We probably should have drafted this earlier in the week because the way things have been going for Arsenal on the injury front, it was almost inevitable.
Anyway, Bukayo Saka picked up a problem playing for England in this evening’s Nations League friendly with Greece and had to be substituted five minutes into the second half.
He limped off the pitch holding the back of his right thigh, which could indicate a hamstring problem, and was replaced by Chelsea’s Noni Madueke.
Adding to the intrigue, if you can call it that, the player had earlier taken a knock to his ankle.
Concerning for England and Arsenal fans 😬
Saka leaves the pitch to be replaced by Madueke#ITVFootball | #NationsLeague pic.twitter.com/HgVVmba7ni
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) October 10, 2024
Obviously, we’ll have to wait and see how serious an issue this is, but you can be sure as hell that Arsenal will be looking to withdraw him from the rest of the England camp to get him to London Colney for a full assessment.
In his post-game press conference, interim manager Lee Carsley said: “He’s being assessed, in the build-up to the first goal you could see he felt something in his leg.”
Ahead of the match, there was excitement amongst England fans that the Three Lions had selected an attacking lineup featuring Anthony Gordon, Cole Palmer, Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham.
While the latter did get on the scoresheet, England lost the match 2-1 courtesy of a brace by Benfica striker Vangelis Pavlidis whose winner came in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
"He's being assessed, he felt something in his leg" 🚨
England interim boss Lee Carsley discusses Bukayo Saka being forced off with an injury in the defeat to Greece. pic.twitter.com/B5NtTx7LqT
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) October 10, 2024
Fuck it fuck it Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!
Fuckity, Fuck, Fuck, Fuck, Fuck
am i the only one who finds Lee entirely unlikeable?
Just cancel international football. It’s shit.
I think that’s a little generous.
What is even the point of the Nations League….
Money for UEFA
They probably care less about the money than the possibility of fucking up players. I bet they just love seeing players get banjaxed because of their bollocks interlull.
I mean I would understand it a little more, just a little not much, if it was the World Cup… But so what if you win the Nations League?
No player ever says I’m a Nations League Winner.
If we don’t care about Ronaldo’s Euro, we’re not gonna care about this shit.
No. It’s Tottenham. Because we all know what Tottenham is.
He’s a known quantity. Why continually risk him in games that are utterly meaningless as a team that always qualifies for major tournaments anyway? Saka has been run into the ground by both Arsenal and England over the last few seasons. Let’s hope it’s not too serious.
Why? Carsley is having his interview for the job, so he’s risking players for his ambition.
Give Carsley the job and give up
English fa will need at least 6 months to figure out no one else wants the job
He must do it… like they all must, in order to get or keep their jobs. MANU, Chelsea, Liverpool…all the teams. The fans of each team want THEIR top players protected but refuse to support managers tinkering and tweaking lineups to learn and develop a team….while protecting key players. The fans now exert too much influence, they are fickle, biased and often quite uninformed. Oh…and big money, Mo money, Mo money, Mo money.
Call me overly optimistic, but how many times has Saka limped off with a small knock or cramp and then played the next game totally normal? This doesn’t look too serious to me and I’m hoping this will be the same
I agree. I think he’s thought “fuck it, this 2-1-7 formation isn’t working for me, bollocks to this” and ‘felt something’. This is the dark arts I’m all for, we just need Declan ‘feel unwell’ now.
This is the kind of news you don’t want to read before going to sleep. I just want to believe it will be nothing serious, but it’s so hard.
The only silver lining could be that it might finally dispel the silly notion that some players, like Bukayo, or Martin before him, or Declan etc. are some sort of indestructible and have no issue playing 70 games a year with barely any breaks. They are, until one day they aren’t. We need to give these guys rests, especially if the national teams won’t. It’s ridiculously unfair but unless we can change the system we have to adapt to it.
Entire fanbase anxiously awaiting further news -_-
Please be fine Bukayo
We have no chance. We simply can’t keep sustaining these injuries to our top top players and compete in the way we want against the sort of juggernauts we are up against. Add the bent officials and everyone else. Just waiting for Saliba to pick up a knock in the France game now while all of the Liverpool/City players barely break sweat.
Just come here among friends to say I fucking hate internationals, they are that shit party you don’t want to go to where you know they will play naff 90’s/00ties pop songs.
Three people (so far) who love millennial muzak…
Insulting to millenials with better music taste than 10 year old girls
What is the point. There’s too much at stake for the club to risk this bullshit. I don’t want international to go away just make it make sense. Would it be the end of the world if they only played REAL qualifiers and knockout tournaments? Could even pare down qualifying without losing too much. Oh no, some piece of shit bureaucrat will only get to vacation in St Martin, not St Barth’s. These are the only people who benefit
I can’t believe we’re not adopting the Fergie tactic, used with Giggs amongst others, where our key players develop ‘a slight niggle’ every time these pointless internationals come round. 🤬
If there is anything more pointless than whatever the non-tournament England just played in is, I have no idea what it could be.
