Unscathed: Arsenal ready for Premier League title push after international break

The last international break of the season has come to an end, and thankfully, Arsenal have come through the occasion relatively unscathed. 

Mikel Arteta would have been desperate to avoid any major injury blows during the break, and the Spaniard can now relax knowing that his players will return to North London in good health and can now turn their full attention to their Premier League title chase.

Arsenal avoid any major injury blows during the international break

THAT Rodri tackle

While the players have returned injury-free, two incidents, in particular, would have worried anyone connected to the club. The first of which was that terrible tackle from Manchester City midfielder Rodri on our captain Martin Odegaard.

With Odegaard clutching his ankle, it was a real heart-in-mouth situation for every fan watching at home. Fortunately, the 24-year-old suffered no lasting damage. However, the tackle was still extremely dangerous and raised suspicions that perhaps the Spanish playmaker had the intention of injuring the Norwegian for the benefit of his club side. That’s just speculation, of course.

The most important takeaway was the fact that Odegaard is okay, and will be available for selection against Leeds United on April 1.

Minor Thomas Partey concern

While Odegaard is fit and ready to go, there are question marks over the injury status of Thomas Partey. The 29-year-old was absent from Ghana’s recent clash with Angola, but there’s reason to believe that the injury may not be a serious one.

Speaking after the game, Ghana manager Chris Hughton revealed that the midfielder’s injury was not a major concern.

"“Thomas has some small issues. We felt it was too big of a risk to start him.”"

Given that a club physio travelled with the Ghanian, it is entirely possible that Houghton simply did the club a favour and opted to rest Partey to ensure he was fit and ready to play for Arsenal when Premier League action returns.

Continued on the next slide…