Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has issued an update on Gabriel Magalhaes and sent a message to his players after the loss to Southampton.
Arsenal would have been hoping to bounce back from the Carabao Cup final loss to Manchester City when they faced Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday night.
However, Arteta was punished for fielding a weakened team as his side suffered a demoralising 2-1 loss to the Championship side. Shea Charles netted a late winner for Southampton after Viktor Gyokeres cancelled out Ross Stewart’s opener.
Arsenal have now suffered back-to-back losses and exited two cup competitions, and to make matters worse, Gabriel was forced off with a knee injury in the final stages of the Southampton game.
Speaking of Gabriel, Arteta provided a brief update on his injury after the Southampton loss.
“I think he felt something,” Arteta said.
READ: Two Arsenal careers over as not even Arteta can shield some amid generational bottling
“I don’t know exactly what it is. We’re going to have to assess him, but obviously, when a player is asking to be substituted, it’s never good news.”
Arteta has also told his players to look at themselves “in the mirror” after the Southampton loss, but he also defended them.
“I love my players, what they have done for nine months. I’m not going to criticise them for losing here. What they are putting their bodies through, some didn’t have to be here today. I’ll defend them more than ever,” Arteta said on the defeat.
READ MORE: Arsenal ‘bottlemageddon’ continues as Liverpool should give Slot a statue… then sack him
“If someone has to take responsibility that’s me. We have the most beautiful period ahead of us. Normally you have two or three moments like this in a season, this is the first moment with a level of difficulty. Let’s stand up and make ourselves count.
“No excuses about players that are missing or that are here with issues. Let’s look at ourselves in the mirror, accept the situation, rebel against it and go forward with clarity.”
And when asked what his message for his players is, Arteta continued: “Give them clarity and conviction. Trust in our players and believe in what we do. Continue to do that with little tweaks that every game demands.
“We must maintain the attitude and energy at the highest possible level. That is critical to perform at the level we need to win matches.”
READ NEXT: Wissa, Antony, Mustafi: The worst Premier League signing in each of the last 25 transfer windows
