Mikel Arteta will be cursing his fate because Gabriel Magalhaes, who was representing Brazil, was the victim of a horrific tackle, and may have delivered Arsenal another injury blow.
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The former Lille defender has spent the vast bulk of his Arsenal career in the starting lineup, although he has started on the bench for three of the team’s first four Premier League games this season. During the thrilling home victory over Manchester United on Sunday, Gabriel made his first start of the year.
Gabriel was the victim of an eye-watering challenge against Bolivia, which may have derailed any momentum the Brazilian may have acquired as a result of his outstanding performance against the Red Devils. The Selecao won the game 5-1, but the Arsenal star was unable to play the entire 90 minutes and was afterward seen with ice on his leg.
Gabriel was struck in the chest by Diego Ibanez of Bolivia with his right knee within the first five minutes of the match, falling to the ground in a heap. Arteta will be eagerly awaiting news on his defender as Arsenal prepares for a challenging trip to Everton the following weekend.
Gabriel, if healthy, would probably start at Goodison Park on Sunday because he possesses the kind of physical presence needed to counter the muscle and power the Toffees’ roster possesses. If not, Arteta will have to start over and come up with a fresh strategy.
The start of Arsenal’s new league season has previously been endangered by injuries, and the Gunners have also had to contend with the absence of certain important players due to fitness difficulties. Thomas Partey, Mohamed Elneny, and Jurrien Timber are all currently ill.
Elneny, an Egyptian, sustained a knee injury in January of this year, requiring surgery, and the condition has kept him out of play ever since. Elneny’s injury occurred before the start of the season. The midfielder is on track to recuperate in the period predicted by club doctors, though.
An anterior cruciate ligament injury sidelined Timber for the duration of his first season at Arsenal just as his Arsenal career was beginning. The former Ajax star played well in preseason, but he was forced to be replaced after just 48 minutes against Nottingham Forest in the season opener.
Similar to Elneny, Timber had to have surgery, and he probably won’t wear the Arsenal jersey in a match again until late March at the earliest. Partey, a former player of Atletico Madrid, recently suffered a severe groin injury that may prevent him from playing important games against teams like Tottenham and Manchester City in the coming weeks.
Arsenal under Arteta must maintain their finest players healthy and on the pitch if they are to have any hope of halting City’s dominance this season and improving upon their second-place effort from the previous year.
