But Arsenal used almost every tactic available to them to hide that fact.
The Gunners had been burned before with team leaks, notably when Ghana revealed Thomas Partey’s injury before the game against Manchester United.
So the club came up with a strategy to keep Saka’s injury status uncertain.
For a start, the club made sure the media line was that Saka was still at least a possibility to play in the fixture.
Plenty of media outlets were briefed that Saka had been cleared to play the match, and Mikel Arteta repeatedly stated that the winger was “in contention”.
Arsenal limited the photos they shared on Getty Images, posting just 36 pictures of their final training session before the game.
That was the smallest number of photos shared of any pre-game training session all season, despite the fact the fixture was one of the biggest. By comparison, before Arsenal faced Spurs, they shared 115 photos.
Arsenal were presumably trying to limit the information that could be gleaned from the images. Not just with Saka’s absence, but also with Gabriel Martinelli’s involvement.
Arsenal's Brazilian midfielder #11 Gabriel Martinelli (C) celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium in London on October 8, 2023
Arsenal’s Brazilian midfielder #11 Gabriel Martinelli (C) celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium
Team News and Ticks reports that Arsenal then told England that Saka would be available for one of their matches over the international break.
This wasn’t true, but it prevented any possibility of England sharing Saka’s true injury status with the media.
This also explains why England wanted to do their own assessment of Saka when the break got underway, due to the mixed messages they’d received from Arsenal.Finally, the cherry on top was that Saka joined the travelling squad for the game, where he was spotted by Arsenal fans and other insiders.
As expected, that news was then leaked on social media, leading many to believe Saka would be named in the starting lineup or on the bench. But in reality, he was never fit to play.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND: Bukayo Saka of England during the UEFA EURO 2024 qualifying round group C match between England and North Macedonia at Old Trafford on June 19, 2023.
Whether Manchester City fell for the bait, it’s hard to say. But Arsenal did everything they could to make sure Sunday’s visitors to the Emirates Stadium wouldn’t know for sure who they were facing until the teamsheets were submitted.
The best part is that Arsenal have now cast doubt on a number of the usual methods to find out if a player is fit.
Teams will be second-guessing every injury absence or inclusion from now on, and that’s just what Arteta would want.
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