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The Arsenal boss has lamented his side's growing queue outside the physio room but has singled out two players' form as positives
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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta can still find positives in his side's performances despite losing a number of key players to injury and suspension over the past few weeks. The Gunners face a busy schedule with several important squad members ruled out, with goalkeeper David Raya reportedly the latest to join the injury list after picking up a knock in Arsenal's 2-2 draw with Manchester City on Sunday. Reports suggest that Raya's injury is not currently thought to be serious, but he will nonetheless be rested for Arsenal's League Cup clash with League One side Bolton Wanderers on Wednesday evening. Arteta will be without Leandro Trossard when they host Bolton as he serves a suspension automatically meted out for his red card against City. The Arsenal boss drew a stark comparison between how his side dealt with that dismissal this time around compared with when they shipped five following Granit Xhaka's red card in a 5-0 defeat against City back in 2022. He said: "It’s normal the way we’ve decided to play. Unfortunately we’ve been in the same situation in the past… one was with Granit Xhaka and we lost how many? 5-0. We’d better learn. If not, I’d be very thick. ” Martin Odegaard is meanwhile out with an ankle injury, summer arrival Mikel Merino has a shoulder injury, and Oleksandr Zinchenko has a calf issue. The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. Speaking about Zinchenko at his Tuesday morning press conference, the manager said: "He's not ready to play yet and I think he will still be out for a few weeks. " Odegaard also looks set to miss the next four games, with Arteta saying: "It will be a matter of weeks but I still can't guarantee when, I can't tell you more than this. Before the October's international break is unlikely. " VIDEO How Arsenal's 10 Men Nearly Pulled Off The Impossible Against Man City That may represent an improvement on Odegaard's initial prognosis after he was previously reported to be on the shelf until November. Arteta did however hint that yet more players may have joined the injury list, but was keen not to reveal their identities before facing Bolton. The Arsenal boss is nonetheless delighted with what he has seen from his available players in the meantime, saying: "I'm extremely proud of what we did at the Etihad. We showed desire, we adapted to different ways of playing, that's superb. "Happy? No, we wanted to win. But it was difficult, then what we had to deal with and as well with the players we had out. .. I'm proud. " Arteta particularly picked out defenders William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes for praise after they helped Arsenal concede just three times in their six games in all competitions to date, with four clean sheets along the way. The Arsenal boss said: "We believed that Saliba & Gabriel could become really good. .. but their level now is something incredible, unbelievable. That togetherness and chemistry is unique and really good. I'm proud of Gabriel and Saliba, really. ” Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1 *Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription Join now for unlimited access Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1 Steven Chicken has been working as a football writer since 2009, taking in stints with Football365 and the Huddersfield Examiner. Steven still covers Huddersfield Town home and away for his own publication, We Are Terriers. com. Steven is a two-time nominee for Regional Journalist of the Year at the prestigious British Sports Journalism Awards, making the shortlist in 2020 and 2023. Ex-Arsenal hero Theo Walcott names the underrated Gunners player that he’s a ‘big fan of’ Manchester United transfer agreement with world-class midfielder revealed - who explains 'change of coach' held up deal Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold in talks over move - with priority revealed: report Four Four Two is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site. ©
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