Mikel Arteta is scrambling around for a trio in the middle of the park ahead of some extremely tricky fixtures
Mikel Arteta would love to have a team of Ben Whites. Few players encapsulate the Spaniard's footballing philosophy better than the defender. He's intense, aggressive and scarcely makes a mistake on the ball.
However, the quality of White's that Arteta will have been wishing extended to his entire Arsenal squad this week is his refusal to play international football. While the ex-Brighton man has been recuperating following a hectic start to the Premier League campaign, a sizeable contingent of his team-mates jetted off around the world to represent their respective countries.
The international break is always a tense time for club managers – particularly those as obsessive as Arteta – as they are forced to watch their prized assets risk injury and add to their game load in pursuit of national glory. And on Monday, the Gunners boss' worst fears played out in front of his eyes.
Getty Images'Captain Fantastic' goes down
It happened with just over 20 minutes of normal time left in Norway's Nations League victory over Austria. Martin Odegaard was involved in a clash with Christoph Baumgartner. Immediately, the signs were not good.
The Gunners skipper was soon writhing around on the ground in evident agony. And after receiving some treatment, he trotted off with tears streaming down his face. Norway manager Stale Solbakken's post-match comments did little to lift the mood either.
"It looked bad in the dressing room too. He didn't have the nerve to continue. It is not certain that Arteta will call me tonight and praise me," he said.
Baumgartner did at least apologise for his challenge. "I would like to sincerely apologise to Martin Odegaard. It was never my intention to injure this fantastic player. I wish him all the best and a speedy recovery! Come back stronger," he wrote on Instagram.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesTiming could not be worse
Once the reality of Odegaard's injury began to set in, thoughts turned to just how long he would be out for. And the dearth of concrete information quickly led to a string of worst-case scenarios being dreamt up.
The principle concern was whether Odegaard had suffered a fracture, which might have left him sidelined for several months. Thankfully for Arteta, an update did eventually emerge in the form of a newspaper interview conducted by Norway's team doctor just after the midfielder was pictured using crutches to board a private plane back to London.
"Such ankle injuries often take at least three weeks," Ole Sand told . "Anything other than that is just a bonus and then it can take longer. What we have so far obtained from the MRI examination in London is that there is probably no fracture in the ankle. Arsenal are almost certain there is no breach, but this may still take some time. In the event of a fracture, we are talking about being out of action for six weeks-plus."
So, even if the knock heals as quickly as possible, Odegaard is all but guaranteed to miss some of the Gunners' biggest games of the season. On Sunday, they travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the North London Derby. After that, they kick-off their Champions League campaign against Atalanta. And then, on Sunday 22 September, they head off to the Etihad Stadium for the toughest of all Premier League tests.
Getty ImagesFreak accident
Losing your midfield talisman for this intimidating trio of games is bad enough. However, it's not just the quality of opposition to come that makes Odegaard's absence so damaging. His injury has coincided with one of his possible replacements also falling foul of the injury curse.
Arsenal were patient in their pursuit of Mikel Merino, eventually confirming the €38.5m (£32.5m/$42.4m) deal a few days before the transfer window slammed shut. The destructive Spaniard might have played a part against Brighton, but was struck down by a freak accident in training.
"It's unfortunate. He has a shoulder injury and it looks like he will be out for a few weeks. He landed on the floor and Gabi [Gabriel Magalhaes] landed on top of him, it's a fracture probably," Areta revealed.
Since then it's emerged that the summer signing will likely be out until November, removing him from the running to replace Odegaard in the short-term.
GettyNo Rice either
To make matters even worse, Odegaard's partner in crime, Declan Rice, will not even be able to pick up the slack against Tottenham this weekend. Although he navigated his way through England's two Nations League games without suffering an injury, he is suspended for the derby clash after his controversial red card against Brighton before the international break.
The circumstances of his red card have been debated to death, but this doesn't change the brutal reality Arteta has been left to deal with as a result. Not only is his most creative player missing against Spurs, Arsenal's midfield engine will also be watching on from the stands.
That Rice played so well for his country, scoring and grabbing an assist against Ireland, will only rub salt into Arteta's wounds. Now, the Gunners boss will have to get creative to solve his midfield crisis over the next few weeks.