For the first time this season from set-pieces, Arsenal produced zero threat against Brentford, with Gabriel Magalhaes’ absence starting to show.
The Gunners ended up seeing off Brentford 2-0 in the end, with goals from Mikel Merino and Bukayo Saka getting Mikel Arteta’s team over the line.
However, their ever-reliable set-piece tactics were unable to come up trumps against the Bees, as Declan Rice struggled to beat their defensive set-up.
Gabriel Magalhaes’ absence from the team is starting to show in these situations, and it’s back to the drawing board for Nicolas Jover.
Arsenal recorded 0.00xG from set-pieces vs Brentford
Arsenal recorded an xG of 0.00 from set-pieces against Brentford, which is the first time that has happened to them this campaign.
Rice has been sublime from corners for Arsenal this season, with the Gunners having become the first team to score eight goals in their first ten Premier League matches.
However, these goals have started to dry up recently, with their biggest attacking threat, Gabriel, missing from the team.
Gabriel’s threat from set-pieces strikes fear into the opposition, and there is seemingly little way of stopping him given his dominance in the air.
Arsenal recorded an xG of 0.00 from set-pieces vs Brentford for the first time this season… 😲
How badly are the Gunners missing Gabriel Magalhaes’ threat from set-pieces? Let us know which player needs to step up for Arteta’s team in the comments…
Arsenal are now sweating over Rice’s fitness after the midfielder was forced off with a calf injury in the 2-0 win at the Emirates Stadium.
He is the Gunners’ best set-piece taker, so losing him, in addition to Gabriel, would be a disaster for Jover’s plans.
Jurrien Timber is an underrated asset at corners, so he could be the man to replace Gabriel whilst Arsenal wait for him to return from injury.
Arsenal might be overworking Declan Rice
Rice has now played more minutes for Arsenal than any other outfield player this season, so his injury is not too much of a surprise.
Paul Merson called for Rice to ‘run him into the ground’, but the Gunners cannot afford to lose their midfield general for a lengthy period of time.
Declan Rice has played more minutes than any other Arsenal outfield player this season! 🥵
Most Arsenal minutes played this season:
David Raya: 1,710
Declan Rice: 1,564
Martin Zubimendi: 1,519
Jurrien Timber: 1,488
Gabriel Magalhaes: 1,356
William Saliba: 1,265
How worried are you about Arsenal overworking Rice this season? Let us know your honest take in the comments… 🤔
The big issue facing Arsenal is if Rice’s injury were to be serious, they aren’t particularly well covered in midfield.
Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze could form a rather attacking midfield for the Gunners, alongside Zubimendi, or Christian Norgaard could directly replace him.
Arteta doesn’t appear to trust Norgaard, however, meaning Andrea Berta might need to start assessing options in the transfer window.
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