Arsenal
Arsenal trio among eight to leave England camp as injury doubts grow
Three Arsenal players withdrew from England duty, increasing injury concerns for title challengers .
Three Arsenal players — Noni Madueke, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice — were among eight withdrawals from England duty ahead of the Three Lions’ second friendly of the March international break, a development that has increased injury concern around the Premier League leaders.
England’s official statement described Madueke’s issue as nothing more than “a knock.” The same briefing would only go so far as to reveal that Rice and Saka had returned to north London “for medical assessment.” Manchester City’s John Stones was also forced to pull out of Tuesday’s friendly with Japan after he had “picked up an issue in training” before Friday’s draw with Uruguay.
When fully fit there is little doubt that Stones would be Thomas Tuchel’s first-choice defender. Blessed with a tactical brain sharpened by years under Pep Guardiola’s tutelage, the ball-playing center back completely transforms the threat of this England side. It was notable that Uruguay let England’s defensive duo of Harry Maguire and Fikayo Timori have as much time on the ball as they wanted at Wembley, safe in the knowledge that their high block would not be penetrated by any of the defenders’ unadventurous passes. When Stones has possession, England’s threat increases exponentially.
The so-called ‘Barnsley Beckenbauer’ can escape a high press much more effectively than the treatment room. Stones has only started four Premier League games this season, sitting out 21 matches across all competition with multiple muscular injuries.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has made no secret of his disdain for international breaks. “It’s a period that I don’t enjoy a lot,” the Spanish coach fretted earlier this month, “especially when we have 18, 19 players playing and especially with what happened in our recent history with very important players, but it’s part of the calendar and we have to accept that.”
Arsenal’s recent history of seeing players struck down while representing their country—the so-called FIFA virus—has repeated itself in the case of Madueke. He is one of eight Arsenal players to have pulled out of international fixtures in March. There are also concerns over Madueke and his compatriot Eberechi Eze, who is reportedly poised to miss the entirety of April with a calf injury sustained before the international break even began.
The headline numbers may flatter the problem. Of Arsenal’s eight international absentees, five pulled out of friendly fixtures before playing a single minute without any injury concerns heading into the break. Leandro Trossard, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhães, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka all started for the Gunners in last weekend’s disappointing Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City and appeared to emerge from the fixture unscathed (physically, at least).
Arsenal
Luiz Henrique publicly signals interest in Arsenal after creating Brazil’s goal vs France
Luiz Henrique openly courts Arsenal after creating Brazil’s goal vs France and praising Arteta today
Luiz Henrique has openly put Arsenal on notice after his role in Brazil’s goal during the March friendly with France. The Brazil forward, introduced as a substitute, spoke directly about a potential move to the Premier League leaders and highlighted what he admires about the club.
“I really like Arsenal,” Henrique gushed to Flashscore , “the way they play, aggressive. They play a lot on the left and right, so I’m keen to play for Arsenal.
“I’ve already spoken to Gabriel Magalhães and Gabriel Martinelli, they say the team is excellent, they really like Arteta, they say he’s always listening to the players. God willing, I’d like to have the opportunity to work with him.”
Henrique is a left-footer capable of playing anywhere across the frontline, although he prefers cutting onto his strong side from the right flank. That versatility could be significant for Arsenal. The club already has two of the Premier League’s best left-footed right wingers competing for the same role, yet Henrique could offer an alternative if he were deployed as a left winger.
There are signs Arsenal might seek a fresh outlet on the left. One analyst quoted in The Athletic described the threat: “You don’t mind them attacking down their left.” The only danger was conceding a corner which Declan Rice would take.
Within Arsenal’s current options, Leandro Trossard has five Premier League goals and as many assists this season. Gabriel Martinelli, by contrast, has struggled for domestic consistency; he has scored just one top-flight goal all term and registered fewer direct goal contributions than Arsenal’s right back, Jurriën Timber. Martinelli’s route into the first team was unconventional, having been signed from Brazil’s third tier, a reminder that Arsenal have previously recruited from outside the usual markets.
Henrique plies his trade in the Russian Premier League, a competition Opta ranks 23rd in the world, roughly comparable to the second tiers of Spain (20th) and Germany (25th). Even so, it is not as though Henrique is exactly tearing apart this inferior opposition.
Arsenal
Tuchel questions Arteta’s approach as Arsenal withdrawal numbers rise
Tuchel warned Arsenal’s withdrawals looked suspicious and criticised Arteta for risking Rice today.
