Noni Madueke’s Arsenal injury continues really worrying trend, Mikel Arteta must act now

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Arsenal forward Noni Madueke is expected to miss around six weeks after suffering a knee injury, TBR Football understands.

He was taken off at half-time during the 1-1 draw with Manchester City on Sunday and will be sidelined for several matches, though he is not believed to have picked up an ACL issue.

Sources have told TBR Football’s chief correspondent Graeme Bailey that Madueke could be absent for around 11 fixtures, a real blow to Mikel Arteta so early in the campaign.

Arteta was criticised for his conservative selection decisions against City, and the loss of one of his most important players will surely have him scratching his head again.

However, it has now been revealed that the warning signs were already there.

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Noni Madueke is the latest big Arsenal injury blow

The news that Noni Madueke will miss over a month’s worth of action comes after a number of other Arsenal superstars picked up untimely injuries of their own.

Many of them are simply undroppable, and that will take a brutal toll on Arteta’s bid to challenge for the Premier League title again this season.

Kai Havertz also injured his knee in the 1-0 victory against Manchester United and underwent surgery.

Then, both Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard were forced off against Leeds, the captain taking a blow to his shoulder while the latter departed with a suspected hamstring issue.

William Saliba was next to fall victim, limping out of the defeat by Liverpool, while Odegaard suffered his second shoulder injury of the campaign against Nottingham Forest.

Gabriel Jesus remains a long-term absentee, and Ben White and Christian Norgaard have also missed out on matches, culminating in a barely believable situation.

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Mikel Arteta must change Arsenal training methods

Judging by the reaction to Madueke’s setback on X, Arsenal supporters are beginning to point the finger at Arteta for the mounting injury list. They may very well have a point.

The worsening crisis should lead Arteta to take action during training sessions to protect his players. After all, the responsibility ultimately lies with the manager and the fitness staff to take the necessary action, ideally before the problem gets worse.

Working the squad too hard at the wrong times or demanding too much of them during a brutal, punishing schedule can be enough to tip them over the edge, resulting in a number of niggly issues that all add up over the course of the season.

Of course, the debate over how much footballers can take before their bodies break down will also continue to run, but there are no signs of the number of matches being reduced.