Arsenal news - William Saliba came under fire for his display against Germany with France over the international break but he can prove any doubters wrong with a strong display this weekend
William Saliba hasn't quite looked at his peak since returning from the back injury which saw him miss the final stage of the 2022/23 season. Ultimately, his absence proved costly with the Gunners dropping points in six of their final 11 games, surrendering an eight-point lead to Manchester City in the Premier League title race.
Such was his importance to the team, Mikel Arteta was frequently asked about his injury rehabilitation, but it was very rarely good news from the Gunners boss. As the injury could have resulted in quite serious implications, he was given several months to rest once it became clear the title had gone.
Training clips of Saliba then emerged in his hometown of Bondy over the summer, with it subsequently clear whatever was bothering the France international had passed. Saliba was therefore a constant figure in pre-season and he has completed every minute of competitive action so far this season.
Amid all the changes, Saliba has remained the one constant but he is yet to be consistently tested by an opposing striker since his return from a hefty lay-off, but that could arrive this weekend. The Gunners will head to Goodison Park this Sunday to take on Everton with new signing Beto tipped to cause Arsenal problems.
"I’d be happy for Beto start against Arsenal, he’s showed enough," former Toffees left-back Michael Ball told the Liverpool Echo. "He's new for the opposition so might have that element of surprise and that’s what we have lacked for many seasons. Beto's a different animal to Calvert-Lewin and that will cause Arsenal problems."
Following his £25.8million move from Udinese, Beto scored a superb goal against Doncaster in the Carabao Cup on his Everton debut and he proved to be a real handful in the thrilling 2-2 draw with Sheffield United before the international break. At 6ft 4ins, Beto is a throwback centre-forward and has finally given Sean Dyche the physical presence he has craved since Dominic Calvert-Lewin's injury issues became more frequent.
As Ball states, regardless of how the game flows, Beto will surely cause some problems and therefore endure several individual duels against Saliba and the results of those will certainly showcase how he may have changed since his back injury. Being alongside Gabriel for the clash may help him due to the duo's familiarity with each other, but it is currently unclear how Arteta will set up his team.
Having played in every game for Arsenal this season, Saliba was given the nod to start in defence for France over the international break. In the 2-1 friendly defeat to Germany on Tuesday night, Saliba was heavily criticised for his awareness with Get Football France News labelling him as "sloppy".
As a result, Saliba may well want to prove there is no lasting affect of his injury and Arteta's slight tweaks are not impacting his performance levels and he can certainly do that with a strong performance against Everton, and more specifically Beto.