The Arsenal boss has lamented his side's growing queue outside the physio room but has singled out two players' form as positives
Mikel Arteta has had to deal with a lengthening injury list at Arsenal but is delighted with his players' efforts(Image credit: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
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.
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.
Mikel Arteta gives injury updates on Oleksandr Zinchenko and Martin Odegaard
Arteta will be without Leandro Trossard when they host Bolton as he serves a suspension automatically meted out for his red card against City.
Martin Odegaard is set for yet more time on the sidelines (Image credit: Alamy)
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.
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
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."
Gabriel scored off set pieces against both Tottenham and Manchester City (Image credit: Getty Images)
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
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, WeAreTerriers.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.
