Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, and colleague head coach Eddie Howe both held pre-game press conferences on Friday at NUFC Headquarters. However, the Spaniard did not offer much significant information about the health of several important Gunners players.
Oleksandr Zinchenko, Thomas Partey, and Gabriel Jesus are “progressing towards a return,” according to Arteta. However, the manager did not confirm their availability for the upcoming game, as he has been doing for weeks on end regardless of the opposition or the competition his side faces.
Partey has been sidelined due to a hamstring problem and has had several setbacks; nonetheless, he has already taken part in first-team training despite missing the midweek match against Porto. With a positive outlook for Partey’s health, Arteta said, “Let’s see, we have another session today.” He is quite near. That is to say…
Zinchenko, who has a calf ailment, and Gabriel Jesus, who has missed four games due to a knee injury, are also “nearing their returns.” Both athletes are “making progress,” according to Arteta. Okay, so I guess…?
Takehiro Tomiyasu, a Japan international who has missed the last three games due to a recurrent calf ailment, appears to be the lone player who is almost definitely out for Saturday’s game. As is customary for him, Arteta hinted that Tomiyasu would require more time to heal. However, he did not explicitly state that he would play in Saturday’s match.
Although he acknowledged that the impact of these injuries and possible absences on the team could change the outcome of Saturday’s matchup, Arteta was steadfast in covering his back more than 24 hours before kickoff. At the very least, he stated that he and his team would need to adapt, and he proclaimed his “eagerness” for his players to return.
Though Arteta made it sound that way, I’m not suggesting this is creating a perfect environment for the top-heavy theatrics and justifications to appear late on Saturday. Whoa.