‘It’s come at a really bad time for Arsenal’ – Expert reacts to confirmed Gabriel injury news
Arsenal’s Premier League and Champions League hopes are set to take a hit if Gabriel is confirmed to be injured for their tough run of upcoming games.
That is according to Premier League legend Matt Le Tissier, who has exclusively told Football Insider that he feels the Gunners have decent replacements but none are as influential as the Brazilian enforcer.
Gabriel has been a key man at the back under Mikel Arteta for a number of years now amid Arsenal‘s consistent challenges for silverware.
He has played in all 17 of their games so far this season, with 15 starts, while Gabriel scored a vital winner against Newcastle and has been a standout across the Gunners’ whole team.
They need him to stay fit as much as possible to win the top-flight, but a new development while he has been on international duty has got all connected to the club worried heading into a busy winter schedule.
Gabriel suffered an injury on Brazil duty
Gabriel has had to bide his time with Brazil and has just 17 caps for his country up to now amid fierce competition at centre-back.
He was handed a start against Senegal on Saturday (15 November) as they played on his club’s home turf, the Emirates Stadium, but had to be withdrawn in the 64th minute with a muscle issue.
The 27-year-old received treatment from Brazil’s medical team on his right thigh and was seen limping out of the ground after the match, so things do not look positive from a Gunners point of view.
He will not play in his country’s next game against Tunisia, with Carlo Ancelotti unsure about the timeframe of the injury as he said: “Bad? I don’t know. He had an injury in his adductor. The medical staff has to check tomorrow.
“We are really sorry for this, really disappointed. When a player has an injury, you hope they can recover well and soon.”
Gabriel injury ‘quite a blow’ ahead of ‘crucial’ Arsenal fixtures – Le Tissier
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, former England and Southampton striker Le Tissier admitted that no other defender can replicate what Gabriel does in the Arsenal team and it is imperative that he is fit to face Bayern Munich and Chelsea if he cannot play this weekend against rivals Tottenham.
He said: “He is (one of the best centre-backs in the world.) He is a massive part of why Arsenal’s defence is so good, so it would be quite a blow to Arsenal if that (missing the North London derby) were to happen.
“I know they’ve got a pretty good squad now and they’ve got replacements available there who can come in, but because he has been so good, even if your replacement’s really good, you’re probably going to see a slight difference there.
“It’s come at a really bad time for Arsenal, is the thing that I would say. Not only is it the North London derby at the weekend, but the next two fixtures after that, I think are Bayern Munich and Chelsea.
“So if he was to miss all those three fixtures, that’s three pretty big, pretty crucial fixtures, I think. It’s going to be a blow and they’ve just got to hope that it’s not as severe as they first thought.”