Arteta reveals latest Arsenal team news ahead of Leicester clash

Mikel Arteta has confirmed that both Emile Smith Rowe and Takehiro Tomiyasu are still being assessed ahead of their Arsenal returns, but he is more positive on one returning than the other.

The Gunners will face off with Leicester City on Sunday evening, with the Foxes having their own personnel problems to deal with.

Our problems are near non-existent in comparison, with almost the entirety of the squad available for action, but we do have a slight doubt over ESR, and a bigger doubt over Tomiyasu’s availability.

“He [Emile} went through Covid but he’s feeling good now and he’s had a couple of training sessions,” Arteta told Arsenal Media in his pre-match press conference.

“Hopefully he can get the rhythm and the consistency and stay out of missing games because he’s a really important player for us and we need him.”

On Tomiyasu, he admitted that they were reluctant to take any unnecessary risks and were taking extra precautions.

“Tomiyasu, we are still assessing him,” Arteta added.

“We are taking some time to try to protect him and get him in the best and the safest possible way so he can help the team as quick as possible.”

You have to fully agree with the decision on Tomi, especially while Cedric is impressing in the side currently, and you cannot discount how important ESR is albeit from the bench or in the starting line-up. Would hate to see either risked, but it doesn’t sound as though there would be any risk playing ESR, more that he may not be fully ready since recovering from Covid.

Patrick

Tags Emile Smith Rowe Leicester Takehiro Tomiyasu

12 Comments

  1. Tomi’s injury is definitly on Arteta who rushed Tomi back because he only trusted 12 players. Cedric is only playing because Tomi can not. But to be fair Cedric has proven to be a very decent RB back up. As for ESR fortunately Saka, Ode, Martinelli and Laca is enough up front. Hopefully Arteta will learn from his Tomi mistake and so will not risk rushing ESR back. The problem is the other alternatives 72 mill Pepe, Lokonga Tavares and Nketiah are regarded as being vulnerable and a weakness so Arteta is loath to start them.
    We should find a way to take all 3 points.

    1. Why is it Arteta’s fault? His original calf injury he got in a match is not why he’s out now. His current injury is to his other calf and happened in training. Or are you saying Arteta’s training methods are to blame?

      1. Arteta decided only 11 players could start for Arsenal so when Tomi got injured Arteta refused to trust Cedric and started White at RB. Then Gabriel got suspended so rather than play Cedric he rushed Tomi back. At the time Tomi and even Arteta admitted Tomi was playing through the pain barrier when he came back and the second injury is connected to the first as it’s a proven fact that when one part of the body is injured other parts over compensate for the loss. Arteta’s obsession with a 11 man squad has only changed through injury Tomi Tierney ESR suspension Gabriel Xhaka Partey or when Auba was frozen out. Only then have Cedric Holding Tavares Elneny Martinelli ESR Pepe and Nketiah ever been used. I am sure Artea will start the same Ramsdale Cedric White Gabriel Tierney Xhaka Partey Odegaard Saka Martinelli andLacazette again. The only possible change would be Pepe for Martinelli. Arteta simply does not trust any one else to start

        1. fairfan, you could be correct but I think the game referred to when Tomi apparently played at “at risk” was 2nd leg against Liverpool in the Carabao

          I recall that neither Chambers or Cedric were available, I think Cedric had a positive test and Chambers was injured in the first leg

          The Arteta critisism at the time was that he shouldn’t have allowed AMN to go on loan more than anything else

          Tomi wouldn’t have played if he himself didn’t feel right, the medical team would have intervened had it been a serious risk and Tomi played the whole 90 minutes plus

          It sounds more like a persistent niggle than a serious injury as he is being assessed game by game so it doesn’t sound long term and Cedric is deputising well

          But we did lose the Liverpool game and there were consequences so I reckon Arteta would agree in hindsight that he got it wrong

          1. My reply was to fairfan , not Fingers Furnell who is also anFF at least to me.

            Apols Fingers, in case you JUST HAVE have thought it was directed at you. It was not, even though I differ on your final comment.

        2. FF you are really being rather silly to put forward this absurd idea for Tomi’s OTHER calf being strained. Of course we all know that othe rmuscles sometime overcompensate and so are damaged. It is hardly an Earth shattering reveal, even when clearly over egged as in your cliched comment.

          But we also have top medical people in our club who know far more than you or I do and give the best available advice to MA

          How you can simply state a bald lie such as “Arteta decided only 11 players could start for Arenal…” in a squad sport such as Prem football, is immensely disappointing to read.

          You appear to regard MA as a complete dimwit, whereas on THIS issue, I suggest it is YOU who is the dimwit.

          You do let yourself sometimes, old son!!

      2. yes, he injured hia other calf due to over compensating for the other calf that had not fully healed.

        it is not rocket science.

  2. selection concerns, pertaining to ESR, started long before this most recent “covid” absence…it does raise some interesting and/or disconcerting questions about things moving forward

    as for tomorrow, all I hope is that we come out strong against LC, put a couple on the board early on, so that we force LC to pursue a course of action that’s outside their comfort zone, then we do to them, what they do to others, counter the living sh** out of them when they commit too many players into our final third…should be an interesting affair

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