England manager Thomas Tuchel acknowledged that Arsenal’s wave of international withdrawals can appear problematic, but he focused his concern on how Mikel Arteta has managed Declan Rice. Tuchel defended the honesty of Rice and Bukayo Saka while shifting responsibility to the club and its head coach. “They arrived injured,” he said. “We knew after the [Carabao Cup] final that there are issues.”
The former Chelsea boss added that it was for Arsenal and Arteta to “decide for themselves how much risk they’re taking” by selecting players in compromised conditions. “I’m not willing to take this risk for my key player,” Tuchel pointedly added.
Tuchel recounted Rice’s long-running discomfort and how the midfielder had continued to play through pain. “He feels a discomfort since quite a while,” Tuchel said of Rice, “and he’s playing through it, and he’s just now on the edge, where he thinks, ‘Does this make sense, what I’m doing here, to push through with 70% and push myself and push myself?’ And the same with Bukayo.”
Arteta defended Rice’s contribution after the December episode when the midfielder missed Arsenal’s 4–1 win over Aston Villa with a swollen knee. Four days later Rice started against Bournemouth and scored twice in a 3–2 victory. “Declan Rice was struggling the last few days,” Arteta admitted, “but pushed and pushed and pushed and made himself available. He played 96 minutes, scored two goals and was one of the best players on the pitch. That is the mentality we need from all of us.”
Tuchel said the number of Arsenal withdrawals had reached double digits and accepted that “it looks a bit suspicious.” “Everyone can do the math and it’s a lot of players, of course, and during the situation, it looks a bit suspicious,” he conceded, while stressing he could only speak for his squad. “They both came,” Tuchel outlined. “Declan was even out on the pitch. He did not come and say, ‘Guys, I’m going home.’ I heard there were [international] camps where players did not even show up with boots and stuff. Then it becomes, ‘O.K.’
On medical checks and trust he added: “I understand the look of it,” Tuchel added. “I still have 100% trust in the honesty of Bukayo and Declan. We did medical tests. I saw them. I have no reason to believe that Declan is not honest with me. I have no reason to believe Bukayo is not honest. But given the amount of [withdrawn] Arsenal players, I understand the look.”
Tuchel also reflected on Madueke’s collision at Wembley: “Actually he got lucky that it’s not worse,” the 52-year-old reflected. “He is out for some days and maybe some weeks but it could have been much worse. It was a proper collision.”
Arsenal
Arsenal injury wave: medical caution as Rice, Saka and Madueke return early
Arsenal saw several internationals return early with injuries, and Tuchel emphasised medical caution.
Arsenal confirmed a significant number of internationals returned prematurely from duty after medical assessments identified risks of aggravating existing problems. England manager Thomas Tuchel said the club trio of Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Noni Madueke were sent home once it became clear the danger of re-injury “was way too big.”
Tuchel added: “Everyone will be out for quite some days but not dramatically.” He explained the decision on Saka and Rice: “We had an assessment after the match and none of them were able to stay and get any minutes, so we released them, of course.” Regarding Madueke, whose images showed him limping in a knee brace, Tuchel said the winger’s “feeling” was “slightly better” than those pictures and warned: “He will be out for some days.”
The England contingent followed a wider pattern at the club, with as many as 10 Arsenal players returning early from international duty with injury concerns. That group included players across several levels of severity:
– Eberechi Eze (England): calf, out for at least a month. He missed last weekend’s Carabao Cup final and reports fear he could be sidelined until the end of April.
– Noni Madueke (England): knee, doubtful after one international appearance.
– Piero Hincapié (Ecuador): knock, doubtful after one international appearance.
– Martín Zubimendi (Spain): knee, doubtful after one international appearance.
– Jurriën Timber (Netherlands): ankle, minor concern. He missed the Wembley showpiece with an ankle problem that had been troubling him for days.
– Leandro Trossard (Belgium): hip, minor concern.
– William Saliba (France): ankle, minor concern.
– Gabriel Magalhães (Brazil): knee, minor concern.
– Declan Rice (England): discomfort, minor concern.
– Bukayo Saka (England): discomfort, minor concern.
The volume of withdrawals has prompted commentary about the balance between club and country, with comparisons drawn to past debates over player availability and manager influence. Tuchel sought to counter any suggestion the players wanted to stay at the expense of their long-term fitness. “[Rice and Saka] had a medical assessment,” the Three Lions boss said. “They wanted desperately to play—to just get the narrative straight—wanted desperately to be involved. But it just made no sense to take this risk.
“If it would have been maybe the last game of the season, we would have kept them and tried everything, but in this moment of the season, it did not make sense. The risk for making it worse was just way too big. They were both in discomfort, clearly in discomfort, when we did the medical assessment. So it made absolutely no sense to stay.”
