice in Arsenal’s draw with Brighton before the international break. His dismissal means he is ruled out of this Sunday’s North London Derby.

The Key Match Incidents board – which reviews major refereeing decisions each week – said Rice’s nudge of the ball away from Joel Veltman, thereby delaying the restart of play, a free-kick, was “clear, deliberate and impactful”. Kavanagh’s decision was unanimously backed by the panel, made up of three former players or coaches, and representatives of PGMOL and the Premier League.

A verdict statement said: “Rice knows what he’s doing – it’s a gentle touch, but once the referee sees it he has no choice.” Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said post-match he was “amazed” by the decision, making reference to other match-delaying incidents from Brighton players.