The Gunners have gone into the international break in fourth place, level on points with Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Brighton. Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge has left them staring at a nine-point gap to leaders Liverpool after 11 games.
Martin Odegaard returned to the starting line-up after two months on the sidelines with an injury, but Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka had to be taken off as Arteta was handed new concerns. They are both doubts for England’s upcoming matches against Greece and the Republic of Ireland in the Nations League and could join Riccardo Calafiori and Takehiro Tomiyasu in the treatment room.
Arsenal have failed to win any of their last four Premier League matches and could not hold onto the lead given to them by Gabriel Martinelli against Chelsea. Pedro Neto rifled in a low shot from distance to equalise and continue Arsenal’s frustration.
“You could see everything was flowing but again it is about winning,” Arteta told Sky Sports post-match. “We have a clear vision of how we can evolve the team. What we find out is that we have to change something big because we have problem after problem. My biggest fear is physically to get players at their best for 90 minutes. With that I'm fully confident we will have a good season.”
Liverpool were the biggest winners of the weekend, with their 2-0 win over Aston Villa coming after Manchester City were beaten 2-1 by Brighton. They now have a five-point lead over City and a nine-point advantage over Arsenal and the rest of the chasing pack.
Asked about the title race in his press conference, Arteta once again emphasised the issue of injuries at his club. “There’s nothing that we can do about that," he 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.”
Arsenal are next in action against high-flying Nottingham Forest on Saturday, November 23, when they will hope to have Rice, Saka and Calafiori back fit.
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