Riccardo Calafiori secured his inaugural Arsenal start in the Premier League against Manchester City, as there was only one available spot among the substitutes for Ben White.
Mikel Arteta has disclosed that he has been obliged to select Riccardo Calafiori over Ben White for Arsenal’s match against Manchester City.
White is relegated to the substitutes, and the Italian defender makes his inaugural Premier League appearance for the Gunners. The latter last began a game in the top-flight from the bench in May 2022 and has started for each team for which he has been available since then.
The Spanish coach of the north London team suggested that White was not capable of commencing the match. Nevertheless, Arteta maintained his belief in his team’s capacity to achieve success at the Etihad Stadium.
“It was a little bit forced [to drop Ben White and start Riccardo Calafiori], but we are ok,” he indicated. “We have achieved this with a variety of players, but we are confident in the players we currently have.” It provides us with an alternative.In the summer, Calafiori joined the club in a transaction valued at up to £42 million. He has appeared in the Premier League twice this season. Jurrien Timber will assume White’s position, while the Italian international is expected to assume the left position.
Leandro Trossard replaces Gabriel Jesus in Arsenal’s second alterations for their match against the Premier League champions. The substitutes include Raheem Sterling, a former Manchester City player, and the Brazilian forward.
Martin Odegaard’s medical status was verified earlier this week, and the Gunners are currently without him. The Denmark international is anticipated to be sidelined for eight weeks due to an ankle injury.
Mikel Merino, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Kieran Tierney, and Takehiro Tomiyasu are all currently unavailable due to injuries.In the meantime, Manchester City were compelled to implement their own modifications. Kevin De Bruyne was absent from their roster due to an injury sustained during the Champions League match against Inter Milan.
Rico Lewis was substituted by Kyle Walker, and Jack Grealish was demoted to the substitutes by Guardiola. As a consequence, Jeremy Doku was reinstated to the starting lineup. Ilkay Gundogan assumed De Bruyne’s position, while Rodri began his inaugural Premier League match of the season.
Arsenal: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori, Partey, Rice, Havertz, Saka, Martinelli, Trossard.
Neto, White, Lewis-Skelly, Kiwior, Kacurri, Jorginho, Nwaneri, Sterling, and Jesus comprise the substitutes.
Man City: Ederson, Walker, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol, Rodrigo, Gundogan, Bernardo, Savinho, Doku, Haaland
Substitutes: Ortega, Carson, Stones, Kovacic, Grealish, Nunes, Foden, Lewis, McAtee.
