Fans of Arsenal, bad news. The back injury to William Saliba appears to be worse than initially thought.
But don't freak out just yet. Mikel Arteta insists he is "extremely hopeful" to return before the season's end. The chronology is so comforting.
These final few months may be about Arsenal simply outlasting the champions at the top of the standings, as they are eight points ahead of Manchester City in the Premier League table.
Update on William Saliba's back injury from Mikel Arteta
How will Arteta's side organize to hold down the fort with Saliba on the operating table? They have a couple of choices...
White, Holding, Gabriel, and Zinchenko might make up the backline.
Of course, this would be the simplest case.
Rob Holding has once again proven to be a key assistant for the Arsenal squad, but the memory of him utterly disintegrating in the pivotal match at Tottenham last season still sticks in the mind.
During the break, he was inserted into the backline against Crystal Palace and didn't show any signs of rust, but over the next two weeks, Arsenal must go to Liverpool, Manchester City, and Newcastle. There will soon be harder exams, so skepticism wouldn't be unwarranted.
White, Gabriel, Kiwior, and Zinchenko might be the backline.
Jakub Kiwior, a defender for Spezia, was quickly acquired by Arsenal in January. The Gunners signed one of the most highly regarded young players in Serie A.
a World Cup-experienced center back whose lack of playing time since moving to north London has been obvious. Following two average performances for Arsenal, Kiwior had a rough game for Poland during the break in international play.
His readiness to play in games with such high stakes is obviously in doubt, and those who value symmetry will cringe at the idea of two left-footed center backs starting together.
Thomas Partey shifts to right back, Ben White to center back.
Partey, White, Gabriel, and Zinchenko might be the backline.
Okay, there has been some rearranging, but there is a method to the chaos.
When Thomas Partey was a member of Atletico Madrid, he occasionally played right back, especially against Arsenal in the Europa League in 2018. Ben White, who was hired as a center-back and spent last season there with Gabriel Magalhaes, blended in well there.
This backline may take a few weeks to come together, but regardless of what Arteta chooses to do at this time, that will be a problem.
Ben White moves to center defense, and Oleksandr Zinchenko to right back.
Zinchenko, White, Gabriel, Kiwior, and Tierney might be the backline.
It's possible that Arteta will take a cue from Pep Guardiola and turn us into a cerebral galaxy.
Oleksandr Zinchenko already plays as an inverted full-back, so switching sides shouldn't have a significant effect on his performance. Instead, Kiwior or Kieran Tierney would supply the breadth.
Of course it's a touch crazy, but crazier things have happened.
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