Mikel Arteta rarely disrupts his defence if he can help it but an injury and suspension crisis could force wholesale changes for Liverpool’s visit to the Emirates on Sunday.
Halloween is a few days away but October has been a horror month for Arsenal. The wheel of misfortune began spinning at the start of it when Jurrien Timber was forced off against Paris Saint-Germain and has accelerated over the past week with William Saliba sent off – controversially – at Bournemouth and Riccardo Calafiori twisting his knee in the win over Shakhtar Donetsk.
Typically, the problems have struck in one area of the pitch. In September, Arsenal temporarily found themselves depleted in midfield but overcame that adversity in large part due to the strength of their backline. Now their defence has been drained of resources, weakened at the worst possible time.
Consistency of selection has been key to Arsenal’s defensive improvement in the Arteta era. The Gunners conceded just 29 league goals in 2023-24, at least five fewer than any other side in the division, and kept 18 clean sheets, at least five more than any other club. Not since the halcyon days of the “famous five” in the 90s have they looked so impenetrable.
Goalkeeper David Raya started 32 of a possible 36 games (he was ineligible for both fixtures against Brentford); Ben White played 37 matches of a possible 38; Gabriel Magalhaes, the leader of the back four, featured 36 times; Saliba played every single minute of their league campaign, one of only three outfield players in the top flight to do so.
The one position that Arteta did rotate was left-back, but he moved to rectify that by signing Calafiori, the breakout star of Serie A in 2023-24, in the summer to compete with the fit-again Timber.
With Saliba suspended and both Calafiori and Timber nursing knocks, Arsenal’s back four could have a makeshift look to it for the visit of Arne Slot’s table-toppers. Not ideal with Mo Salah in red hot form.
“We’re going to do our very best to somehow have them available [but] it’s very, very uncertain,” Arteta acknowledged yesterday when asked about the availability of Bukayo Saka, Calafiori and Timber this weekend. He provided only vague updates on Calafiori – “he needs more tests” – and Timber – “we thought he would be further ahead [in his recovery].”
If the pair fail to recover in time, Arsenal will be without five senior defenders in total, with Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney long-term absentees. Here’s how Arteta could shore up his defence for another early title showdown:
White at centre-back
It’s a testament to Saliba’s availability that the last time Arsenal started someone else as a right-sided centre-back in a league game was against Wolves on the final day of the 2022-23 season, 17 months ago.
White was shifted across from right-back to partner Gabriel on that occasion and the pair played their part in Arsenal keeping a clean sheet in a 5-0 win.
Saliba and Gabriel have struck up an excellent understanding, but White has also performed well alongside the Brazilian in the past: the Gunners conceded a respectable 33 goals from the 31 games that the duo played as a centre-back pairing in 2021-22.
Moving White infield would add to the sense of upheaval with Arteta then forced into a change at full-back. If Saka is deemed fit to play, it would impact Arsenal’s attack too given the telepathic relationship he has developed with White on that flank.
Partey at right-back?
With Timber potentially out and Tomiyasu unavailable, Arteta isn’t blessed with depth there either and may have to take Thomas Partey out of midfield to fill in, creating another whack-a-mole scenario.
The Ghanaian has plenty of experience in that position having filled in there often for both Arsenal and Atletico Madrid.
Left-back conundrum
Arteta has plenty of options to fill in at left-back: the problem is they are his third, fourth and fifth ones.
Oleksandr Zinchenko’s downfall since an excellent debut campaign has been stark with the Ukrainian seemingly only trusted against lower-calibre opponents.
There is a clamour from fans to see more of Myles Lewis-Skelly, the 18-year-old who, along with Ethan Nwaneri, is the jewel in the Arsenal academy crown. The safest play would be to start Jakub Kiwior, the Polish centre-back who has impressed, as a defensive full-back.
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