According to The Athletic, William Saliba and Oleksandr Zinchenko will miss the remaining three games of the season.
While it’s not a major surprise to hear the France international is being ruled out – he’s not featured since mid-March due to a back injury and has been replaced by Rob Holding and Jakub Kiwior – it’s a blow to learn the Ukrainian picked up a calf injury during the 2-0 win at Newcastle.
The 26-year-old was substituted just past the hour mark at St James’ Park after struggling defensively. He was replaced by Kieran Tierney who performed well and played a part in the Gunners’ second goal.
Given his pedigree and experience, we can assume the Scot will continue at left-back when Brighton visit Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
This is the second time Zinchenko has suffered a calf issue this season. He missed nine games in September and October but still made 33 appearances in all competitions.
David Ornstein believes neither Zinchenko nor Saliba will require surgery and should therefore be available in time for next season.
We expect Mikel Arteta will confirm the news when he faces the media tomorrow at 1.30pm.
🚨 Arsenal defenders William Saliba + Oleksandr Zinchenko out for rest of season. Saliba has not recovered sufficiently from back injury & Zinchenko picked up calf problem at Newcastle. Better news is neither expected to require surgery @TheAthleticFC #AFC https://t.co/hYY55WcnYr
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) May 11, 2023
Bumhole
By the end of this season, we will have played our best starting XI six times in 38 premier league games.
We won every single game they all played.
If anyone comes at me with “you got lucky with injuries this season” I will pull their bottom lip over their head and force them to eat their own face.
In lighter news, we are in touch with City and we’ve had a lot of injuries. We also will strengthen in the summer.
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
I heard the same thing this week. Do you know which teams they were against?
I do not. But my guess would be the 6 before the WC.
Zinny was injured quite a bit in the early part of the season.
And since the WC, I’m pretty sure that by the time GJ was back starting games, Saliba was gone.
Kind of crazy. Would love to know how that compares to other teams. But I suppose it’s hard to quantify as a lot of clubs don’t have nailed down starting XI’s.
What everyone would call the Invincibles starting 11 started only 2 league games in 03-04, so 6 doesn’t sound that mad at all.
The glass is 80% full but I can’t help seeing it 20% empty. I was supposed to be preparing to celebrate winning the league right now. Plans to order kits for my entire neighbourhood on Ali Baba is down the drain.
I know, but I came up with a way to make myself feel better. Indulge me… Ok, we lose to City. Not much we can do. They were better. They are better right now. But then let’s imagine… Imagine that we beat Southampton and West Ham but drew with a Chelsea team who found a big performance because it’s a London derby. And we drew away in a dog fight in Newcastle. Suddenly that doesn’t feel so bad. Those results seem pretty good. And that’s basically what happened, just the other way round. It made me feel better. We aren’t… Read more »
Perfect point of view, thank you for that! Perspective is everything!
I do agree that City have basically doped the system and now perfection is needed to win the league.
However, this belief that they are better has to be eradicated. Real Madrid don’t believe they’re going to lose.
Ali baba :))))
Seriously the online store is permanently sold out though.
While it’s sad zinky won’t feature for the rest of the season, I think it’s for the best we play kt if we’re sticking with the midfield of xhaka/jorginho, as they both want to play in the space zinchenko does.
Given Zinchenko’s vaunted ball carrying skills, perhaps Arteta should shift him into #8 role as cover for Xhaka. Tierney can play traditional LB & we can buy some LB cover
Please dare to dream! We’ve seen in previous seasons that playing a traditional back 4 in the modern game is too negative. Look at City, Real Madrid etc, inverted full back is here to stay at the very top.
Which is to say, def look for competition to Zinky, but persisting with KT is heart over head stuff. As a long serving Arsenal fan, I’ve loved Arteta being ruthless.
It didn’t do Liverpool any harm. You just need the best players, as City keep demonstrating. Sadly, the majority of football comes down to money now.
More likely to see Xhaka competing with Zinchenko for that left back role after we’ve bought two new midfielders.
Tierney has been our best player at times, I have absolute faith he’ll be awesome for the final 3 games. Get saliba fit and ready for next season. Let’s go!
