Mikel Arteta has had numerous problems with injured players throughout this season, and the list of sidelined goes on and on – from the key players like the captain Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka, hard workers such as Thomas Partey and Ben White, to the newcomers like Mikel Merino and Riccardo Calafiori.Even Gabriel Jesus suffered a severe injury just when he started scoring again. But none of the aforementioned absences can be compared to missing the crucial part of the vital defensive duo – missing William Saliba.Jesus’ Calvary: Arsenal lose their striker due to a horrible injuryNamely, seeing only some ordinary stats already reveals the gist, which suggests the following – Arsenal cannot defend properly without the Frenchman. With Saliba, the Gunners concede less than one goal per game (0.8). Without him, almost two (1.7). In 12 clashes without Saliba, Arsenal kept only two clean sheets and had a sorry 41% win rate, compared to 71% with him on the team. All that speaks volumes.0.8 – Since the start of 2022-23, Arsenal have conceded 0.8 goals per Premier League game when William Saliba has played (85 matches), compared to 1.7 per game when he hasn’t featured (13 matches). Integral. pic.twitter.com/6DT8ybbOQA— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 18, 2025 For the first time this season, the defender suffered an injury, and in their first match without him, Arsenal blew a 2-0 lead against Aston Villa, allowing the visitors from Birmingham to snatch a point at Emirates Stadium (2-2). Against Liverpool in October, Saliba was suspended for the derby. The epilogue: once again two conceded goals, another blown lead, and another 2-2 draw.Two PL title contenders ‘cross swords’ over the African net busterArteta tried several experiments to solve the problem, pairing Jakub Kiwior, Ben White, and even Jurrien Timber with Gabriel Magalhaes, but nothing worked. Saliba is expected to be sidelined for approximately two weeks, meaning that he’ll miss the Champions League duels against Dinamo Zagreb and Girona, as well as the Premier League one versus Wolverhampton, while he’ll be questionable for the derby against Man City.The clock is ticking for the Spanish gaffer as he’ll need to figure out how to solve his team’s defensive problems and get used to life without the Frenchman. Otherwise, Arsenal will suffer.ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE – MATCHDAY 22SaturdayNewcastle – Bournemouth 1-4 (1-2)/Guimaraes 25 – Kluivert 6, 44, 90+2, Kerkez 90+6/Brentford – Liverpool 0-2 (0-0)/Darwin 90+1, 90+3/Leicester – Fulham 0-2 (0-0)/Smith Rowe 48, Traore 68/West Ham – Crystal Palace 0-2 (0-0)/Mateta 48, 89 pen/Arsenal – Aston Villa 2-2 (1-0)/Havertz 35, Martinelli 55 – Tielemans 60, Watkins 68/SundayEverton – Tottenham 3-2 (3-0)/Calvert-Lewin 13, Ndiaye 30, Gray 45+7 og – Kulusevski 77, Richarlison 90+2/Man.Utd. – Brighton 1-3 (1-1)/Fernandes 23 pen – Minteh 5, Mitoma 60, Rutter 76/Nott.Forest – Southampton 3-2 (3-0)/Anderson 11, Hudson-Odoi 28, Wood 41 – Bednarek 60, Onuachu 90+1/Ipswich – Man. City 0-6 (0-3)/Foden 27, 42, Kovacic 30, Doku 49, Haaland 57, McAtee 69/Monday23.00: (1.35) Chelsea (5.30) Wolverhampton (8.00)**odds are subject to change**
