Injury woes pile up for Arsenal FC during international break

Arsenal FC’s men’s first team’s injury problems have further piled up during the ongoing international break. Midfielder Martin Ødegaard’s ankle injury may see him sidelined for the upcoming North London Derby, while defender Riccardo Calafiori also picked up a knock in Italy’s game against France last Saturday. 

Calafiori got injured in the second half of the Italy game when Ousman Dembélé lost balance and crashed into his calf. He collapsed to the ground in agony and was immediately subbed off by coach Luciano Spalletti, who said after the game, “We need to assess Riccardo, but with our staff, we’ve a good chance to have him back with us for the next game.” However, Calafiori returned to Arsenal for recovery and no further update has been provided on his return. 

Ødegaard’s injury, on the other hand, is a matter of bigger concern for the Gunners. In the second half of Norway’s game against Austria, his collision with Christoph Baumgartner resulted in an ankle twist, who took treatment on the sidelines before leaving the pitch in tears. The extent of the injury hasn’t been confirmed, though Norway manager Ståle Solbakken remained non-committal after the game, saying, “Martin Ødegaard’s injury looked bad in the dressing room as well. Norway doctor Ola Sand also offered an update, suggesting further tests will be carried out in the coming hours. He got a small ankle sprain. We will see, maybe we use ultrasound to look at it. If we are unsure, there will be an MRI tomorrow.” 

An ankle sprain can heal in a few days, but if it’s a ligament injury, Ødegaard’s long lay-off can be hugely detrimental to Arsenal’s title challenge.

Arsenal did not use a big squad last season, with Mikel Arteta relying a lot on the first XI with only a handful of additional players. New midfield signing Mikel Merino also suffered a freak shoulder injury in his first training session and is likely to be out for two months.

Arsenal don’t really have a replacement for the quality Ødegaard brings to the pitch. Even in a best-case scenario, he misses the North London Derby, for which Arsenal are already set to be without Declan Rice, who is suspended.

If things get any worse, Arsenal may find themselves in huge trouble as the fixtures are only going to pile up going forward, with the UEFA Champions League about to enter the calendar.