"A nightmare for eight weeks" - Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta opens up on his 'biggest fears' threatens the Gunners' season following Chelsea draw

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has opened up about his biggest fears for the rest of the Gunners' season. The north London outfit have struggled for form of late, with injuries plaguing the squad.

Martin Odegaard returned to the starting line-up after two months on the sidelines in the 1-1 draw against Chelsea on Sunday (November 10). However, both Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka were subbed off during the tie over worries about their fitness.

Riccardo Calafiori also remains absent as he looks to regain full fitness following a knee injury. Highlighting his team's struggles this campaign, Arteta said after drawing with the Blues (via Mirror):

"We have a clear vision of how we can evolve the team. What we find out is that we have to change something big because we have problem after problem. My biggest fear is physically to get players at their best for 90 minutes. With that, I'm fully confident we will have a good season.”

He added

"There’s nothing that we can do about that. What I’m praying is that after the international break, we have the team fully physically equipped. That they are available and that they are fit because it’s been a nightmare for eight weeks."

In having to deal with these fitness issues, Arsenal have gone winless in their previous four Premier League fixtures. As a result, the Gunners are fourth in the league standings, nine points adrift of table-toppers Liverpool.

Once the international break is concluded, Arteta and Co. will host Nottingham Forest at the Emirates Stadium on November 23.

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Mikel Arteta addresses injuries to Arsenal stars Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice

Mikel Arteta

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta believes that the injuries to Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice don't look good following the clash with Chelsea. Rice was substituted in the 71st minute of this tie while Saka was forced off nine minutes later.

Saka, in particular, has been brilliant so far this campaign, bagging four goals and seven assists in 15 appearances across competitions. Arteta told the press (via BBC Sport):

"It doesn’t look good, because for two players of that importance to tell you they cannot continue in the game, it’s not good news."

While Rice hasn't been amongst the goals so far this season, he is an integral part of the Arsenal midfield. He's missed just one league fixture through suspension and has started three of his side's four UEFA Champions League fixtures.