Arsenal look set to be without the services of defender William Saliba for this Friday’s clash with Southampton.
The Gunners host the bottom of the table Saints at the Emirates Stadium aiming to get their title challenge back on track. Despite sitting four points clear of nearest challengers Manchester City, Arsenal have experienced a bit of a wobble recently.
They have let two-goal leads slip against both Liverpool and West Ham, whilst also surrendering the advantage to Pep Guardiola’s men. Arsenal have been without the services of defender Saliba for the last four matches as he attempts to overcome a back issue.
There was optimism that he would be available after he was spotted on an exercise bike alongside defensive colleague Takehiro Tomiyasu but that appears to have been premature. According to football.london, the former Saint-Etienne starlet is 'unlikely' to make an appearance at St Mary’s.
His issue will continually be monitored in the meantime with previous reports suggesting that Saliba was willing to push his body to the limit to return for the title run-in. Speaking last week about the defender’s condition, he said: “William is still not available.
“He’s progressing well and we are hopeful we’ll have him available in the next few weeks, but we’ll have to see. He’s not far from starting to do that [return to training]. Obviously we need to be cautious because of the injury, but he’s evolving well.”
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Saliba’s continuing absence will be a further blow to Arsenal as they attempt to get their title fight back on track. The Gunners have not kept a clean sheet since he was struck down with his back issue.
Meanwhile, his colleague Gabriel Magalhaes was criticised by Rio Ferdinand for his performance in the 2-2 draw with West Ham. Speaking on his Vibe with Five Podcast, the ex-Manchester United man said: "As a defender you’ve got to be calm.
“There’s no need for him to do what he did. It was a rush of blood, he needs to eradicate that, get that out of his game quick. As a manager you don’t want to see that. Because those types of things ruin the head too many times, it starts becoming part of their make-up, and you’re going, ‘hold on, can I rely on this guy?’.
"I think he’s had a fabulous season, Gabriel. But those types of decisions can be very costly, he’s in the run-in now. That will hurt, the way they dropped points."
Whilst news of Saliba’s extended absence will not be welcomed, there is however positives for the Gunners ahead of the clash with the Saints. Oleksandr Zinchenko is expected to return after recovering from his groin issue.
