Mikel Arteta sweating on the fitness of 11 Arsenal players during the international break
As the Premier League hurtles towards its final 10 games, things are looking pretty exciting at the top.
Just one point separates Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool at the final international break of the season. Arsenal are the team with probably the biggest doubts against their name, with Pep Guardiola's side a seasoned winning machine and Liverpool, buoyed by the desire to send Jurgen Klopp off on a high.
«I can imagine that for a lot of people it will be very interesting,» Mikel Arteta said when asked about what's in store over the next few months. «We want to make it very interesting especially for us so we have to keep going.»
Arteta has always been very insistent that his main takeaway from last season's title race disappointment is the importance of keeping players fit. William Saliba and Takehiro Tomiyasu both were ruled out for the season at this exact stage of the campaign last time out. It seems Arsenal are keen for history not to repeat itself.
Gabriel and Bukayo Saka have both been withdrawn from their respective nations after reporting to international duty with minor injuries. Gabriel Martinelli meanwhile never went off to Brazil duty at all as he continues to struggle with a foot injury.
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There are plenty of other Arsenal players who have stayed behind at the Sobha Realty Centre this international break. Among them are Thomas Partey and Takehiro Tomiyasu who took part in a behind closed doors friendly against QPR on Thursday.
Arteta would probably secretly wish he could keep all his players wrapped up in cotton wool
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