Rice hamstring scare and Calafiori concern deepen Arsenal's injury crisis

Arsenal’s victory over Everton at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday came with a significant cost, as Declan Rice was substituted in the 80th minute after footage appeared to show the midfielder reaching for his hamstring and squatting on the pitch before walking gingerly off the field.

Rice, 27, had been dominant alongside Mikel Merino in central midfield before Martin Zubimendi replaced him. While Arteta has options in the engine room — Bruno Guimaraes and Max Dowman were both on the bench — Rice’s ability to cover ground, win tackles, and contribute both creatively and from set pieces makes him difficult to replace if he faces any time on the sidelines.

Riccardo Calafiori added to the anxiety. The Italian full-back entered the match as a 68th-minute substitute for Myles Lewis-Skelly, but appeared to struggle in the closing stages, with Noni Madueke shifting to left-back during eight minutes of stoppage time. Arteta acknowledged after the final whistle that Calafiori had a “slight issue,” though he described it as “very small.”

The 2-0 win over Everton closed the gap on Manchester City at the top of the Premier League, but Arteta’s squad is being stretched in multiple directions. William Saliba has yet to feature this season due to a back injury that flared up at the World Cup, while Bukayo Saka was forced off during Arsenal’s 3-3 Champions League draw with Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

Christos Tzolis is also working his way back from a hamstring injury sustained on international duty with Greece, leaving Arsenal’s wide options limited to Madueke and Eberechi Eze.

With a congested schedule ahead, the depth of Arsenal’s squad will be tested in the coming weeks, and the fitness of Rice in particular will be closely monitored before their next fixture.