Arteta reveals Calafiori 'slight issue' forced Madueke switch vs Everton
Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Riccardo Calafiori may have picked up a knock in the closing stages of Arsenal's 2-0 Premier League win over Everton, which saw the Italian shifted to left wing while Noni Madueke dropped into left back for the final stretch.
Asked directly about the switch after the match, Arteta did not sound overly concerned but acknowledged something was amiss. “Yeah I wasn't that mad to change those two from their positions,” he said. “It was because he had a slight issue, we don't know what it is, it seems to be something very small, but he was cautious about it.”
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The positional swap came at the end of a demanding week for Arsenal, who beat Everton having played in the Premier League on the Sunday before, travelled to Munich in midweek for a Champions League fixture, and then returned to north London late on Thursday ahead of Saturday's 3pm kick off. Arteta pointed to the schedule when assessing the overall performance. “We were given a terrible schedule,” he said. “We have overcome every hurdle, on top of some injuries, and I love the mentality of the team and the quality that we've shown today.”
Gabriel plays through pain to score
Calafiori was not the only defender to cause a scare. Gabriel Magalhaes appeared to hurt himself during the match but carried on and later scored to help seal the victory. Arteta praised the centre back's response. “Gabi is a great example of that because we were all scared,” he said. “Not because of the way he went down, but the reaction of the players that were next to him. Immediately he says that he wants to continue and then he scores a goal to help us win the game. That's what we need from our players.”
Konsa continues to impress, Saliba still out
Ezri Konsa also got on the scoresheet, netting his first goal for the club, with Arteta hailing how quickly the defender has settled despite joining without a pre season and with William Saliba already established at the back. “He's gone to a huge club like Arsenal with no pre season,” Arteta said. “It's very, very difficult to do and we are really lucky to have him.”
On Saliba's continued absence, Arteta confirmed the Frenchman is still not fit. “William is not fit and we are desperate to have him back because we know what he offers,” he said, while also pointing to the development of Kiliann Mosquera as another option in reserve.
With Calafiori's issue described as minor rather than serious, Arsenal will likely monitor his fitness closely ahead of the next round of fixtures as Arteta continues to juggle a congested schedule across multiple competitions.
