Arteta gives injury update on Timber & Calafiori | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta has provided an update on the fitness of Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori after both defenders were unavailable for Arsenal’s win over Brighton & Hove Albion, leaving the squad stretched at the back.

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While Gabriel returned to the matchday squad early following his own injury lay off, Timber was absent entirely and Calafiori was forced out after being named in the starting line up.

The Dutch defender had been with the squad pre match, but no explanation was given until after the final whistle, when Arteta confirmed he had an issue.

The Arsenal manager said Timber had “landed awkwardly”, though he did not specify when or where the incident occurred.

Calafiori’s withdrawal came even later, with the Italy defender picking up a problem during the warm up and leaving the pitch early alongside a member of the medical staff.

He was replaced in the starting XI by Myles Lewis-Skelly, leaving Arsenal with only the returning Gabriel and 16-year-old Marli Salmon available as defensive options on the bench, with Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera also sidelined.

Explaining Calafiori’s situation, Arteta said, “It’s something that he felt yesterday, it’s something very awkward that happened and today in the warm-up, he wasn’t comfortable.”

Arteta said the squad are prepared for late changes of that nature and stressed the importance of players being mentally ready to step in at short notice.

“No, it’s something that we have prepared because we know that it can happen. When I give the line-up, I always tell the boys and the day before is, be ready because this is football, this is the Premier League and anything can happen. Somebody can get a bug and an hour later he cannot play and you have to be in the right mental frame to be able to perform immediately and don’t go through that disappointment and that’s what the players are doing.”

There was relief elsewhere, with Piero Hincapie returning to the squad after missing the midweek game with a shoulder problem, and Gabriel Martinelli also available again after picking up a knock against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup quarter-final.

Asked whether the injuries were having a unifying effect on the group, Arteta pointed to the response of his players to being asked to adapt.

“Yes, because as well there are injuries with Jurrien, he landed awkwardly and there’s something with Richy as well, very, very strange. But you speak to Declan and tell him he needs to play there as a right winger and he said, OK, I’m up for the challenge, I’m going to do my best, and the attitude is great to witness.”

Arteta acknowledged the strain injuries have placed on his squad but said there was encouragement in seeing players return sooner than expected.

“I don’t know, at the moment we’ve survived six months. So, let’s see, there’s another five-and-a-half to go. So hopefully things will get better.

“The good news as well, for example, we got Gabi earlier than expected, which is great. The medical staff, I think they’ve done an incredible job the way he pushes himself as well, that’s what we need because we lost one and we got somebody else back. Overall, I think the performance was, against a really good side, very, very good.”