Micah Richards and Alan Shearer agree on Arsenal injury issues with Premier League title claim

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Arsenal’s start to the Premier League has been mixed this season, with the club still looking to push on and win the title.

Mikel Arteta has been dealing with a few issues at the Emirates Stadium in the opening nine games, which have brought about some tough results.

Discipline has been one of those, with three separate red cards costing the Gunners with dropped points in each case.

Injuries are another problem plaguing Arsenal, with a make-shift backline against Liverpool proving that much, while club captain Martin Odegaard is another key absence.

It was a talking point for Gary Lineker, Micah Richards and Alan Shearer, who were asked if the injuries would help test Arteta.

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Micah Richards and Alan Shearer on Arsenal injuries

With injuries being a key problem, both Richards and Shearer had some empathy for Arsenal over the situation.

The two former players believe that the crisis can’t go on for too long though, otherwise, it will truly cost them in the Premier League title race.

Speaking on The Rest is Football, Richards started by saying: “It’s hard really, because when Partey was playing right-back the other day, you’ve got Timber playing left-back, Ben White shifted across to centre-back – which is his position anyway – but when you break up that relationship with Saliba and Gabriel, it’s always gonna be tough.

“I thought they did well against Liverpool at times, but they did miss Gabriel when he came off the pitch and certainly Saliba.

“It’s good that they’re getting to see new players, but ultimately when Arsenal were pushing for the league last year, they pretty much had a full squad.

“I think if they wanna win it this year, they’ve gotta get everyone back fit, you can have a period of four-to-six weeks where you can sort of paper over the cracks a little bit but if they want to win the league they’ve got to get everyone fit as soon as possible.”

It was a sentiment that Shearer backed up, adding: “Agreed, you need all your big-hitters. If [Manchester] City, even Liverpool, had three or four of their big-hitters out, i.e. Haaland or De Bruyne, and the quality that they bring in but if you’ve got three or four of your main stays like Saliba, Odegaard and they didn’t have Saka last weekend then that’s gonna be tough for any team to cope with.

“I thought Arsenal did alright, I thought they were the best team against Liverpool certainly in the first half, not the second half, but I thought they did alright.”

It’s certainly a slightly more positive spin on the situation, given some of the concerns following two games without a win for Arsenal.

• READ MORE: Paul Scholes claims one Arsenal player is a bigger problem for Mikel Arteta than referees and discipline

Arsenal injury concerns are close to closing

Fortunately for Arsenal, there appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to some of their key absences.

William Saliba is back from suspension, making him available once again for selection against Newcastle at the weekend.

Alongside him, there is an expectation that Gabriel Magalhaes and Jurrien Timber will be fine and can return to the team.

While he is making promising strides, Martin Odegaard is a doubt for the next two games but could make a surprise appearance before a two-week international break.

Riccardo Calafiori’s knee issue is expected to be for a couple of weeks, which could see him return after the internationals as well.

That leaves just Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu, with the pair’s return date currently unknown but less urgent once other players are back in the mix.