Sometimes it is not just about the numbers. Mikel Arteta probably put it best when he was asked to summarise how influential Gabriel Magalhães has been to his Arsenal side so far this season prior to their meeting with Crystal Palace last month. “His belief is tremendous,” said the manager. “I can tell him to go and run to the first post, and he does it with conviction, energy and attitude. The team’s belief in those moments is really high, and Gabriel is at the heart of that. He gives everything for the team and that sets the tone for everyone else.”
So Arteta must have feared the worst when the 27-year-old trudged off with his shirt over his face in Brazil’s win over Senegal at the Emirates Stadium last weekend. And before Sunday’s north London derby, he could not hide his disappointment when confirming a thigh injury that will be assessed further next week means Gabriel is set for an extended spell on the sidelines.
Despite Arteta’s insistence that Arsenal can remain “super competitive” without their defensive talisman, as they showed last season when a hamstring injury meant he missed the two wins over Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final, losing a player that is so important at both ends of the pitch could prove vital to their title hopes after a blistering start to the season.
Statistics show Gabriel has played a crucial role in Arsenal conceding only five goals in the Premier League. He has more blocks (20) than anyone else in the division and is also his side’s highest-ranked player for aerial duels, clearances and headed clearances. The Brazilian’s prowess in the air means he is also a significant threat at the other end. He has scored twice and added three assists already this season, taking his total since arriving from Lille in 2020 to 18 goals from set pieces – three more than anyone else in that period. And when Gabriel is not playing, Arsenal’s win rate in the Premier League drops from 64.3% to 40%, or 2.1 points per game compared to just 1.5.
The daunting challenge Arteta must now overcome is how to replace Gabriel effectively. He was the only Arsenal player to have played every minute in the Premier League so far this season and has featured in all 17 of their matches in all competitions. Declan Rice is the only other member of Arsenal’s squad to have done the latter. Bukayo Saka has taken the armband in the ongoing absence of Martin Ødegaard, with the Norwegian in line to return from a knee injury against Tottenham. But it is Gabriel and Rice who have been driving Arsenal’s relentless start as they attempt to overcome the disappointment of three successive runners-up finishes and win the title for the first time since 2004.
Arsenal were overwhelmed by Manchester City in 2023 after losing William Saliba to a back injury having led the table for 243 days, although, with all due respect, they do not have to rely on Rob Holding as a back-up option this time around. Lessons were also learned last season when a spate of injuries left Arsenal short of attacking options – an issue that has afflicted them again, even if spending more than £250m on reinforcements has enabled them to cope so far. To the extent that there is an equal number of predominantly left and right-footed players at his disposal, Arteta has meticulously assembled a squad that is designed to cope with every eventuality. It was noticeable that Cristhian Mosquera – a bargain £13m purchase from Valencia in the summer – filled in superbly when Saliba was unavailable earlier this season.
The question for many Arsenal supporters’ is whether or not Arteta will trust Mosquera, a Spain Under-21 international, to move over to the left side of central defence that is usually occupied by Gabriel, or if he instead decides to bring in Piero Hincapié. A late addition from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer on a season-long loan with an option to make the deal permanent for £45m next year, the 23-year-old played the whole match for Ecuador as they beat New Zealand in a friendly on Wednesday in New Jersey. He has made five appearances for Arsenal – mainly at left-back – but impressed on the left side of central defence alongside Mosquera when starting for the first time against Brighton in the Carabao Cup last month.
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Regular left-back Riccardo Calafiori could be another option given that he plays there for Italy, but he has not trained this week after returning from international duty with a hip problem and Arsenal are expected to make a late call on whether he can feature on Sunday. Jakub Kiwior filled in admirably for Gabriel last season when he missed Arsenal’s last 12 games of the campaign but is not an option now given he is on loan at Porto.
“I don’t know,” said Arteta when asked whether Gabriel is the hardest member of his team to replace. “Obviously he’s a big, big player for us but the good thing is that we have experienced that. Last year, in the most crucial moment of the season, we were without him for three months and the team managed to remain super competitive. We won a lot of matches, we were defensively really good against very, very tough opponents, so we need to do it again.”
