As has often been the case for Mikel Arteta this season, the Arsenal manager finished the game against Liverpool with a much different back four than the one which started.
Gabriel Magalhaes injured his left knee early in the second half and his Arsenal teammate Jurrien Timber also needed to come off shortly before the end.
Timber appeared to be fatigued rather than injured, but it’s still a concern for the Gunners.
That being said, Gabriel was replaced by Jakub Kiwior in the 54th minute, a back line that was then a far cry from Arteta’s strongest.
Ben White and Thomas Partey were excellent on the right, Arsenal were having no issues on that side of the pitch.
However, once Gabriel went off, Kiwior understandably struggled to mirror the Brazilian’s presence.
Jakub Kiwior told he’s worse than Shkodran Mustafi after Liverpool error
Kiwior started strongly in fairness, winning more than one header confidently and looking fairly assured on the ball.
However, the Poland international was all at sea for Mohamed Salah’s goal, running completely out of position.
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The defender chased Trent Alexander-Arnold’s excellent pass and didn’t get there, meaning White was trying to contend with both Darwin Nunez and Salah.
Kiwior was humiliated during the defeat against Bournemouth, and his tough moment was criticised by a lot of fans on X.
One fan simply wrote: “[Shkodran] Mustafi is better than Kiwior btw”, a former Gunner who wasn’t celebrated for his strong defending.
Rather than Mustafi, another supporter said: “Kiwior is the new Rob Holding”, again not intended as a compliment.
As mentioned, Kiwior did have some strong moments in his second half showing, but his good work was ultimately forgotten after his rash moment.
One fan even predicted the downfall when Kiwior originally came on writing: “Kiwior coming on to give Liverpool the win.
“It will take a few minutes to get 2-2 because of Kiwior’s poor defending then 3-2 for Liverpool.”
Thankfully, Arsenal didn’t lose, but it’s clear that the Pole has lost the support of a lot of fans.
Gabriel Magalhaes injury may mean Jakub Kiwior is needed long-term
Whilst there’s no definite prognosis on Gabriel’s knee injury just yet, Arsenal may actually need to turn to Kiwior as their left centre-back for the foreseeable future.
Arteta provided an update on Riccardo Calafiori’s injury prior to the Liverpool game, who would be first choice back up to Gabriel were he missing for a period.
But otherwise Arteta will surely put his faith in Kiwior, who could still respond well to fresh confidence from his manager.
Kiwior has performed very well in an Arsenal shirt in the past, and it could be time for fans in N5 to get behind him once again.
A player short on confidence but one who can definitely still be an asset for Arteta.
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