Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has given an update on the injury of William Saliba, revealing that the French defender will be absent for the team’s Premier League match against Chelsea on Tuesday.
Saliba suffered the injury during Arsenal’s Europa League game against Sporting Lisbon last month, and the team has struggled since his unexpected absence.
Arsenal has failed to win any of their last four Premier League matches without the 2021-22 Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year, and has conceded 11 goals.
Arteta admitted in his pre-game press conference that Saliba had not shown any signs of improvement, raising concerns that he may miss the remainder of the season.
The manager, however, declined to comment on the length of Saliba’s absence.
In his latest update, Arteta stated that Saliba’s condition has not improved this week, further suggesting that he will remain out of action for the foreseeable future.
With Saliba unavailable, Rob Holding is set to make his seventh consecutive start in the backline.
Arteta acknowledged the superior performance of Manchester City in their recent game against Arsenal but said that he can still see “fire” in his players’ bellies.
The team must hope for Chelsea to slip up if they are to reignite their title hopes.
The manager added that he has not had to pick up the mood of the players, as they are already fired up for the Chelsea match.
Arteta acknowledged that it was difficult to predict what Chelsea will do, but stated that Arsenal must prepare to win the game.
He also admitted that it took the team a while to get over their defeat to Manchester City, but they must recognize that the champions took the game to a different level.
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