Without falling into the trap of victimhood chic, it’s fair to say that Arsenal haven’t caught too many breaks at the start of 2024/25 season.
PGMOL haven’t exactly aided our chances, while key injuries have bought a staleness to the Gunners’ attacking play in a season where they were expected to go one better following back-to-back second-place finishes in the Premier League.
We can only hope that the return of Martin Odegaard can inspire a resurgence after the November international break with the captain, who made his long-awaited return on Wednesday night with a brief cameo at the San Siro, also in contention for Sunday’s London derby against Chelsea.
However, while one returned, another succumbed. Declan Rice was left at home while his teammates travelled to Milan, with the midfielder, who perhaps could’ve done with a breather after a fairly indifferent start to 2024/25, picking up an injury at Newcastle on Saturday.
Here’s the latest on the England international ahead of this weekend’s pivotal trip to west London.
Mikel Arteta confirmed earlier this week that Rice sustained a foot injury during Saturday’s 1-0 loss at St. James’ Park.
“Declan unfortunately picked an injury against Newcastle,” Arteta said ahead of the defeat to Inter.
“He was able to finish and he wasn’t feeling good the last few days. We’ll have to assess him on Thursday and see if he’s ready for Chelsea.
“It was a knock, so it’s a problem with his foot. He wasn’t comfortable with it so at the moment he’s not fit.”
While his absence on Wednesday was said to be precautionary, recent reports, including one from the Telegraph, suggest Rice broke his toe last weekend.
Well, we got a pretty big clue on Thursday as Rice was included in Lee Carsley’s England squad for the Three Lions’ upcoming Nations League fixtures. The midfielder is reportedly willing to play through the pain barrier having broken his toe.
There’s an expectation that the £105m man will be fine to feature against a physical Chelsea midfield on Sunday, but we’re not going to know much more until Arteta speaks to the media again on Friday. His England inclusion is a positive update, and I’m sure many supporters would be happy to see a cynical withdrawal from Carsley’s squad in the aftermath.
