Mikel Arteta confirmed that both Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are dealing with issues after Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea, raising concerns about injuries for both the Gunners and the England national team.
Arteta’s side battled hard but lacked effectiveness in the game, and in addition to the draw, they suffered significant setbacks with injuries to key players. Bukayo Saka went down after a cross attempt and was quickly substituted by Gabriel Jesus, limping off the pitch.
Earlier, Declan Rice, another key Arsenal player, had to leave the field due to injury and was replaced by Mikel Merino, though the exact nature of the injury remained unclear.
After the match, Arteta said: “They really didn’t look well. I don’t have full information about their condition yet, but both couldn’t finish the game, which is not a good sign.”
Arteta emphasized that his main focus during the upcoming international break is to help his team get back to full or near-full fitness, confident that this will improve their results.
“Right now, the most important thing for me is to help the players reach their best fitness, as we have some who can’t play more than 60 minutes,” he said. “We have a lot to adjust, and it’s impacting the team. What I want during the international break is for us to be fully healthy, and with that, I believe we’ll have a great season.”