
<p>On August 6, Arsenal will play Manchester City in the FA Community Shield at Wembley Stadium.</p>



<p>The Gunners are worrying about the fitness of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Declan Rice, and Folarin Balogun. All three were absent from Thursday’s <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/arsenal-beats-barcelona-in-intense-eight-goal-thriller-20230727-WST-445693.html">5-3 friendly victory against Barcelona</a>.</p>



<p><a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/arsenal-tv-schedule/">Arsenal</a>‘s squad dominated in their last pre-season friendly in the United States. Four different players scored for the team: Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Fabio Vieira, and Leandro Trossard (twice).</p>



<p>Although the Gunners played considerably better in their victory against the Spanish giants, Arteta still seemed worried about the status of the injured trio.</p>



<h2>Zinchenko missed entire US tour</h2>



<p>The Community Shield is next Sunday. Four days before that, the Gunners are playing Monaco in the Emirates Cup. As the championship race progressed, Zinchenko has been out since the beginning of May with a calf injury sustained against Newcastle.</p>



<p>This means he missed out on Arsenal’s whole pre-season, including their trip to the United States. <a href="https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/manchester-city-arsenal-community-shield-27418232?fbclid=IwAR3elmHkkolmp_lO_FqrhRjUWOhLazZBYnRJ2sZXlPWzmGjXl3FhaumaM3A" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Manchester Evening News</a> and the <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/arsenal-man-city-arteta-injury-30581590" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Daily Mirror</a> suggest that Mikel Arteta is hoping the Ukrainian will return soon. In fact, he has a week to be ready for the Wembley match against his former side.</p>



<p>“Alex had a little muscular issue, unfortunately”, Arteta remarked at a press conference when questioned about the left back. “I think he will be back soon but it’s a shame he hasn’t been with us the whole tour.”</p>



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<h5>Declan Rice and Folarin Balogun yet to return to training</h5>



<p>In the meanwhile, Rice was injured during training and was unable to play in the game against Barcelona. The record summer addition, who cost the club £105 million, made his debut in a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United. However, he is questionable for Wednesday’s friendly against Monaco.</p>



<p>“Dec [Rice] had quite a strong kick in training so we didn’t want to take the risk. He wasn’t really comfortable to train yesterday and we decided not to train,” said Arteta.</p>



<p>On the other hand, Folarin Balogun, who also had a foot injury, was the third player who could not participate against Barcelona. Although there have been rumors tying the U.S. international with a transfer, the Spanish boss said he has not been training with the team.</p>



<p>Arteta concluded, “[Balogun] was not available. He has a little foot injury and hasn’t been training with us.”</p>



<p><em>Photo: IMAGO / Sportimage</em></p>


Arsenal injury worries are a concern ahead of next weekend's Community Shield matchup against Manchester City.

Arsenal face injury worries ahead of Community Shield - World Soccer Talk

Arsenal face injury worries ahead of Community Shield


<p>Arsenal defenders Oleksandr Zinchenko and William Saliba are out of commission for the rest of the 2022/23 campaign. As the Gunners cling to Premier League title hopes, it will be without two of its integral players for the final three games. </p>



<p>According to David Ornstein of <em><a href="https://theathletic.com/4423917/2023/05/11/william-saliba-zinchenko-arsenal-injury/">The Athletic</a></em>, both players have injuries that rule them out for the final few weeks. Saliba has already missed the last eight Premier League fixtures with back pain picked up against <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/arsenal-and-sporting-go-the-distance-in-europa-league-classic-20230316-WST-423613.html">Sporting in the Europa League</a>. Before that, he started <a href="https://www.transfermarkt.us/william-saliba/leistungsdaten/spieler/495666" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">each of the 27 Premier League games</a> for <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/arsenal-tv-schedule/">Arsenal</a>. Zinchenko picked up a calf injury during the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/arsenal-grab-vital-win-over-newcastle-to-keep-title-hopes-alive-20230507-WST-431968.html">club’s win at Newcastle</a> at the weekend. The Ukrainian has been a massive boost for Arsenal this season, playing a free role in attack following his defensive duties.</p>



