William Saliba got 45 minutes of competitive football under his belt on Sunday, starting for Arsenal’s under-21s in a 5-2 win over Aston Villa at Meadow Park, and the coach in charge says the half-time change was planned all along.
The France centre-back is working his way back from the injury he picked up at the World Cup. He was replaced by Upson at the break, exactly as the staff had mapped out, and David Horseman was quick to make sure nobody read anything into it.
It was a big afternoon for the academy too. The young Gunners came from a goal down to claim their first Premier League 2 win of the season, and the senior man in their back line set the tone from the moment he arrived.
Why did Saliba come off at half-time?
Because that was always the plan. Arsenal are building his minutes up carefully after a lengthy layoff, and a single half was the target for this one.
Horseman said after the game: “He’s the ultimate professional from the minute he got in this morning to half-time. He’s fine, by the way, it was all pre-planned, so nobody needs to panic.”
That matters with the international break starting now. Zinedine Zidane left him out of the France squad, as we covered when Zidane named his November group, so Arsenal keep full control of the last stretch of his comeback. A competitive half against a strong Villa academy side is exactly the kind of step the club wanted before the first team returns.
What Horseman saw from him
The under-21s head coach was full of praise for how Saliba carried himself, on the bus, in the team meeting and on the pitch. He felt the youngsters could learn plenty just by watching him prepare.
“Just the way he was in the meeting, everything about him, the way he prepares on the bus, the lads probably won’t notice it, but they should,” Horseman said.
He also liked the range of his passing. “The detail of play, and he mixed his game up between short and long. Obviously, everybody knows he’s a world-class defender, one of the best in the world, if not the best. It was brilliant, but he was so good around the lads, you’d never know it.”
And then the line every Gooner wanted to hear: “It was brilliant having him. I’d love him every week. Obviously, that’d be lovely, but he’ll leave us soon and go back with the first team.”
A nearly instant impact
Villa went ahead early when Alfie Lynskey broke through the middle and played in Cole Brannigan, who beat Jack Porter one-on-one. Saliba almost sparked an immediate reply, putting backspin on a long ball for Andre Harriman-Annous, but the Villa goalkeeper came off his line quickly to snuff it out.
Arsenal U21 5-2 Aston Villa: how the goals went in
The turnaround came before the break. Theo Julienne wriggled past defenders and found Maalik Hashi, who squeezed home from a tight angle, and moments later Marcell Washington crossed for Harriman-Annous to flick in. Max Dowman also hit the post with a fizzing strike from outside the box.
Harriman-Annous made it 3-1 early in the second half with a lovely solo goal, driving down the left, cutting onto his right foot and curling into the far corner. James Scanlon then hit the upright from close range.
Dowman added the fourth late on, curling a left-footer into the far corner after a one-two with Julienne. That came days after the 16-year-old was handed his first England Under-21 call-up. Jack McGrath pulled one back from long range before substitute Evan Mooney slotted the fifth deep into stoppage time.
The result lifts Arsenal to 21st in Premier League 2 on seven points, and it is the first time this season the under-21s have won back-to-back games in all competitions.
“As dominant as we’ve been for well over a year”
Horseman felt the win had been coming. “To come back and then be dominant, probably as dominant as we’ve been for well over a year, and show the attitude, commitment, and desire to go and win the game, and not just win it, but win it by multiple goals, was really pleasing,” he said.
He pointed out that the league table hides a decent start: “We’ve drawn four and only actually lost two. We beat Leyton Orient, we beat AFC Wimbledon, we beat Napoli away, we drew to Bayern.”
What comes next for the academy?
After the international break, many of the same players will turn out for the under-19s in the UEFA Youth League against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday 24 November, with a 1pm UK kick-off. The under-21s then go to Blackburn Rovers in Premier League 2 on Monday 30 November at 7pm.
Saliba is unlikely to be part of either. Horseman’s own words suggest this was a one-off visit.
Is William Saliba ready for the first team?
Not quite, but he is close. Back in early November we wrote about Saliba’s comeback and Arsenal’s injury list, and this is the next box ticked. Forty-five minutes against Villa’s academy is not the Premier League, but it is a proper competitive game with tackles flying in, and he came through it without a hitch.
The timing looks ideal to us. With no Arsenal games during the break, the next two weeks are a clean run of training to build on Sunday’s half. If those sessions go well, we would expect him back in Arteta’s matchday squad when the Premier League restarts, with Arsenal five points clear of Brighton at the top and a fit Saliba the one piece they have been missing at the back.
