What happened when William Saliba last played at right-back as Arsenal’s injury crisis gets worse

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Arsenal’s injury issues have gone from bad to worse.

The Gunners have had problems with injuries since the very first game of the season. We’re in December now and Mikel Arteta is yet to have a fully fit squad at his disposal.

Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu have been out with long-term injuries, but since November’s international break, Arsenal have lost Riccardo Calafiori, Gabriel Magalhaes and Oleksandr Zinchenko as well.

To make things worse, Jurrien Timber and Thomas Partey missed training on Tuesday ahead of the Champions League clash against Monaco.

Arsenal have a serious problem at right-back now, and Arteta needs to find a solution there.

Can William Saliba play at right-back for Arsenal?

Arsenal have no fit senior right-backs at the moment – everyone is out injured.

Partey has filled in before, but the Ghanaian missing training on Tuesday suggests he could be out with an injury as well. Even young Josh Nichols has a problem, Arteta confirmed in his press conference.

The Arsenal manager will now have to come up with a plan to solve the problem at right-back. One unusual solution could be William Saliba.

The last thing we want to do is move the Frenchman out of his natural position, but if there is no other option, Arteta may have to make that big decision.

For those wondering, Saliba has played at right-back before – he did it twice in the 2021/22 season when he was on loan at Marseille.

The Arsenal defender ended up on the losing side in both games – first a 2-0 defeat to Lille in Ligue 1 and then a 4-1 hammering against Nice in the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France.

That is not a good sign at all, but Arsenal are significantly stronger than Marseille ever were. So, if Arteta really needs him to play at right-back, we’re sure Saliba will do his best.

Arteta could do something else to surprise Monaco

Arteta described Arsenal’s injury situation before November’s international break as a ‘nightmare’, but things are so much worse now.

The Arsenal boss must be scratching his head as he tries to find solutions. It’s not easy at all, but there is something he can do to solve the defensive problem.

The Gunners barely have any full-backs available, so Arteta could decide to go with a three-man defence. Saliba can start on the right, Jakub Kiwior in the middle and Kieran Tierney on the left, just like he does for Scotland.

That would mean that Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli or Leandro Trossard would have to play the role of wing-backs, but that shouldn’t be too much of a problem if Arsenal dominate possession.

Arteta likes consistency with his system, so this would be far from ideal. But, considering the circumstances, we won’t be surprised at all if he goes with a back three against Monaco.