‘Trouble is brewing’ at Arsenal, who will be forced to play the same XI that battered Palace. But then a man is in pain, which is a ‘huge boost’…
Huge blow job
As we enter the dark days of international fortnight, the national media loves nothing more than an injury crisis. Never mind that no sane person actually knows who England are playing over the next two weeks and why (is it a qualifier? Is it the Nations League? Is it another tournament pulled out of UEFA’s arse?), England are facing an injury crisis and it’s back-page news.
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— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) March 21, 2023
Yes, it’s quite the ‘Southgate shocker’ that literally every member of the England XI that lost to France on penalties in the World Cup quarter-finals three months ago is available. Every single one.
It’s not a ‘huge blow’ to lose Marcus Rashford because 13-goal Manchester City forward Phil Foden will probably play instead. Oh and he’s not even an ‘in-form striker’; that would be 23-goal Harry Kane.
Over on the back page of the Daily Express, it’s a ‘big blow’ and a ‘headache’ for Gareth Southgate as he ‘loses red-hot striker for two Euro qualifiers’ (so at least we know what they are now). It’s not ideal but it’s neither a ‘big blow’ nor a ‘headache’; he will probably just field the side that reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup in December.
Piling up
But if you think England have problems, just wait until you hear what is happening at Arsenal. Over to MailOnline:
‘Who will win this THRILLING title race? Arsenal have injuries piling up but can now focus solely on the Premier League, while Manchester City have a fully-fit squad but face a jam-packed schedule’
It might be mildly thrilling but we’re not sure it’s THRILLING; Arsenal are literally eight points clear with ten games to go. It’s certainly no 2019.
But never mind that, what are these ‘injuries piling up’ that could derail their title bid?
It’s worse than that, says Daniel Matthews: ‘Trouble is brewing again.’
Oh bloody hell. Not again. Hit us with it.
‘William Saliba has a back problem. Takehiro Tomiyasu is out with a serious knee injury, leaving Arteta with only one right back, Ben White. It is a thin squad – at least compared to City.’
So that’s two (sorry, this is MailOnline, TWO) injuries, one of whom is the second-choice right-back.
So at this rate,…
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