So from what I’ve read the injuries to Gabriel and Timber are not thought to be serious and it looks like bringing them off was precautionary
Odegaard likely to return to light training this week, with possibly a view to being back next month
On a plus note Odegaard has returned to Arsenal
Also seems White has been playing through with an injury and has had to have an operaton so out for at least 6 weeks https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/foo...-b1193842.html
Really good news that Ode, Saka and Dec will all get a break, given the problems are I believe all minor it's the perfect scenario
And tbh if White needs a procedure then now's as good a time as any.
Hoping that Calafiori is back soon, so we can play Timber at right back and not Partey
I look at the season where we first were without Vieira
We reached the champions league final but we struggled in the league big time, like our worst away performances for five years even though we had a fully fit and firing Henry. It’s because even with a striker like that, if the midfield isn’t getting the ball forward quickly enough (Gilberto good player but a defensive midfielder, Hleb a good player but wasn’t going to come deep to get the ball). We weren’t getting the ball up the field quickly enough to test the back line who could get one goal and see the match out (bit like Newcastle the other week)
Whilst I do think there’s definitely something to be said for having a top striker, even a top striker needs space to operate in and the stats show that our players are not taking shots, largely because there are players all around them and the shot will get blocked and you end up giving the ball away.
This is I think half the problem we have this season, Merino nor Rice are progressive players they won’t get the ball forward quickly. Partey on the other hand does, even when he’s played out of position. But if he’s at right back, no chance of that at all