Mikel Arteta says he’s not sure when Kieran Tierney will return to action with the Scotland international still struggling with a bruised ankle.
Having picked up a knock in the 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace 12 days ago, the Gunners first-choice left-back has sat out three matchday squads, including today’s successful trip to Leicester.
In his absence, Nuno Tavares has provided backup in the Premier League with Sead Kolasinac covering in the League Cup.
“He didn’t train with the team yesterday and he still wasn’t feeling good,” said Arteta following the 2-0 win at the King Power.
“He is still in pain. He is not comfortable when he is running, so he was struggling.
“We are trying to help him as much as possible. We need him back and I don’t know when that will be.”
Away from the Tierney news, it’s been a very promising day on the Arsenal front.
Clean sheets and away wins at top-six rivals have been few and far between in recent years, so the boss was quite rightly proud of a job well done.
“When you play against a team that is going to be up there, it is great when you are able to beat them,” said Arteta.
“It’s another game, we are on a good run and we have to continue to do so because there are still a lot of things we have to improve.”
Asked whether it was his side’s best performance of the season, he added: “Some phases probably yes, because of the opponents we had in front of us and because to come here is tough.
“I am really pleased with the way we played, the character we showed right from the beginning, to be dominant and impose the game we wanted to play. There were moments as well when we had to suffer, they came at us, they changed the formation and they created some issues.
“You have to dig in and there were some big individual performances to get through those moments, but then we were able to change the game and the momentum again and get control and we could have scored the third one. So I am really pleased.”
A bit brittle is Kieran. Clear he is not someone we can rely on. Get well soon KT!
Think all he needs is some rest, Saka is also the same. Hope this break recharges him 100%
Shows just how important getting that LB rotation sorted was. Last season it killed us losing Tierney. This season we have Tavarez who is barely a drop in quality – if at all (kid is playing lights out).
Man plays full tilt everygame and up till now has had to play every minute. He just needs rest. ESR and Saka do too.
A bit harsh for me to say he’s brittle and unreliable because of injury – he gets knocked around a lot by nasty tackles, he’ll be back soon enough and back to bossing his lane. Every position should have a suitable 2nd choice, and finally we have one at LB in Tavares. No player should have to be the only available option for any position in a professional team, in case of situations like this. We relied on KT way too heavily last season and he did amazingly well despite it so for me he’s allowed to take his time… Read more »
International break coming up in two weeks, might be best to keep him at Colney to aid recovery. Scotland should beat Moldova without him, that will then be them safe for 2nd place in their WCQ group.
Likewise Watford at home next week for us, Tavares well able to deputise for that.
I was going to joke that I’m sure whether he’s fit or not he’ll be back for the international break. That seems to be how things go. Can’t wait to not have one of those for a few months, though for us the Africa Cup of Nations is going to sort of feel like one, except with no time off.
Tavares is looking so comfortable we can now afford to give him the time he needs to fully recover – we’ve needed reliable cover for Tierney for a couple seasons and now we finally have it!
The Palace game was 12 days ago. It feels like there’s been a lot of football in that time.
I feel at ease with Nuno in KT’s absence. Anfield will be a big test of his defensive side
Tierney is truly a future Captain. Including the injury record.
It’s a bit sad, because he IS a good leader on the pitch. But it is also very Arsenal to have an injured or sidelined captain.
His niggling injury record may hinder his claim for the captaincy. I think when Aubameyang leaves (contract expires summer of 2023 I believe?), White or Ramsdale will be the likely candidates although there are potential leaders all over this squad.
The great part is we’ve got the left back position sorted for half a decade!
Like Ramsdale, there hasn’t been any reason to drop Tavares and so he should keep his place imo. Tierney will have to grab his chance when it comes.
I’m more worried about the other 3 who seem so specialised in their roles any injuries messes with the system.
Injury prone player who has lost his form a bit. Rest him, don’t rush him back. Nuno looked great today too, another smart transfer.
A worry but Tavares has been a revelation.
…very tidy with the feet, like the way he carries the ball given opportunity and cuts in field. This detail given by Arteta hopefully continues as we see White and Holding (other day) also doing the same (indeed Tomiyasu some times too) but we have to be wary. One turnover, Tavares had to back peddle and with quick players, its a danger.
Kolasinac been played a bit should be indication of severity of Tierney’s lay off but the Bosnian is a decent enough back up.