Clean sheets are incoming!
A blessing in disguise.
It least now we’ll have a proper left-back for those three games. We should be able to beat Brighton, Forest and Wolves without him.
Blessing? If another defender gets crocked what will you say?
E.g. Tierney
So whoever is downvoting me would be happy to see Zinchenko unavailable if Tierney also went down in the next game?
Who do you want to see playing RB then?
LB
Some of you are just weird. Or Spurs fans.
Someone posting 5 different responses to one comment before anyone else did might also be deemed ‘just weird’ 😀
You have a point my friend. Maybe I should just embrace the mayhem.
😀
Kiwior I guess with Holding in. Then we would be mirroring Pep’s exotic new 4 CB formation
I guess Zinny has gone from hero to zero pretty fast!
I’ve just finished my stretching exercises and am ready to deputise…
Don’t encourage him FFS…..
Let’s hope that there’s more rotation next season.
I prefer to have Tierney play as left back and should have started against Man City. Hopefully this game time will help prove to Arteta that he is a better option than Zinchenko against the more attacking teams.
The more attacking teams will be forced to defend when Arsenal plays the better player and more technical Zinchenko. You lot need to evolve with this team, thinking that Arsenal has to think defensively at home to Brighton. Funny.
Please, we have been the best team in this league for over 85% of it. Zinchenko was central to why that was. We didn’t achieve that by thinking we should play players whose first incentive when under any kind of pressure is to boot the ball in the air.
Opinions: 85% does not win the league, it is obvious Zinchenko is a more technical player than Theirney but to win the league these days you have to be able to rotate players. I love the way Arsenal play these days but you don’t win the prem by going gunho every game.
I have nothing against Zinchenko…..
That’s rubbish.
If Saka’s penalty goes in against West Ham and Trossard’s injury time shot against Southampton curls under the bar, we are four points better off and three clear of City
You wouldn’t be calling us too gung ho then.
As for rotation, it’s pretty fucking damn easy to rotate at will when you have an open cheque book for top quality players and have shopped till you’ve dropped like Pep and Co.
Top post, well said.
Too many on here cannot get their heads around the fact that Zinchenko’s more forward link up play has been a major factor in our success this season and why we’ve (unexpectedly by one and all) remained top of the pile for well over 90% of the season.
That said, I’m looking at these posts and it’s the same usual suspect FIFA23 Numpties who were calling for more first XI players to start against Sporting in the Europa League…..
Injuries apart, Tierney is a top top full back.
When Zinny is on form like he was in the first half of the season, I totally agree with you….but he hasn’t been for quite a while. KT doesn’t only bring defensive improvement, he can attack too ! Albeit not in the same technical way Zinny does…
Harsh on Tierney who is more than comfortable on the ball but boots it away when it needs to be booted away (yes, there are times when that’s the best option). He’s not a midfielder so he isn’t as much of a passer but then Zinchenko is not a defender so, you know, horses for courses. You also forgot to say a player who doesn’t always go inside because he isn’t fast enough to take any defender on but who can run fast with the ball and take opponents on and make an overlap on the outside. You know, like… Read more »
Great. . Saliba may make the feckin Emirates Cup this August. Big deal.
FIFA23 after your dinner tonight, is it?
So now it’s down to a “Fab 5” of defenders to hold us together for the next 3 games.
Always seem to get a rash of defensive injuries in the run-in!
If this keeps up maybe we’ll end up seeing Partey and Xhaka at RB and LB after all.
Cue decision for Saliba to have surgery a week before the season starts….
Tierney is available and ready; no hard feelings. No surgery required for Saliba is good news, I guess.
You get the feeling that Tierney should have shared more of the season at left back. He might have felt more involved and willing to stay, while Zinchenko may have lasted the course.
They are both suited to different opponents.
It’s ‘good’ news, since it was minor injuries and they’ll be ready for next season. I’m more than happy with the substitutes: Kiwior will get more game time and establish himself as 3rd cb and KT is a fucking boss, hope he remains at Arsenal next season.