Arteta backs Saliba’s readiness to return for Arsenal at Slavia Prague
Mikel Arteta said on Tuesday that William Saliba is ready to make his first appearance of the season for Arsenal when they travel to face Slavia Prague after the France defender played 45 minutes of a behind-closed-doors match last week.
Saliba started training on his own last month after the back injury he sustained at the World Cup, has since resumed full training and travelled with Arsenal’s squad to the Czech capital, although it remains to be seen whether he will feature because of the lengthy absence; Arteta insisted he has no doubts the 25-year-old is primed to return.
Asked whether he would treat his comeback with caution, Arteta said: “Yes, but now you are in, or not. And now he’s in, and he’s in like anybody else. All the preparation has been done to measure all the loads and all the steps that he had to do to minimise that risk. “Now he’s in a really good place. He’s built the capacity that we needed, and now it’s about giving him minutes. He’s a centre-back, and when that’s the case, it’s not like an attacking midfielder or a nine that you can change. A centre-back normally has to be able to play 90 minutes, and that’s why all the preparation that we’ve done to build him.”
Ezri Konsa and Gabriel Magalhães were described as outstanding in Arsenal’s landmark victory over Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, and Arteta admitted Saliba’s return is likely to create a selection headache for the manager.
Konsa can also play at right-back but will face competition from Ben White and Jurriën Timber for that role; Timber escaped punishment against Liverpool when he pulled Alexander Isak’s shirt inside the penalty area and Arteta hit back at suggestions officials could try to balance out that decision in future.
“I have a lot of clips about shirts, pulls, grabs. So I have a massive library that we can talk about,” Arteta said in an echo of his comments last month about straying outside his technical area. “We’re talking about one in particular. I have a massive library that we can throw there to remind everybody what every team is going through.”
Max Dowman is also in contention to play against Slavia as he serves a three-match domestic suspension for his red card against Fleetwood last week; he became the first 15-year-old to feature in the Champions League against the same opponents 12 months ago and could break Cesc Fàbregas’s record as the youngest Arsenal player to start in the competition. “That’s a chapter that is gone. It’s a moment of learning from all of us, and we move on,” Arteta said of Dowman’s dismissal against Fleetwood. “He’s been engaged. Today we spent some time together, talking about things in training. He’s always super positive. When you’re 16 you have a different way of looking at things and treating things, and that’s what he brings to the team as well.”
Arsenal have travelled to the Czech capital to face Slavia Prague and the final team selection, including whether Saliba will play, will be confirmed ahead of the fixture.