Arsenal's 2-0 win over Everton was the right kind of response to a punishing week, but the final stages carried another small concern. Mikel Arteta said Riccardo Calafiori had a slight issue before the left-back was taken off, turning a comfortable result into yet another reminder that this run of fixtures has not allowed much room for recovery.
The timing matters because Arsenal were already navigating a congested schedule. They had played on Sunday afternoon, gone to Munich on Wednesday night, come back late on Thursday and then had to face Everton at Saturday at 3pm. Arteta said the schedule was terrible, but also praised the way Arsenal dealt with it, noting that they had overcome every hurdle despite some injuries and showing strong mentality and quality in the win.
What Arteta said about Calafiori
Arteta played down the issue, saying he was not especially concerned about the change in position because Calafiori had felt something and was cautious. He added that the staff do not yet know exactly what it is, but that it seemed to be something very small. That wording suggests caution rather than alarm, although Arsenal will still want clarity quickly given the number of matches packed into such a short span.
The bigger picture is straightforward enough. Arsenal handled Everton and protected the result, but they did so while continuing to manage fitness issues in a week that has demanded a lot from the squad. For a team trying to keep its rhythm across league and European fixtures, even a slight issue can become part of a larger problem if the schedule keeps compressing the margin for error.
