Arsenal guaranteed to miss two injured players vs Bournemouth with Nketiah update
“You know my answer,” Mikel Arteta replied when questioned if his side were favourites for the Premier League title once more. The bookies have made their minds up again, even if the Gunners manager has not.
Following their defeat to Manchester City, the shift in momentum was significant. Despite having a game in hand, Arsenal had fallen behind and were now in pursuit, albeit temporarily. However, their response to the recent three-game winless streak (four in all competitions) has been just as impressive as their other accomplishments this season.
The weight of Manchester City’s constant presence, coupled with the possibility of an insane winning streak, has only heightened the pressure on Arsenal. Additionally, Arteta has had limited access to his full squad throughout the season, making it increasingly difficult to doubt Arsenal’s ability to perform.
Despite Gabriel Jesus being absent since the World Cup, every possible option has been explored. Eddie Nketiah has stepped up and delivered impressive performances, scoring nearly twice as many goals as Jesus in a comparable amount of playing time. However, it’s worth noting that Jesus’ contribution extends beyond just goal-scoring.
Arteta recently revealed that Jesus is making progress towards a comeback and has been working hard on improving his ball skills during his rehabilitation. Although there’s no fixed timeline for his return, the news is mostly positive.
“Ask the doctor maybe he’ll give you one,” Arteta said. “The knee’s not reacting so it’s really positive. We want him back as quick as possible, but also respecting the timescale that the doctors and the specialists are giving us.”
Regarding the player who will take his place, Nketiah was observed limping towards the end of the 4-0 triumph over Everton, despite not having played from the beginning of the game. He entered the game as a substitute for Trossard and managed to provide an assist during the last 20 minutes. However, it seems that his limping is not a significant injury.
“With Eddie hopefully he’s fine,” Arteta explained. “He finished the game well, but he’s been carrying a little thing.” That little thing has so far not impacted results with Gabriel Martinelli performing better in recent weeks, scoring his fourth goal in three games on Wednesday night.
Regarding the other players on the team, there were concerns about Thomas Partey’s fitness, but he still came on as a substitute at half-time for Jorginho. Arteta later explained that Jorginho was unwell.
“Jorginho was not feeling good today,” he said whilst also praising Partey for his impact. “When he came on he really gave some presence and some stability to the team and I think the second half was superb.”
Emile Smith Rowe provided another positive development as he made his second appearance in a week. His first appearance was during the Under-21 football match against Chelsea on Monday, where he played for 45 minutes. This match was an ideal opportunity for him to make his comeback since Arteta had already mentioned that he required more playing time to improve his sharpness.
“Really good,” he said of his condition before the match. “Obviously, they needed some minutes and at the moment they haven’t had much exposure for different situations. It was great to see them on the field because we’re going to need them in the next couple of games.”
Currently, Mohamed Elneny is the only other player who is unavailable for a long time. As they prepare to face Bournemouth over the weekend, it seems that Elneny and Jesus are the only two players who are definitely out, while there are doubts about the availability of Nketiah, Partey, and Jorginho. Jakub Kiwior has also not played in a league game yet, but he did feature for the academy team alongside Smith Rowe on Monday. It is unclear whether he is ready to play in a first-team match.
Arsenal guaranteed to miss two injured players vs Bournemouth with Nketiah update
