Arsenal
Calafiori and Hincapié return gives Arteta choices to counter Carrick’s wide approach
Calafiori and Hincapié back in training give Arsenal defensive options to blunt United’s wide game .
Arsenal welcomed Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapié back to first-team training ahead of Sunday’s Premier League meeting with Manchester United at the Emirates, a development revealed by The Athletic that offers Mikel Arteta fresh options at left back.
Both players have been preferred by Arteta in that role for a reason. The draft explains Calafiori and Hincapié provide a natural ease on the left which Timber lacks and are more defensively sound than Lewis-Skelly. Their returns are therefore a timely boost, although Arteta declined to confirm their involvement for the weekend.
“We have another training session [on Saturday], so we’ll see tomorrow after that,” the innately guarded manager told assembled media at Friday’s pre-match press conference. “Assess everybody and [then make] a major decision.”
The choice matters because United under Michael Carrick have shown clear strengths down the flanks. Carrick had limited time with the squad before last weekend’s derby but his side produced a marked tactical shift. Aside from an overall increase in intensity, the most notable change was in switches of play.
United managed just 32% possession at Old Trafford against Manchester City, but City ceded the wide channels. Kobbie Mainoo would recycle possession centrally before sending the ball out to the right, where the combination of Amad Diallo and Diogo Dalot created a string of clear chances in the first half. A switch from Patrick Dorgu to Amad opened City again in the second half, and Gianluigi Donnarumma later denied Casemiro from point blank range.
Arsenal are familiar with pressure on the flanks. Chelsea’s emphasis down their right during the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg earlier this month exposed uncomfortable moments for Timber when he was used at left back.
Calafiori and Hincapié cannot fully negate a double team on the wing, but the pair bring more assurance in that area than some alternatives. Carrick’s United also posed a threat on the break: Bryan Mbeumo’s opening goal against City came from a rapid surge through the middle, one of four United shots from a fast break. Per Opta, only once in the last eight seasons have United had more counterattacking chances in a Premier League match, and no top-flight contest on record saw United progress the ball upfield as quickly as they did against City.
Arsenal
Madueke answers England omission with another Arsenal display
Madueke backed up his England setback with a decisive Arsenal display and renewed purpose.
Noni Madueke’s latest Arsenal outing offered a familiar reminder of what has made him such a striking presence this season: persistence, self-belief and an ability to keep forcing the issue even when the margins are tight.
“Being a footballer is not all highs,” Madueke once reflected. “In fact, it’s 50% lows.”
That outlook felt apt as he dealt with another setback from England manager Thomas Tuchel, who left him out of the squad for a second camp in a row. Yet the winger did not drift. Instead, he kept searching for space, repeatedly attacking Hull and refusing to ease off even when the contest threatened to settle into frustration.
His reward arrived after 72 minutes. Madueke found a small opening, let fly and forced Konstantinos Tzolakis into a save that dropped kindly for Martin Ødegaard to score the only goal of the game. Even before that decisive moment, Madueke had already shown the determination that has defined his recent rise, and he later passed up two more chances to add to the lead.
The wider context gives his contribution extra weight. Before the September international break, Madueke had played just 42 combined minutes in the Premier League and Champions League this season, despite being fit for every match. Mikel Arteta was blunt about his early level of influence, saying, “I haven’t liked too much what he was doing, and it was impacting the game”
After being left out by Tuchel, Madueke took a personal trainer on a warm weather break to refine his game. Arteta later said, “That’s Noni and that’s his mindset,” and then described him as “the best player” in training at London Colney. “He gave me no option not to select him.”
His recent run has also owed something to events around him, with chances opening up on both wings. But the way Madueke takes those moments matters just as much. He lives by what he calls a “healthy delusion”, and as he explained: “When that delusion comes in,” he once explained, “I feel like that’s when you can really reach new heights. You need it as a football player. You need it.”
That same belief, along with his “extreme faith in your ability,” carried him through the backlash around his arrival from Chelsea in the summer of 2025. Saul Isaksson-Hurst summed him up simply: “Noni is a mentality monster. He is so driven, sometimes you have to tell him to calm down. He is very aware, very astute.”
Arsenal
Ødegaard Steers Arsenal Past Hull to Preserve Top Spot
Arsenal stayed top after a narrow 1-0 win over Hull City, with Ødegaard striking the decisive goal.
Arsenal stayed at the top of the Premier League after edging Hull City 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
For much of the afternoon, the home side found Hull difficult to break down. The breakthrough eventually came in the 72nd minute, when Noni Madueke’s effort was pushed into the path of Martin Ødegaard, and the captain reacted first to finish and settle the contest.
The result extended Arsenal’s best-ever start to a Premier League season. They now have 27 points from their first 10 matches, with nine wins and only one defeat.
It was not a fluent performance, but it was the kind that matters in a title race. Hull made the game uncomfortable, Arsenal were not at their sharpest, yet they still found a way to take all three points. That is often the difference between champions and the sides chasing them.
Ødegaard was the decisive figure. More commonly praised for his passing and creativity, he showed a different side here, finishing like a striker rather than a playmaker. Kai Havertz and substitute Viktor Gyökeres had struggled to provide that edge earlier in the match, which made the captain’s intervention all the more important.
There was also a reminder of Ødegaard’s wider value to the side. He has at times been judged on goals and assists, but this was a timely example of him taking responsibility when Arsenal needed someone to do so.
In the end, the numbers and the scoreline told the same story. Arsenal were not at their best, but they remained in control of the summit and continued to defend their crown with another narrow win.
Arsenal
Saliba omission gives Arsenal a timely boost before the break
Saliba’s France omission gives Arsenal a timely chance to manage his return carefully.
Arsenal have been handed a welcome boost ahead of the international break after William Saliba was left out of Zinédine Zidane’s latest France squad.
Mikel Arteta made clear before the announcement that he had been in close contact with French officials over the defender’s situation. He said Arsenal had shared the relevant background before a final call was made, stressing that they had “all the information”.
The manager was also asked whether he would prefer Saliba to remain with Arsenal rather than link up with France. Arteta kept his response measured, saying: “I think it’s something between them more, because William needs minutes as well, I know how much he loves to be around the national team. [Zidane]’s a new manager, a really exciting one as well, so whatever he’s decided is fine for us.”
For Saliba, missing out may be disappointing, but the decision will almost certainly have been received with satisfaction inside Arsenal. The club spent much of last season managing his back injury and will be relieved to see him in a positive enough condition to have been in contention for France this month.
That does not mean the return should be rushed. After such a long spell on the sidelines, Saliba will need careful handling to reduce the risk of aggravating the problem or picking up another minor issue tied to match fitness. Arsenal’s priority will be a controlled comeback rather than an immediate full return.
He may feature for a spell on Saturday against Hull City, but even that would be followed by another two weeks of rest over the break. That gives Arteta and the Arsenal staff time to work on Saliba’s condition without the pressure of a packed schedule.
