Mikel Arteta has four huge Arsenal decisions to make for North London Derby vs Tottenham

The international break has officially finished after the last round of fixtures were played in the early hours of Wednesday. Arsenal players representing their nations will begin travelling back to London today and the majority will likely return to the Sobha Realty Training Centre on Thursday.

Mikel Arteta will want to have at least a couple of full days with his squad as they prepare for the first North London Derby of the season. The Gunners travel to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday knowing a win is needed to keep pace with Manchester City and Liverpool at the top of the Premier League.

Ahead of the clash, however, Arteta and his coaching staff have a number of issues to sort out and decisions to make.

Calafiori doubt

It’s unclear at this stage if Riccardo Calafiori will be fit in time for the North London Derby after the defender hobbled off while playing for Italy against France last Friday and subsequently left the Italian training camp. The 22-year-old returned to London over the weekend and continues to be assessed by Arsenal’s medical staff.

Calafiori is yet to start for the Gunners since making the move from Bologna, although he has been brought on in the previous two games against Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion. He had been in contention to start at left-back against Tottenham prior to his injury on international duty but is now a doubt for the clash.

Arteta does have Jurrien Timber and Oleksandr Zinchenko capable of playing at left-back against Tottenham, while Jakub Kiwior can also play on the left side of defence. Any one of Dejan Kulusevski, Brennan Johnson or Wilson Odobert will likely line-up on the right wing for Spurs on Sunday so whoever plays at left-back for Arsenal will need to be at their best. Whether that is Calafiori remains to be seen.

Rice replacement

One player who will definitely miss the clash at Tottenham is Declan Rice. The midfielder was sent off against Brighton before the international break, controversially being shown a second yellow card in the second half for kicking the ball away from Joel Veltman as the defender went to take a quick free kick.

Probably Arteta’s biggest decision ahead of the derby, the Spaniard must decide who he throws in to replace the England international. Jorginho is one option, although the Italian is yet to play a single minute this campaign.

Another option is to drop Kai Havertz back and play the German in one of the No.8 roles. This may rely on the fitness of Gabriel Jesus, however, who is nursing a groin injury himself.

Odegaard worry

One of the biggest worries to come from the international break was the news Arsenal captain had sustained an injury while playing for Norway. The 25-year-old limped off against Austria on Monday night and the following day was pictured boarding an aeroplane on crutches and no shoe on his left foot.

The former Real Madrid man is currently being assessed by medical staff but the extent of the damage is as of yet unclear. Norway manager Stale Solbakken and national team doctor Ola Sand have expressed fears that Odegaard could be ruled out for at least three weeks, although this has not been confirmed by Arsenal. This would mean Odegaard misses the clash at Tottenham as well as the Champions League opener against Atalanta and the crucial clash with Man City on Sunday, September 22.

If Odegaard is indeed ruled out of Sunday’s clash, Havertz dropping down to midfield feels inevitable given there is already the aforementioned Rice suspension to deal with. Arteta also has 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri who is capable of playing in Odegaard’s position in the Arsenal midfield, although it would be a huge ask for the teenager given it is a North London Derby and he is yet to start a senior game.

Leandro Trossard is perhaps a wildcard option, with the Belgian having experience of playing slightly deeper. A lot will depend on the next 72 hours and how quickly Odegaard recovers and it’s likely Arteta waits until the last possible moment before ruling his captain out.

Striker question

With Havertz possibly moving into midfield, Gabriel Jesus could come back into the side if he is fit. The Brazilian has not featured since the 2-0 opening day win against Wolves after sustaining a groin injury in training. The 27-year-old was said to have returned to training over the international break, however, so it’s possible he is handed a start against Tottenham in the central striker role.

If Jesus is not fit enough, Trossard is an option if he is not played in midfield. New signing Raheem Sterling is also capable of playing in the No.9 role and it may have been something the former Manchester City and Liverpool man was working on with Arteta given he was not called up by England.

Arteta really does have a lot of decisions to make between now and Sunday. The Spaniard will provide clarity on some of the above issues during his pre-match press conference on Friday but, for now, only time will tell on his team selection for the North London Derby.