Mikel Arteta has said he is “praying” for Arsenal to avoid further injury setbacks during this month’s international break after suffering an “absolute nightmare” with fitness problems this season.
The Arsenal boss cast doubt over Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice’s availability for England’s UEFA Nations League matches against Greece and Republic of Ireland next week after the pair were unable to finish Sunday’s 1-1 Premier League draw at Chelsea.
Rice started despite suffering a broken toe a week earlier at Newcastle while Saka limped off nine minutes from time at Stamford Bridge with an unspecified problem.
Martin Ødegaard started his first Arsenal game since Aug. 31 after picking up an ankle injury on international duty with Norway while Gabriel Martinelli suffered a calf strain while away with Brazil last month.
Arsenal have been without Jurriën Timber, Thomas Partey, Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu among others at times this season and do not play again until hosting Nottingham Forest at Emirates Stadium on Nov. 23.
Arteta said: “What I’m praying is that after the international break we have the team fully physically equipped. That they are available and that they are fit because it’s been a nightmare for eight weeks.
“Doubt after doubt, issue after issue, not only with the ones that are not able to play, but with the ones who are able to play only for certain moments and not able to play.
“So I’m just asking that, because the desire the team has and how much we want it there’s no question. It’s going to come. We just need that on our side to be more consistent.”
Asked specifically about whether Saka and Rice would be able to play for England, Arteta replied: “It doesn’t look good, because for two players of that importance to tell you they cannot continue in the game, obviously it’s not good news.
“[They are] two players that just came off, I don’t know whether to expect them to be fit because if [they are] they don’t come off,” he said.
Arteta also plans to speak to Ødegaard before deciding whether he will join up with Norway this month. On Sunday, Martinelli opened the scoring on the hour mark with a close-range finish before Pedro Neto secured a point for Chelsea with a fine 20-yard drive ten minutes later.
Arteta rued Arsenal inability to close out a winning, losing a total of eight points this season from winning positions.
“That’s not very much like us,” he said. “I think today in that sense with the way we conceded, we have to fault ourselves.
“That’s something that we have to do better, especially when you’re not scoring two or three goals and, at the moment, we are not.”