Arsenal v Hull: Arsenal near the bottom of the table – for injuries.

Meanwhile Mikel Arteta is confident that William Saliba is ready to make his first appearance for Arsenal. It is reported that Saliba played for half a specially arranged private match during the past few days to prove his fitness. 

Saliba has been training with just the training staff, rather than alongside any other players in recent weeks to develop his fitness and strength on his own last month after the back injury he sustained at the World Cup.  However it is also reported that earlier this week he joined in full training again for the first time and was with the squad for the Champions League game.   So it seems he is now ok although of course all returns are treated cautiously as it is not unknown for players to talk up their own fitness, just to get back in the game.

However as Arteta pointed out, no manager likes to substitute a central defender in the middle of a game – he needs to be able to play the full game so he can get used to the ways of playing that the forwards adopt.

There is of course the fact that Arsenal have three players who can play in those two central positions (Ezri Konsa,  Gabriel Magalhães, and of course Saliba, and the two that played against Liverpool were excellent.  Konsa can play right back, but both  Ben White and Jurriën Timber are fit and everyone wants to play.

One interesting point about these issues (another is that of managers going outside the “technical” area) is that Arteta knows he is guilty but also gathers information on the infringements of others.  If the League or FA do try and challenge him on such issues they will find themselves faced with a vast array of evidence of the wrong doings of others, and will then be invited to explain why Arsenal are being picked on.

Meanwhile one or two of the more eccentric newspapers are running the tale that “Arsenal’s match with Slavia Prague to be banned in new Champions League rule change.”  It is a bit of an odd headline – what actually has happened is that there will be a new rule next season stopping clubs being drawn against the same opposition two years running.  There will also be a new rule in Europe to say when one club gets the first penalty in a shoot out it won’t be able to choose which end it shoots toward – the other club will go first.

So now we can come back to the Premier League injury table.  Top of the league with eight injuries are Chelsea and Manchester United.   Behind them, just are Tottenham Hots, Brighton, Hull and Leeds with seven.    Brentford, Newcastle, Sunderland are on six.   Liverpool are alone on five, Bournemouth, Villa and Palace have four, while Arsenal are on three.   Those three are Saka, Downman and Konsa.  Everton and Fulham are each on two men down, and Manchester City are on one.