Bukayo Saka injury boost arrives for Arsenal ahead of Liverpool with Man City blueprint reminder

It is the nightmare scenario, Bukayo Saka leaving the field holding his hamstring and with little-to-no updates post-match as to his status. Video emerged of Saka walking, as some have described, comfortably through Wembley’s mixed zone.

It is rare that Saka misses any games and many point to this as part of the reason that injuries are creeping into his seasons which for two prior to the last he didn’t miss a league match whatsoever. Yet, when you look at the best players in the world, if they’re available to play, they play.

For Arsenal in the here and now, however, Saka is out. We know not how long for, but we know that were the Gunners to play tomorrow he would not be in the squad.

Thankfully, that isn’t the case and there remains more than a week until Arsenal travel to Bournemouth and then host both Shakhtar Donetsk and Liverpool the following week. We turn therefore to the question of how Arsenal have coped in his absence and managed to beat teams like their title rivals Man City.

It was not just Saka who was missing from the starting eleven in October of 2023 when City arrived at the Emirates Stadium, Gabriel Martinelli could only make the bench. He would of course prove to be the difference on the day as both Thomas Partey and Kai Havertz, who also would only start from the sidelines, came on to combine to set up the Brazilian winger to hit a deflected shot past Ederson.

The line-up that day was as follows: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Rice, Jorginho, Odegaard; Gabriel Jesus, Trossard, Nketiah. The likelihood is that, assuming Saka misses the game against Liverpool, and Martin Odegaard is also not yet back from his ankle injury, just six players in that team, perhaps five, would start against Arne Slot’s side.

Riccardo Calafiori would come in at left-back, Mikel Merino would be in for Jorginho, Havertz would be up top over Nketiah, and Trossard’s role could either be replacing the club captain or moving into the wide role with Martinelli instead on the right. Raheem Sterling or Ethan Nwaneri might get the nod in midfield or vice versa. The other change might be Jurrien Timber in for Ben White, but it is a good problem to have in that regard.

Suppose Arsenal could beat the champions without Saka and with a notably less threatening side than what should be available to face Liverpool this time around, in that case, there is plenty of cause for confidence to persist. With all that said, Saka may indeed be back and these mental gymnastics might not be necessary.