Arsenal cannot afford any more injuries to squad
As the international break looms, there is a palpable fear when players invited for national team duties go away to play for their various countries especially at this time of the season in England. The winter schedule of fixtures demands that managers fully utilize the full compliment of their squad, when fixtures will come very thick and fast.
As for Arsenal, there is the need to have key players fit for the upcoming months. After the international break, Arsenal face daunting and tricky fixtures both domestically and in Europe.
Let's briefly take a look at the fixtures and why the gunners will need the full compliment of their squad to execute these matches in the best possible way.
#1 Bournemouth v Arsenal
On November 25 2018, the gunners travel to the Vitality Stadium to take on Bournemouth in the Premier League. This looks like an easy fixture on paper, but considering that Arsenal have failed to pick up maximum points at this stadium on the last two seasons show the task that lies before them.
The game at the Vitality stadium comes just after the international break with the likelihood of players representing their various countries just few days before taking on Bournemouth.
For example, some Arsenal players like Torreira, Iwobi and Henrikh Mhkitrayan still have to represent their national teams on Tuesday November 20 meaning they just have at most 3 days to recover and prepare for the game against the Cherries. Any injuries to some or all these players will leave Arsenal very slim interms of attacking midfielders-a situation that Unai Emery will not want to face.
#2 Vorskla v Arsenal
On November 29 2018, Arsenal travel to Ukraine to take on Vorskla in the Europa league. This is a team that scored two goals at the Emirates in the first leg so it is never going to be an easy fixture.
This game just comes four days after the gunners take on Bournemouth in the Premier League. Considering the fact that it is an away game as well as the fact that Arsenal take on Tottenham over the weekend, Unai Emery will need rotate his squad to enable players to be fresh to face their bitter rivals.
On the other hand, this game is extremely important as well, because the gunners are not yet guaranteed top spot in their Europa League group unless they defeat Vorskla in Ukraine. So the players will need to be given the much needed rest to compete in these games.
#3 Arsenal v Tottenham
Arsenal begins the difficult month of December with a home fixture against North London rivals Spurs. We all know how derby games against Tottenham has been over the years and there is no doubt that this game will require the entire squad to be fully fit.
While the players will be fully concentrated on the game against Spurs, they will also remember that in a couple of days they have to go to Old Trafford to take on Jose Mourinho's men. To win football games, the gunners need to score goals and to score goals, they definitely need their strikers to be fit as fiddles to play these games.
Danny Welbeck's injury is the most significant of all because it puts Alex Lacazette and Pierre Emerick Aubameyang under pressure to deliver. Youngster Eddie Nketiah cannot be relied upon as a backup to these strikers. He will most likely get to play in the match against Vorskla but definitely not against Tottenham and United, so Emery must be anxious to see how his players react to their sojourn with their various national teams.
On the positive side, none of Lacazette or Aubaeyang will represent their national teams. Lacazette pulled out of the french national team just hours after being called up, citing injury concerns while Aubameyang's spat with the Gabonese FA is most likely why he was not called up this time.