Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has done very well to navigate the club’s list of injury problems this campaign, particularly in attack.
Arsenal are currently sweating over the fitness of Noni Madueke, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres as they prepare for the North London derby against Tottenham right after the international break.
Arteta, depending on developments, faces another potential selection headache in the final third, but makeshift number nine Mikel Merino has once again done well to fill the void left by Gyokeres since his injury against Burnley.
Most of the aforementioned stars are racing to be fit for their clash with Tottenham on November 23, with Havertz and Madueke believed to have impressed Arsenal rehab staff in their recoveries from knee problems.
Arsenal’s unbeaten run in all competitions since defeat to Liverpool
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Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest
Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal
Arsenal 1-1 Man City
Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal
Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal
Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos
Arsenal 2-0 West Ham
Fulham 0-1 Arsenal
Arsenal 4-0 Atletico Madrid
Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace
Arsenal 2-0 Brighton
Burnley 0-2 Arsenal
Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal
Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal
Unfortunately for Jesus, the derby comes too soon for him, despite returning to full training, and he’ll be the last Arsenal star to make his comeback after rupturing his ACL against Man United in January (Simon Collings).
Even without a large number of their attacking contingent, Arsenal have still marked themselves out as the team to beat — thanks largely to their imperious defence and set-piece dominance.
The Gunners have scored eight goals from corners in their opening 11 top flight games this season, the most ever recorded by any team at this stage of a Premier League campaign. Their 36 corner goals since the start of last season tops all of Europe too, with set-piece coach Nicolas Jover largely credited for Arsenal’s superb dead ball threat.
They also recorded eight consecutive clean sheets before the 2-2 draw with Sunderland last weekend, equalling a club record that had stood for 122 years since 1903, and they still boast the best defensive record in Europe’s top five leagues, having conceded just five in all competitions so far.
While Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba have taken a lot of the credit for being two of world football’s best centre-backs right now, you cannot underestimate the impact of Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori in the full-back areas.
Ray Parlour has described them as two of Arsenal’s players of the season so far, with Calafiori’s form even prompting reports that Myles Lewis-Skelly could leave in January due to a lack of game time.
The last thing Arteta needs is an injury concern for the Italian, but according to TUTTOmercatoWEB, that’s exactly what he’s got.
Riccardo Calafiori nursing hip injury as Arsenal learn recovery timeline
According to the Italian news outlet, Calafiori is managing a hip problem on international duty, raising concerns ahead of Tottenham.
The Italian national team are preparing for two critical World Cup 2026 qualifying matches against Moldova and Norway, but the versatile defender’s availability has been called into question.
During Italy’s training session under manager Gennaro Gattuso, Calafiori was spotted completing individual work away from the main group due to discomfort in his hip.
The 22-year-old is being carefully managed by the medical staff as they assess the severity of the issue and determine the best course of action, but there is optimism for Arsenal, as Arteta learns his expected recovery timeline.
Calafiori remains with the Italy squad rather than being sent home, suggesting the injury is not considered serious enough to warrant an immediate return to Arsenal. While the former Bologna star is expected to miss their clash with Moldova, Azzurri officials are targeting a return for Calafiori against Norway instead — allowing him time to recover.
Arsenal will be praying this doesn’t turn out to be more serious and he can in fact feature against Spurs, but all the signs appear good so far.
Arteta will be monitoring the situation closely, hoping Calafiori can avoid aggravating the injury during Italy’s fixtures. With the North London derby looming, Arsenal cannot afford to lose the key defender, particularly given the importance of maintaining their excellent defensive record that has underpinned their phenomenal start to the season.