Arsenal facing another major selection blow vs Chelsea

Don’t kick a man while he’s down, they say. Don’t rub salt in the wounds, they say. The position Arsenal find themselves in at present feels an awful lot like both.

From bad to worse, and then to horrendous. Three consecutive defeats at the hands of three sides who were among the more winnable fixtures left of the season has sunk the mood to its lowest.

The way Arsenal are playing does not deserve top four. If you make it into the Champions League it’s on merit and the way the team are playing risks them missing out on European football entirely.

Slumping to a 1-0 defeat to Southampton to make it three defeats in succession for the first time during Mikel Arteta’s tenure has Arsenal now looking down, not up. With the injuries they’ve suffered having a damning impact on the team, they need everyone on board to help reset the course. The squad is thin and as witnessed by the six attacking players on the pitch at the end of the Saints defeat, everyone has a part to play.

Arsenal facing another major selection blow with Alexandre Lacazette a doubt for Premier League clash with Chelsea as he recovers from Covid

Despite being much-maligned, that includes Alexandre Lacazette.

Absent from the game having contracted Covid-19, hopes were that he will have returned in time to be part of the squad facing a daunting trip to west London on Wednesday. Arteta, however, has indicated that his involvement is far from certain.

"“It [his involvement] will depend whether he is negative and whether he is feeling better and his symptoms are gone, and he’s available to play,” the manager said."

While some people are asymptomatic, it’s very clear that Lacazette is feeling the effects of the virus. The severity of the illness risks him missing out in midweek as well.

How Arteta has handled this, and indeed almost every absence from the team, is peculiar. Saying it was both a private and personal matter in his pre-match press conference, then saying he was ill and had a ‘good chance’ of being involved against Southampton, and now he could miss both Chelsea and Manchester United.

All it takes is to say he is ill and recovering. His availability mind games is a bizarre idiosyncrasy.

As for the team, they need every single player they have available to them. Eddie Nketiah did OK at St Mary’s, showing willingness to actually run in behind until he drifted out of the game later on, but for options on the bench Lacazette provides something different. It’s not getting any easier for Arsenal.

Everyone wishes Laca a speedy recovery.