On 22/3, even before Arsenal had left Wembley after their League Cup final defeat to Man City, news circulated that William Saliba would not be joining the France national team for the FIFA days. This marked the initial wave of Arsenal players withdrawing from international duty.

That same day, the Dutch Football Association announced that Jurrien Timber would not join the squad. The next day, Gabriel Magalhaes was excused from the Brazil national team, similarly Leandro Trossard from the Belgium national team and Eberechi Eze from the England national team.

A second wave of withdrawals occurred on 28 and 29/3. First, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, and Noni Madueke all left the England national team camp. Subsequently, Piero Hincapie (Ecuador) and Martin Zubimendi (Spain) also returned to their clubs early.

Including midfielder Martin Odegaard, who suffered a knee injury in late february and was automatically unavailable for the Norway national team, a total of eleven Arsenal players withdrew despite initially being named in their respective national team call-up lists.

Eleven Arsenal players had to withdraw early from their national teams during this FIFA days period.

The British newspaper Telegraph questioned, "Is the Premier League leader facing a severe injury crisis, or is there another calculation behind this?" The answer depends on the extent of each individual's injury. For instance, Eze is expected to be out for at least one month. Timber sustained an injury after being called up by the Netherlands, having missed two club matches before the FIFA days.

Meanwhile, Madueke suffered a severe knee injury while playing for England against Uruguay on 28/3. He left Wembley limping and with a leg brace. Hincapie also experienced a hamstring issue in Ecuador's match against Morocco on the same day.

For the remaining cases, the situation remains unclear. Both Saliba and Gabriel played the full 90 minutes against Man City before withdrawing from their national teams due to ankle and knee issues, respectively. Rice and Saka also endured the entire match at Wembley, while Trossard played 82 minutes. "While their specific physical condition remains unknown, all signs point to one conclusion: the grueling match intensity is wearing down the physical condition of Arteta's players, as they pursue a quadruple and still maintain their treble dream," the Telegraph commented.

Since the last FIFA days in mid-november 2025, Arsenal has played 33 official matches in 17 weeks. During the same period, only Newcastle (34 matches) played more games among all clubs in Europe's five top leagues. "I'm exhausted," Rice once shared after the recent 2-0 victory against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League round of 16 second leg. "Everything is non-stop. A match every three days since october 2025. We have tried to adapt as best as we can."

Midfielder Declan Rice in an Arsenal jersey during the 2025-2026 season. *Photo: Reuters*

The image of Rice laboriously descending the Wembley steps to receive his League Cup silver medal exemplifies the physical burden he is carrying. The midfielder was so fatigued that he had to use both hands on the railing for support. Rice is one of six players who have started most frequently for Arsenal this season, alongside Zubimendi, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, and Saka. All of them withdrew from this international break.

On football forums like Reddit and social media platform X, some Arsenal fans are asking if this wave of withdrawals is "a Sir Alex Ferguson moment" for Arteta. The former Man Utd manager was known for finding ways to withdraw players from national teams, especially for friendly matches. Former midfielder Nicky Butt once revealed Ferguson forced him to withdraw from an England friendly. In 2011, Sir Alex even described international friendlies as a "waste of time".

If their pursuit of three titles goes smoothly in the remaining weeks, Arsenal could have up to 15 matches ahead. The race will become more fierce, and the pressure will intensify. For the Emirates Stadium-based team, these are likely the two most important months in the past two decades.

Time will tell the true extent of the injuries for Saliba, Gabriel, Rice, Saka, Zubimendi, and Hincapie. They could reappear in Arsenal's starting lineup for the FA Cup quarter-final against Southampton on 5/4. However, the Arsenal squad is pushing their bodies to the limit in pursuit of historical success this season. These withdrawals partly give "Gunners" fans reason to fear that their team is running out of energy.

Ha Phuong compiled