Arsene Wenger has confirmed (via The Mirror) that Arsenal’s integral trio of Mesut Ozil, Olivier Giroud and Laurent Koscielny will be out of the Premier League opening fixture against Liverpool on the 14th of August, stating:
The Liverpool game will come too early for them
The three stars will be given a rest following a Euro 2016 tournament which saw the French team go all the way to the final and the Germans to the penultimate round. Arsene Wenger usually has a policy of giving players a month off after tournaments to prevent injury and fatigue the following season.
This same policy, however also leaves Arsenal short for an important, difficult game against a dynamic Jurgen Klopp side. With Per Mertesacker confirmed to be out for the long-term, Arsenal may start with a pairing that mirrors the equivalent fixture last season – Gabriel and Calum Chambers – both the latter and new boy Rob Holding have impressed in pre-season.
Danny Welbeck’s knee has also rendered him unavailable till the new year, meaning Arsenal’s strike force has boiled down to Yaya Sanogo and Chuba Akpom – however, it is likely that Theo Walcott will be given a chance to impress up top.
Ozil’s absence appears to be offset by good news over Wilshere, who suffered another injury scare (surely not) – however, Wenger commented:
[Jack] Wilshere has started to run today so it’s very short-term. He will train with us next week