<p>On the bright side for Arsenal supporters, Ornstein claims neither player should require surgery. Instead, this just happens to rule them out for a couple of weeks. It is merely unfortunate timing that it comes at a pivotal point in the season. Saliba has seen two replacements in his stead. Rob Holding started the majority of games since the Frenchman’s injury. However, Jakub Kiwior started each of Arsenal’s last two games. For Zinchenko, Kieran Tierney is the natural replacement at full-back.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🚨 Arsenal defenders William Saliba + Oleksandr Zinchenko out for rest of season. Saliba has not recovered sufficiently from back injury &amp; Zinchenko picked up calf problem at Newcastle. Better news is neither expected to require surgery <a href="https://twitter.com/TheAthleticFC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheAthleticFC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AFC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AFC</a> <a href="https://t.co/hYY55WcnYr">https://t.co/hYY55WcnYr</a></p>— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) <a href="https://twitter.com/David_Ornstein/status/1656703227482587145?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 11, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<h2>Zinchenko and Saliba are major misses for Arsenal</h2>



<p>Zinchenko and Saliba were mainstays of the Arsenal lineup each week. The French centerback’s absence thus far has been felt in the Gunners’ back line. Prior to his departure, Arsenal conceded less than a goal per game. In the last eight games, though, Arsenal conceded 14 times. That includes <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/man-city-closes-in-on-premier-league-title-with-win-over-arsenal-20230426-WST-430242.html">a 4-1 loss at the hands of Manchester City</a>. </p>



<p>Despite not being captain, Zinchenko has been an emotional leader for the side. Each time Arsenal concedes, Zinchenko is the man to huddle the players up and get them back on track. Of course, with Saliba’s absence, that was happening with a little more frequency than he perhaps preferred. </p>



<p>Arsenal’s first of its final three games is this weekend against Brighton and Hove Albion. The Gunners need <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/manchester-city-tv-schedule/">Manchester City</a> to drop points. Not only does the Sky Blue side of Manchester hold a one-point edge in the table, but it has also played one fewer game than Arsenal.</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / Sportimage</em></p>


Oleksandr Zinchenko and William Saliba will not suit up for Arsenal for the rest of this season as both battle injuries.

