William Saliba forced to ‘modify his running’ after ankle injury as Mikel Arteta reveals comeback date for Arsenal defender
Arsenal have had to shuffle their defensive pack repeatedly this season, and Saliba’s absence has forced further improvisation. Cristhian Mosquera, now sidelined, and Jurrien Timber, who is also nursing a knock, have shared duties at the heart of the backline.
Asked whether Timber could feature against Wolves, Arteta remained cautious: “Depends how he feels today. It was a knock that he picked, and he wasn’t feeling comfortable. So again, I think it’s a matter of days, but whether it’s tomorrow or not we’ll see.”
Despite the defensive uncertainty, Arsenal responded emphatically in midweek, brushing aside Club Brugge 3-0 in the Champions League to make it six wins from six in Europe. Now, Arteta stressed that the week-long gap after the Wolves fixture will give his squad a rare opportunity to reset.
He said: “Well, three things. Make sure that we can give some rest to players, mentally and physically. Then start to re-activate everybody and start to work on things that you don’t have time to work on. Then start to be in the best possible physical and emotional mindset to do what is required to be ready.
“We’re in a very strong position in the three competitions that we’ve been involved in so far, and that’s what we have to continue to do at the end. The credit has to come at the end of the season, that’s when we’re going to measure what we’ve done, but in order to achieve that, you have to be achieving, every single day, the objectives that you want. So far, I think we are in a very strong position.”
