William Saliba statistic a concern for Arsenal ahead of Liverpool showdown in major test of squad progress

The defender was sent disconnected astatine Bournemouth past week and, for the archetypal clip since March past year, Arsenal are acceptable to commencement a Premier League lucifer without him erstwhile they big Liverpool this weekend.

Saliba played each infinitesimal successful the Premier League past play and his lack is simply a immense blow. Since helium made his debut, Arsenal person won 74 per cent of their Premier League games and conceded connected mean 0.8 goals per game

When the Frenchman has been out, the Gunners’ triumph complaint drops to 45 per cent and they person conceded 1.6 goals per game.

“We person antithetic options,” said Arteta, erstwhile asked astir replacing Saliba. “Players that person played determination before.

“It’s existent that concern [with Gabriel] has been precise unchangeable and helium has played each azygous moment. But he’s not available. We person to find a antithetic solution which arsenic a squad we request to beryllium bully astatine arsenic well.”

The vexation for Arteta is that his options to regenerate Saliba are constricted fixed that Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori and Takehiro Tomiyasu are each retired injured. Calafiori and Timber person a accidental of being fit, but Arteta admitted connected Friday the chances of that are slim.

It leaves Arsenal successful a hard spot. Thomas Partey could beryllium forced to play astatine right-back, Ben White whitethorn determination backmost to the bosom of defence and Arteta has refused to regularisation retired starting 18-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly astatine left-back.

Whatever Arteta does, Sunday volition beryllium a existent trial of Arsenal’s squad extent arsenic the Spaniard names his seventh antithetic back-four successful 9 league games. One of the cardinal aims of the nine this summertime was to rise the level of the squad and bleak periods similar this, erstwhile they are ravaged by injury, volition fto them cognize however overmuch much enactment is required.

Arteta can, astatine least, instrumentality bosom from the information that Arsenal person much extent successful defence than anyplace other successful the squad. In years gone by, the thought of having players of the calibre of Calafiori, Saliba, Timber and Tomiyasu retired would person near the Gunners down to the bare bones.

Now, however, they bash person the quality to enactment retired a defence that tin effort to support Liverpool astatine bay.

Arteta is not shocked by Liverpool’s accelerated commencement nether Arne Slot, which has seen them ascent to the apical of the table, and helium knows his broadside person a gangly bid up of them.

“For me, they are 1 of the champion teams successful the past decennary and surely the past of this Premier League, due to the fact that they competed against a squad that was creating grounds aft grounds and they were consistently there,” helium said.

“That shows a batch of relentless and winning mentality to consistently believe, adjacent if it immoderate radical you consciousness you could not scope it. So that’s a large recognition to them and with the enactment they person done with a wide identity, truthful that’s thing singular successful my opinion.

“It’s a squad that has been competing for 9 years astatine the highest level. They cognize however to compete, however to endanger you erstwhile the shot is truly far, erstwhile the shot is successful the extracurricular units especially.

“They person the prime to harm you. For 9 years consistently it’s been there. That means they’re truly bully astatine what they do.”