Many fans of England would have watched the defeat to Greece on Thursday evening with a degree of frustration and anger at both the performance and the result. Supporters of Arsenal and Bukayo Saka however came out of that game more annoyed than most.
The Arsenal winger was forced off during England’s 2-1 Nations League upset after just 51 minutes with what is said to be a muscular issue, but it is yet to be seen what the severity of that injury is.
He was replaced by Noni Madueke just moments after Greece had taken the lead, limping off the field at Wembley, while Arsenal fans feared the worst.
England's interim head coach Lee Carsley revealed after the match that Saka would undergo assessment after "feeling something" in his leg. Since then England have confirmed that Saka “has returned to Arsenal for further assessment”.
What makes this injury that little more painful for Gunners fans is the fact that during the last international break back in September, captain Martin Odegaard picked up an ankle injury which has seen him miss the last seven games in all competitions.
There is no confirmed date Odegaard is set to return and the same goes for his teammate Saka, who has been in tremendous form at the start of this season providing three goals and seven assists.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will now be without both his star attackers, how long for is still unknown, but how will Arsenal cope if they are missing for the long term?
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Who becomes the creator?
A full-strength Arsenal team would normally see Odegaard take the role of creator, closely followed by Saka. Since the Norwegian's injury last month Saka has become the main man in the team to supply chances for his teammates and done superbly providing three assists in Odegaard's absence.
This is not to say Saka didn't provide any creativity for the team before that injury, but with Odegaard out the pressure was on Arsenal's number seven to produce more. He also became captain for the games Odegaard missed meaning Saka had to lead by example and drag the team through games.
Now that both could be out for some time who might be the one Arteta looks towards to make things happen in the attacking third? One option could be Kai Havertz, who has been in fine goalscoring form himself.
The German has six goals and one assist in all competitions so far this season, but he may be asked to become more of a creator by his manager. Havertz has rarely had to do such a job but has the ability to do so if needed, he provided seven assists in the Premier League last season the most of his career since 2017/18 with Bayer Leverkusen back where he managed 8.
The option is there to use Haaretz as the main creator for the team but that would then sacrifice his form in front of goal. Another option could be to look towards Leandro Trossard, another player who has started the season impressively.
The Belgium forward has played in various positions so far this season, featuring on the left at times while also playing central both as a ten and a striker. Arsenal fans will remember when Trossard first joined back in January 2023, he went on to provide 10 assists in just 930 minutes of league action.
Using Trossard as the creator will mean Havertz can remain the focal point, while the former Brighton and Hove Albion man can continue playing as the "ten".
Arteta may also look to utilise Gabriel Martinelli in this role but it may be too much too soon for the Brazilian after an underwhelming campaign last time out and a slow start to this season. Martinelli is starting to regain some form but being the main creator may be too much for him right now, but there are options for Arteta to look towards before their game against Bournemouth next weekend.
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Sterling or Jesus?
The next problem Arteta faces is who plays on the right-hand side for his team in Saka's absence? Could we see Raheem Sterling given a run of games from the start after his loan move from Chelsea, it was in fact the right side where a lot of his best moments came in a Manchester City shirt not long ago.
Using Sterling in the position would give Arteta's side a new look as he is right-footed whereas Saka prefers his left. Sterling would look to go down the line more and use his speed to provide crosses into the box, rather than cutting in like Saka normally would.
This could allow Jurrien Timber to attack more down the right, being able to underlap Sterling who will be looking to hold more width rather than come inside.
The other option out there could be Gabriel Jesus, who has lost his way as the main striker after Havertz's fine start to the season. Jesus has played on the right before, like Sterling he did this for Manchester City under Pep Guardiola.
Jesus is a different profile to his English teammate as he will look to receive the ball to feet and link play with others, rather than use his pace to get around opposition players. This may suit Arsenal better as most teams will look to sit deep against them and not allow much space in behind.
Jesus could also give Arsenal more creativity and goal threat which will be missing after the injuries they have picked up. Again however, there are good options for Arsenal to use if they are to be without Saka for a longer period of time.
It does have to be said that nothing has been said about Saka's injury and we most likely will have to wait till Arteta's press conference on Friday before we get any concrete news. Everyone in North London will be crossing their fingers hoping for the best, that being he is for or only missing for a game or two maximum.
Should Saka be out for the longer term though, Arteta will need to use all his experience to find a way to make his team click in forward areas while his starts are sidelined.
