With the November international break now at an end, let’s take a look back at how Arsenal’s group of players got on.
Following the withdrawal of Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice, and Martin Odegaard’s decision not to link up with Norway, Arsenal had 13 players involved on international duty over the November break:
Jurrien Timber (Netherlands), Kai Havertz (Germany), Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli (Brazil), William Saliba (France), Jakub Kiwior (Poland), Oleksandr Zinchenko (Ukraine), David Raya and Mikel Merino (Spain), Leandro Trossard and Albert Sambi Lokonga (Belgium), Karl Hein (Estonia), and Nuno Tavares (Portugal).
As usual, a couple of players from that group have picked up injuries, with Trossard and Tavares both withdrawing early.
Trossard was forced off in Belgium’s second game of the break, whilst Tavares suffered a training injury that ruled him out of Portugal’s second fixture.
Elsewhere, there were goals for Havertz and Zinchenko, assists for Havertz (again) and Kiwior, a Team of the Week appearance for Hein, a Portugal debut for Tavares, a return from a three-year Belgium absence for Lokonga, and quite a few welcome rests.
Timber, Havertz, Martinelli, Saliba, Zinchenko, Raya, and Merino were all named on the bench for at least one of their two matches, which will please Mikel Arteta.
Let’s take a look at the results in full.
Arsenal’s November international results
Thursday, November 14th
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France 0-0 Israel (Nations League) – Saliba wasn’t involved for France.
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Belgium 0-1 Italy (Nations League) – Trossard played 90 minutes, Lokonga wasn’t involved.
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Venezuela 1-1 Brazil (World Cup qualifiers) – Gabriel played 90 minutes and Martinelli played eight as a substitute.
Friday, November 15th
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Portugal 5-1 Poland (Nations League) – Kiwior played 90 minutes, conceded a penalty, and provided an assist. Tavares made his Portugal debut for the opposition as a substitute, playing three minutes and picking up a yellow card.
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Denmark 1-2 Spain (Nations League) – Raya played 90 minutes and Merino played 80 for Spain.
Saturday, November 16th
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Azerbaijan 0-0 Estonia (Nations League) – Hein played 90 minutes and kept a clean sheet for Estonia.
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Georgia 1-1 Ukraine (Nations League) – Zinchenko didn’t feature for Ukraine.
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Netherlands 4-0 Hungary (Nations League) – Timber played 68 minutes for the Netherlands.
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Germany 7-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina (Nations League) – Havertz scored and assisted in his 90 minutes for Germany.
Sunday, November 17th
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Italy 1-3 France (Nations League) – Saliba played 90 minutes for France.
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Israel 1-0 Belgium (Nations League) – Trossard played 37 minutes for Belgium before being substituted with an injury. Lokonga came on as a substitute for the final 23 minutes, his first game for Belgium in over three years.
Monday, November 18th
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Poland 1-2 Scotland (Nations League) – Kiwior played 90 minutes for Poland.
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Spain 3-2 Switzerland (Nations League) – Raya and Merino didn’t feature for Spain.
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Croatia 1-1 Portugal (Nations League) – Tavares withdrew from the international break due to injury.
Tuesday, November 19th
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Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-1 Netherlands (Nations League) – Timber didn’t feature for the Netherlands.
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Hungary 1-1 Germany (Nations League) – Havertz played 28 minutes for Germany as a substitute and hit the post.
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Albania 1-2 Ukraine (Nations League) – Zinchenko played 69 minutes for Ukraine and scored.
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Slovakia 1-0 Estonia (Nations League) – Hein played 90 minutes for Estonia and made 11 saves.
