Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has, on Thursday evening, provided injury updates on a trio of members of his squad.
The Gunners, of course, were back in action a short time ago.
After being held to a 2-2 stalemate in the tie’s first-leg in Lisbon last week, Arteta and co. welcomed Portuguese giants Sporting CP to north London, eyeing a spot in the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
When all was said and done, however, a pulsating affair ultimately culminated in Arsenal being sent packing from the competition.
After Pedro Goncalves’ stunning 2nd-half equaliser cancelled out a Granit Xhaka opener, proceedings were sent to extra-time, and an ensuing penalty shootout.
And it was the visitors who went on to hold their nerve from the spot, converting all five of their efforts from 12 yards en route to a 5-4 triumph.
Sporting hold their nerve!
Nuno Santos slams home the decisive penalty in the shoot-out.#UEL pic.twitter.com/XajT1KHDsI
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) March 16, 2023
In addition, alarm bells were set ringing, owing to the premature departures of two important members of Mikel Arteta’s backline.
After Takehiro Tomiyasu first limped out of the action with what appeared to be a knee issue, William Saliba soon followed suit with a problem of his own.
Speaking to the media post-match, boss Arteta, in turn, was inevitably asked for an insight into the wellbeing of both defenders.
And the ensuing update on Tomiyasu proved to be an altogether concerning one:
‘Tomiyasu looks pretty serious from his reaction and what he said to me,’ Arteta explained.
When it comes to Saliba, on the other hand, the situation looks altogether less clear:
‘Willy I don’t know, he had some discomfort and could not continue.’
Finally, Arsenal’s headmaster confirmed that Gabriel Jesus’ half-time withdrawal was pre-planned, amid the Brazilian’s ongoing efforts to fully recover from a lengthy spell on the sidelines:
Arteta confirms there was no injury issue for Gabriel Jesus. “We decided to do that [take him off] because we had to manage the subs.”
— Sam Dean (@SamJDean) March 16, 2023
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