Arsenal fear they will be without Kieran Tierney for the rest of the season, highlighting what Mikel Arteta feels is the “weakness” in their squad by meaning they have no fit specialist left-back in their bid to win the Europa League.
Tierney suffered knee ligament damage in Saturday’s 3-0 defeat to Liverpool and will miss Thursday's Europa League quarter-final first leg against Slavia Prague.
Arteta, who was counting the cost of their January dealings that leaves him without a natural deputy, is not sure if Tierney will feature for his club again this campaign and put his participation in Euro 2020, Scotland’s first major tournament for 23 years, in doubt.
“It will depend on how things will evolve in the next few weeks,” he said. “He is keen to play for us again this season and extremely keen to represent his country in the Euros. We’re going to have to go day by day.
“It looks like he doesn’t need knee surgery so the timeframe will be around [four-to-six weeks to return to training]. It could have been worse because the action looks scary but he’s feeling better and the damage is not that bad.”
Tierney’s loss is a blow in two respects. The former Celtic player is a strong candidate to win Arsenal’s player of the year award, while they allowed his understudy, Sead Kolasinac, to join Schalke. Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who had played at both left-back and left wing-back for Arteta, also joined West Bromwich Albion in January and neither was replaced.
Arteta accepted he was left short-staffed, adding: “We could not do anything on that window. We decided to let Kolasinac out on loan. We knew that that position was a weakness around the squad because we didn’t have anybody to replace him [Tierney].”
Either Cedric Soares, a right-back by trade, or the versatile Bukayo Saka is likely to deputise for Tierney. While Arteta has used Saka as a left wing-back at times, he has not started in a back four this season and has been integral to Arsenal as a right winger.
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Arsenal v Liverpool player ratings
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ARSENAL RATINGS: Bernd Leno - 4: The German got a hand to Jota’s opener and the second goal went through his legs from an acute angle. He might have done better for both. His distribution was poor, too. EPA -
Calum Chambers - 4: The 26-year-old was rarely comfortable with his positioning and dithered over whether to track Mane inside. He was unable to get forward. Getty -
Rob Holding - 4: The centre back was turned easily by Mane and his lack of pace was evident. Could have done more to prevent the first goal. AFP -
Gabriel - 3: The Brazilian has a tendency to go to ground too easily and this rash trait allowed Salah in to score the second. He made an awful pass that led to the third goal and his body language suggested he had given up. Getty -
Kieran Tierney - 5: The Scot was one of his side’s better performers until he limped off to be replaced by Soares moments before half time. AP -
Thomas Partey - 5: The Ghanaian tried his best to make some impact on the game but received little help from his team-mates. He was sloppy in possession but made some good interceptions. Reuters -
Dani Ceballos - 2: An awful night for the Spaniard, who dwelt on the ball too much. When he did pass, it was frequently to a Liverpool player. It was no surprise when he was replaced by Elneny with 32 minutes to play. EPA -
Nicolas Pepe - 3: The Ivorian promises a lot but delivers little. He showed flashes of skill in the first half but faded badly and almost completely ignored his defensive duties. Getty -
Martin Odegaard - 4: Started energetically but drifted out of the game. The Norwegian caused no problems for Liverpool's inexperienced central defenders. Reuters -
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - 4: The Gabonese was more concerned with defence than attack but failed to curb Alexander-Arnold. He made way for Martinelli with 13 minutes left. Reuters -
Alexandre Lacazette - 4: Ran hard throughout but was starved of supply. The Frenchman was isolated and failed to get a single shot on target. AP -
SUS: Cedric Soares - 5: The Portuguese joined the game just before half time when Tierney was injured. He had a solid second half and even forced Alisson into making a save. Getty -
Mohamed Elneny - 4: Introduced in the 58th minute. The Egyptian was better than Ceballos, who he replaced, but that was not hard. He did not influence the match. EPA -
Gabriel Martinelli - 5: The 19-year-old provided an injection of energy when he replaced Aubameyang with 13 minutes to go. He might have had more impact if given a longer outing. Getty -
LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson Becker - 6: An easy night for the Brazilian. He made one save and took few chances with his distribution. A vocal and reassuring presence. Getty -
Trent Alexander-Arnold - 8: The cross for Jota’s opening goal was the highlight of a fine display. It is hard to believe that such a classy player was surplus to England requirements during the international break. Getty -
Ozan Kabak - 6: The Turk’s passing needs work but his positioning and composure are improving with every match. Replaced by Rhys Williams with six minutes left. EPA -
Nathaniel Phillips - 6: The 24-year-old is skittish on the ball but strong in the air and the tackle. He did the simple things well and cruised through the game. EPA -
Andrew Robertson - 6: The Scotland captain looked tired after returning from international duty but did not need to be anywhere near his best to subdue Pepe. Withdrawn with 29 minutes to go for Jota. AP -
Fabinho - 8: The Brazilian’s awareness is exceptional. He was always in the right place to make tackles and interceptions and start attacks. His first-time pass put Salah in position to score the second goal. Reuters -
James Milner - 7: The 35-year-old provided a level of nous and leadership in midfield that Arsenal could not match. He moved to left back after Robertson departed and did a good job. EPA -
Thiago Alcantara - 7: There are still moments when the 29-year-old seems too relaxed on the ball but his passing is getting sharper. He was effective in winning possession and using it to drive his team forward. Reuters -
Mohamed Salah - 8: The Egyptian never lets a defence settle. He took his goal beautifully and opened up space for the rest of the attack throughout the match. Getty -
Roberto Firmino - 7: The Brazilian’s movement was excellent but his shooting was off beam. He was subbed for Wijnaldum with 12 minutes left but was not too far from his best form. Getty -
Sadio Mane - 7: Things did not quite click for the Senegalese but he was still a menace. He gave the defence plenty to think about and should have scored late on. AP -
SUBS: Diogo Jota - 9: The Portuguese entered the fray when Robertson departed with 29 minutes to go and had an instant impact. He scored the first goal with a splendid header and added a second in the style of a top-class poacher. AP -
Georginio Wijnaldum - 6: The Dutchman was rested with Real Madrid in mind on Tuesday but came on for Firmino with 12 minutes left. He produced a short but enthusiastic cameo. Reuters -
Rhys Williams - 6: The 20-year-old needs more playing time to develop so his six-minute involvement after replacing Kabak was appreciated. He saw out the closing moments without any alarms. Getty
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But by moving Saka, Arteta admitted they may have to change the way they play.
He added: “We’re going to have to make some adjustments because his qualities are unique and we don’t have anybody to replace these qualities unless we start to move a lot of pieces. Without any time to train that’s a little bit dangerous to do. You have to find a different way of attacking and at the same time the structure when you are defending.”
Arteta at least has the boost of Saka, Granit Xhaka and Emile Smith Rowe all back in contention after missing Saturday’s loss but David Luiz remains out and Martin Odegaard is a doubt, potentially costing them the services of another in-form player. Arteta said: “He’s been carrying an [ankle] injury for the last few days since he got injured with the national team.”
Arteta described the performance against Liverpool as “unacceptable” but hoped it will be a blow that brings a response. “It was a big shock because of the trend before that,” he said. “Sometimes a punch in the face is good to come back to reality."
Arsenal are 10th in the Premier League, 10 points behind fourth-place West Ham, meaning the Europa League offers their only likely route back into the Champions League. Arteta said: “We have to be realistic in the league and it’s difficult.”
Winger Willian, who is one of many players who have been racially abused on social media, called for companies to stop allowing anonymous trolls to target people.
“We have to find a way to change the profile of social media,” he said. “I think if people want to have Instagram, Twitter or Facebook [accounts], they need to put their IDs or passports or whatever. And then when these things happen the authorities can catch them. We have to try and find a way to stop it because when people say horrible words about you about your family that’s not good. We don’t see any action from the authorities. It’s a big problem and we want action.”
