Mikel Arteta has admitted he is “very worried” about William Saliba's injury after the Arsenal defender missed Saturday's 2-2 draw against Aston Villa.
Arsenal's squandering of two Premier League points was compounded by concerns over Saliba, who was not even in the team after suffering a hamstring injury in the 2-1 win over Tottenham in the middle of the week.
The French international is an integral part of Arsenal's defense and his absence with a back injury in the second half of the 2022-23 campaign undermined his chances of staying with Manchester City in the title race.
“I think tomorrow we will have more information, we will do more tests and we will be clearer,” Arteta said.
“Safely [we are worried]especially with the numbers we have in the squad and looking at our bench. Very worried.”
Arteta was forced to reorganize his defense with Jurriën Timber switching to the center alongside Gabriel and midfielder Thomas Partey filling in as a makeshift right-back.
Arsenal led 2-0 with goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz, but Villa hit back and Ollie Watkins equalized after Youri Tielemans' header put his team back in contention.
Arteta praised his team's performance but criticized the defense for the second goal when Matty Cash flew over a cross which Watkins converted with a sumptuous volley.
“We can also blame ourselves because defending like we did, especially with one of the goals, cannot be part of our game if we want to be at the highest level in this country,” Arteta said. “The rest, what more can I ask from the team against a really good team?”
Arteta will hope Saliba's scans do not show any serious injuries as statistics suggest he is vital for Arsenal.
With Saliba in the team, Arsenal have a 72% win rate, while in games he has missed since joining, that rate drops to 38%.
Second-placed Arsenal's draw left them six points behind Liverpool, who also have a game in hand and Arteta hinted at a move in the January transfer window.
“If you look at the performances, I don't know how many teams are playing at this level in the league,” he said. “When you look at the bench, you'd probably say I think we're really short.”
