"Why is he benched", "I might lose my mind" - Fans in disbelief as Arsenal star benched for France's Euro qualifier against Republic of Ireland

Fans are left in disbelief as Arsenal star William Saliba has been benched for France's UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier against Republic of Ireland. Saliba has so far been in great form for the Gunners this season.

Didier Deschamps' team have so far won all four of their games in Group B and have 12 points on the board. Ireland, meanwhile, have only three points from their first three games.

Mike Maignan starts between the sticks for Les Bleus. Theo Hernandez, Lucas Hernandez, Dayot Upamecano, and Jules Kounde are the four defenders. Adrien Rabiot, Aaurelien Tchouameni, and Antoine Griezmann are the three midfielders. Kylian Mbappe, Olivier Giroud, and Ousmane Dembele are the three attackers.

Fans, though, think that Saliba should have been a part of the first XI as he has been in tremendous form for his club side so far this season. One of the fans wrote on Twitter:

"Also Saliba has been world class so far why is he benched."

Another fan commented:

"No saliba, rabiot starting over camavinga i might lose my mind."

Saliba has been a constant rock sloid presence for Arsenal at the heart of the defense this season. Hence, fans are a bit agitated at his absence and here are some of the best Twitter reactions after France's first XI was announced:

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta reacted to the recent win against Manchester United

Arsenal managed to earn a dramatic 3-1 win in their latest Premier League clash against Manchester United at the Emirates. Despite conceding first, Mikel Arteta's side managed to score all three points.

After Marcus Rashford gave Erik ten Hag's side the lead, goals from Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, and Gabriel Jesus meant that the north Londoners emerged victorious. Reacting to the result, Arteta said about Declan Rice's performance (via the Gunners' website):

"I think a tremendous performance. When you look at a holding midfielder and how he needs to dominate his area and the pressing that is needed. How he breaks up play, how he glues the team together in many moments when it was stretching a little bit. He was really dominant and then produced a magic moment to win the game, so I’m really happy with him."

Rice was signed from Wes Ham United for £105 million by Arsenal in the summer transfer market. Since joining the club, he has already started showing his abilities and the display against United proved his mettle.