Zinchenko and Saliba out of Arsenal squad for rest of season

<div id="attachment_363701" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div><p id="caption-attachment-363701" class="wp-caption-text">Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images</p></div>
<p>Possession-based soccer remains the preferred style of play for many teams in Europe.</p>
<p>Clubs look to play through the middle of the pitch to dominate the game. Therefore, the flanks emerged as a critical area for teams to exploit in order to create more chances. Nowadays, play-making ability is essential for full-backs.</p>
<p>Manchester City’s Joao Cancelo understands the evolution of the sport. Also, he is perhaps the most in-form full-back this season in European soccer.</p>
<h3>Joao Cancelo’s emergence on to the scene</h3>
<p>Cancelo joined the blue side of Manchester in 2019 during a swap deal for Danilo, which also included $31.4 million going to Juventus. Like the Brazilian international, the Benfica product is adept at playing on both sides of the flanks in the backline. The right side is his preference, but versatility proves pivotal in Pep Guardiola’s system.</p>
<p>Last season, Guardiola decided on employing Cancelo mostly at left-back opposite of Kyle Walker. He was sensational.</p>
<p>The former Valencia player was a key figure in the Citizens winning their fifth Premier League title. He was even voted to the <a href="https:\/\/www.90min.com/posts/2020-21-pfa-premier-league-team-of-the-year" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PFA Premier League Team of the Year</a>. With Manchester United’s Luke Shaw occupying the left-back position in the Team of the Year, Cancelo took the right slot. Regardless, the honor is impressive. Additionally, Cancelo earned nominations to the league team of the year in three different countries: England, Italy, and Portugal.</p>
<p>Currently, the 27-year-old is having the best season in his career. His versatility allows him to play on the left or the right depending on Guardiola’s other options. With Oleksandr Zinchenko on the team sheet, Cancelo moves to the right. If Kyle Walker is fit, Cancelo shifts to the left.</p>
<p>Do not be fooled by the fact that he is a defender. Joao Cancelo’s emergence is perhaps more apparent on the offensive end. At least, that was the case on November 3. That day, the Portuguese international had three assists in a 4-1 victory over Club Brugge in the Champions League. He became the first defender to accomplish this feat since Borussia Dortmund’s Achraf Hakimi did it against Atlético Madrid in October, 2018. Cancelo also scores some sensational goals, like his strike outside the <a href="https:\/\/www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9f38m7xu3Y" target="_blank" rel="noopener">18-yard box against Newcastle</a>.</p>
<blockquote><p><em>“He’s been outstanding. He’s assisting and scoring goals himself and for me he’s the best full-back, in terms of creating stuff, and how important he is to the team,”</em> said former City forward Paul Dickov on the Manchester City’s program Matchday Live.</p></blockquote>
<h5>Cancelo’s diverse positioning</h5>
<div><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-343224 size-medium alignright" src="https:\/\/ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https:\/\/images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/WST_20211229_WST_363677_Pep-Guardiola-Manchester-City-300x378.webp&amp;width=300&amp;height=378" alt="" width="300" height="378" srcset="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/08/Pep-Guardiola-Manchester-City-300x378.jpg 300w, https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/08/Pep-Guardiola-Manchester-City-150x189.jpg 150w, https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/08/Pep-Guardiola-Manchester-City.jpg 338w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"></figure></div>
<p>Pep Guardiola popularized the ‘inverted full-back’ role during his four-year tenure at Bayern Munich. The three-time Premier League Manager of the Season realized that playing with a high line exposed his team to <a href="https:\/\/www.goal.com/en/news/gegenpressing-how-does-the-football-tactical-style-made/1wc20wx6qtkkq1t36xj0px9mel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gegenpressing</a> and counterattacks. His resolution was to make his full-backs play centrally as midfielders. Ergo, the opposition slows down with more defensive-minded players cluttering the field.</p>
<p>Since then, the tactic is a staple in Guardiola’s philosophy. Joao Cancelo’s emergence through his touch, passing ability and positional awareness thrives in that role for Guardiola. In fact, his manager compared Cancelo to two all-time greats that he coached in his illustrious career.</p>
<blockquote><p><em>“Philipp Lahm is the best player I’ve ever seen in my entire life at being a full-back moving inside. But Joao, like Dani Alves has the quality,”</em> said Guardiola following the club’s 3-0 victory over Everton last month.</p></blockquote>
<p>Cancelo embodies the ‘total football’ tactical system. He can play as a left-back, right-back, central midfielder and potentially in the final third. The 2018-19 UEFA Nations League winner is willing to do whatever it takes to help his team win.</p>
<blockquote><p><em>“I was brought up and developed as a right-back. However, I like to be versatile, because during the year, there are lots of injuries, so I want to help the team, and I can adapt to any position the manager (Guardiola) needs me,”</em> said Cancelo to Manchester City’s website.</p></blockquote>
<p>His versatility, technique and awareness makes him one of the most unique players in the beautiful game. Joao Cancelo’s emergence will be something to follow as Manchester City looks for more <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/2021/12/26/leaders-man-city-hit-six-after-leicester-scare/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Premier League trophies</a>, and that Champions League crown that avoids the club from the Etihad.</p>
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Joao Cancelo's emergence for Manchester City has him as one of the best full-backs in the world, helping City to a league-leading position.

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Arsenal face injury worries ahead of Community Shield

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Zinchenko and Saliba out of Arsenal squad for rest of season

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Joao Cancelo's emergence as one of the world's best full-backs