Granit Xhaka seen with the Arsenal team on their pre-game tour in Manchester
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The midfielder seems to be recovered from his Illness
Granit Xhaka traveled to the north-west with the rest of the team, so it appears that he will be healthy and available for Arsenal’s crucial title match against Manchester City.
The international player from Switzerland was ill on Friday night, missing the thrilling 3-3 draw between Southampton and Arsenal at the Emirates. He was also questionable to travel to the Etihad on Wednesday.
‘Granit has been out,’ said Mikel Arteta when asked about the availability of the experienced midfielder. ‘Hopefully he will be able to train [on Tuesday] but he is still a doubt.’
When the squad bus arrived in front of The Hyatt Hotel in Manchester, Xhaka was the first player out. He seemed to have recovered from the illness.
He then went on Wednesday morning’s team stroll around the city, which they typically do before away games, while joking and laughing with teammates Martin Odegaard and Ben White.
On the pre-game jog, every other healthy and available player was present, with the exception of William Saliba and Mohamed Elneny, who were not there and are still injured.
‘There’s not been a real improvement, unfortunately for him,’ said Arteta of Saliba’s injury.
‘So, we are still waiting. We are still hopeful but obviously, it’s another week that has gone by and he hasn’t been able to train with the team.’
Arteta remarked, ‘Well at the moment we don’t have him’. So maybe Arsenal should prepare for the chance that Saliba won’t play again this season.
‘We are preparing for this game without him and the next game, obviously, it’ll probably come too soon as well. We have to go week by week for the moment.’
Since Saliba’s injury, Arsenal has been unable to keep a clean sheet and has allowed seven goals in three Premier League games. They have given up two-goal leads to Liverpool and West Ham before losing three times at home to bottom-of-the-table Southampton.
Given Arsenal’s dismal run and the monumental task they face in trying to contain a free-flowing City assault and Premier League leading scorer Erling Haaland, there had been rumors that Arteta might vary up his formation.
When asked if he would change his side’s strategy, he responded: ‘That’s what we do every game in certain areas. Are we talking in ball possession or talking out of possession, in transition moments? Are we talking about the restart? Are we talking about set pieces? Are we talking about the emotional state? You have to shift it all the time.
‘Every opponent demands and questions you differently and gives you different opportunities, and this is no different with that team. Obviously, the quality of the opponent is as good as it gets anywhere in the world, that’s for sure.’
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