Arsenal’s season has already been dominated by injuries, but their 2-0 win over Port Vale in the Carabao Cup brought a rare piece of good news: no fresh setbacks.
Mikel Arteta confirmed afterwards that the squad came through the match unscathed, a significant boost given the scale of absences that continue to shape the season.
Gabriel Jesus (knee), Kai Havertz (knee), Noni Madueke (knee), Piero Hincapié (groin) and Martin Ødegaard (shoulder) all missed the tie, while others such as Ben White, William Saliba, and Jurrien Timber are only just regaining fitness.
Asked about his plan to manage Bukayo Saka’s minutes, Arteta explained: “It was planned – 60 minutes was the maximum. We had four, almost five players already in the line-up that we had to get him out for different reasons, especially for load and coming from long periods out, so, we planned for that.
“The good thing is that nobody got injured, so he has no muscular issues. So that’s a very positive thing again.”
It was also a night that gave Christian Nørgaard his first minutes of the campaign following his own injury problems.
After the match, Arteta underlined the importance of rotation: “What we need to do as well, apart from that, is generate the performances that we want with the players that haven’t really played together, with a completely different midfield that never played together before, with a frontline that is different as well,
“Max coming in as well and connecting immediately with the team. It’s a lot of positives to take from the game.”
With Jesus out until January, Havertz unlikely to return before November, and Madueke facing two months on the sidelines, Arsenal can ill afford more problems.
Avoiding fresh injuries at Vale Park may prove as valuable as the victory itself, with Newcastle next on the fixture list.