Arsenal provide worrying injury updates vs Liverpool

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been unable to provide definitive injury updates at what would be a timely moment as the paper thin squad prepares to face Liverpool in the Carabao Cup.

Thursday’s semi-final first leg at Anfield provides the visitors with a real chance of silverware this season, with just 180 minutes separating them from Wembley. And while the squad isn’t paper thin in all areas, the backup options make it appear that way.

Some dreadful performances in the 1-0 FA Cup defeat to Nottingham Forest hammered home the issues across the team, while they also made clear the glaring concerns in midfield. Now that area is paper thin.

With Mohamed Elneny, Thomas Partey and Ainsley Maitland-Niles all unavailable for various reasons, it’s all hands to the pumps.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta provides worrying injury update vs Liverpool in Carabao Cup semi-final first leg

Albert Sambi Lokonga was the only senior option available to Arteta at The City Ground, and with only nine minutes of football in the previous seven Premier League matches, he understandably struggled. Being part of a midfield with young Charlie Patino, who was making his full debut, had the expected outcome.

Work is underway to bolster the squad in the transfer market, with a striker high up on the wishlist as well as more numbers in midfield. Dusan Vlahovic is the number one target at centre-forward, while all sorts of names have been flung about in the centre of the park.

Emile Smith Rowe (groin), Takehiro Tomiyasu (calf) and Granit Xhaka (Covid) all missed the Forest defeat, leaving numbers even more sparse. However, at this stage there is still uncertainty over the trio heading into Thursday’s clash.

Arteta confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Smith Rowe and Tomiyasu were being assessed ahead of the game, while an update on Xhaka will have to wait until later on Wednesday as his awaits for a hopeful negative Covid test. He will be tested physically, with Arteta insisting he has no doubts over his mentality.

Given the scale of the task at hand, and how Liverpool have conveniently managed to get all their players back after a handful of ‘false positive’ tests got them to postpone the first leg, the uncertainty over this trio is worrying.

Arteta also revealed there are fresh concerns across the squad, but if looking for a positive angle, he is always tight-lipped on player availability. He tends to keep his cards to his chest.