Difficult to be sure how serious it is, but he walked off with a slight limp, looking a bit unhappy but not distressed. We’ve seen that many times, and he is always ready for the next match. So, I’m optimistic. Also, Pickford is a genuinely crap keeper. I would rather have Karl Hein.
I wonder how many other players will start taking Ben White’s lead and say “it’s just not worth it”?
I imagine quire a few. It would be ironic, FIFA packs the schedule, players skip FIFA’s tournament. There should be a maximum amount any player can play in a calendar year.
He seemed to walk off fairly well under his own steam, so hopefully just a niggle. A low grade hamstring strain can usually clear up in couple of weeks. Fingers crossed.
It might be a couple of weeks of playing without both him and Odegaard, our best two attacking players and our captains 😬
Will need lots more of that 60 million to go down the drain
Stirling or Jesus as the right-wing options, no need to risk Bakayo at Bournemouth, having said that Carsley will probably pick him for the next game….
Man that would fry my balls.
After I heard this, I spent about three minutes making a picture of Infantino’s face on a giant poop emoji.
I’m never getting those three minutes of my life back, but I feel like the Infanpoopo emoji will come in handy sometime again soon.
I think you should use that as your profile picture here!!
You mean to tell me that if players are asked to play every three or four days for the entire season we will see more boring games, tired players, and more injuries??
Surely not!
Im swedish and i love football but i cant even name 4 players playing for Sweden. In fact i thing i would enjoy watching fart fetish vids more than watching the world cup finals. Fuck international football and fuck all these injuries. Football is the players jobs and Arsenal pay their wages so why the fuck play for someone else? I would refuse.
I know Kulusevski, Isak and Gyökeres. Is Elanga in the team as well?
Surely Erickson plays for Sweden?
I’m your neighbor, and I can’t name 4 people playing for Denmark either. Don’t watch the games unless there’s a really big one. If the powers that be want to keep pushing football as a relentless entertainment industry whose only goal is to create profits for the few at the top, they have to stop pretending that randomly grabbing well paid stars to play for free in international games can still be a thing. It’s all very nice and “romantic” and “pure” and “the spirit of football” – but it’s a stark contrast to club football, which is anything but… Read more »
I know Eriksen and that twat who plays for spuds. I think that’s it. Would it be too late to bring back Preben Elkjær from retirement?
Why do players get injured so easily on international duty. Don’t they know how to take care of key England players?
Why would they give a shit? They break the player, the player goes back to his club, the club get him fit and they get to do it all over again.
Every disadvantage has its advantage, never waste a crisis. This is our chance to rehabilitate Jesus as a wide attacker. We’ve been blessed with Saka’s availability over the last few years, but really we need to be able to sit him down more. We can’t because he’s so good we actually don’t have a backup for him. We will need Jesus this season if we’re to win the major trophies, but it’s hard to see him getting in at 9 with the form of Havertz and Trossard. He’d be a good left wing option too bit we’ve got Martinelli just… Read more »
resurrect Jesus*
…should be good with crosses.
We won’t crucify you for this comment
Assuming worst case scenario, we lose Saka and don’t get anyone back:
Raya
TP Saliba Gabriel Calafiori
Rice Jorginho
Sterling Havertz Trossard Martinelli
It’s very direct. Suited to go over their press.
i have always been a ghost here. But I want to post to say the fucking corrupt federations can fuck themselves off, motherfuckers.
You should emerge from beyond the metaphysical world more often, Ghost, a comment that most of us very much resonate with in this here realm.
Everyday I understand Ben White’s decision more and more.
100% this. I’m not English, but the way the England press (and, as a consequence, idiots with social media accounts) treats players and managers is absolutely disgraceful.
I already loved Ben, for so many things. But most of all his no-bullshit-attitude. On and off the pitch. Why would anyone want to put on the english shirt, just to face endless abuse, and the only possible way people won’t tear your head off is if you win every single game and tournament.
God protect our Star ✨ boy bukayo Saka
“He’s being assessed, in the build-up to the first goal you could see he felt something in his leg.”
Then take him off at that point then you soppy prick!
Brilliant. “Soppy prick” has to be the best description of Lee Carsley ever used. You should take up journalism.
“Concerning for England and Arsenal fans”. Oooh of course ITV, all those England fans waiting on the edge of their seats to see if Saka will make it for the big upcoming Nations League clash. The tournament that’s got the whole nation talking! Fuck. OFF.
Best case is he gets a couple of weeks of rest before the big Liverpool match and is raring to go. Even if he is ready for Bournemouth next weekend no sense risking him.
Hey Infantino, take that club world cup and shove it up your stupid candy ass