Mikel Arteta has dispelled tensions between Arsenal assistant coaches Albert Stuifenberg and Declan Rice following their public spat. Rice was visibly upset after the pair were seen in a heated exchange inside the Stamford Bridge tunnel, but Arteta assured him the matter had been resolved.
In the video, Rice can be seen making dramatic gestures towards Stuifenberg, leading to Gabriel Magalhães stepping in to defuse the situation.
Early in the game, Rice set the stage for Ben White’s opening goal. Further goals from Martin Zvimendi and Victor Gokeres put the Gunners in the lead, but two goals from Alejandro Garnacho kept Chelsea level heading into the second leg at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal have a busy schedule of five games in the Premier League and Champions League ahead of their crucial return match. Their next challenge is a visit to Nottingham Forest on Saturday night.
As for the possibility of someone from the quartet being featured, he said: “That’s a possibility, so we need to meet with the medical staff now. We’re doing a training session right now, so we’ll need to see if anyone is available over the weekend.”
After the clash at the City Ground, Arsenal will continue their away fixtures, taking on Inter Milan in their penultimate Europa League stage game.
Kairat Almaty will visit the Emirates soon after, with Arsenal aiming to secure a top-eight finish and avoid the play-off rounds.
Arsenal will begin January with a trip to Elland Road to face Leeds, before facing Chelsea in the second semi-final.
Arteta’s side still face a tough schedule in February, with six games potentially to be played depending on their progress to the Carabao Cup final.
Confirmed fixtures include matches against Sunderland, Brentford and Tottenham, as well as the FA Cup fourth round tie against Wigan.
