The September international break has been kind to some Arsenal players and cruel to others.
Almost 20 Arsenal first-team players were on international duty over the September break, all set to return to North London unscathed.
Nothing will delight Mikel Arteta more than having his squad return fit and ready to compete, with the fixtures now rounded up until the October break in play.
From Mikel Merino’s inspired goalscoring streak for Spain to Martin Odegaard’s sublime performance for Norway against Moldova, there’s been some real highs, but also some painful lows.
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Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Magalhaes write themselves into unwanted Brazilian history
Arsenal’s South American representatives have racked up the air miles over the break, with Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Magalhaes ending their time on duty over 6,000 miles away in Bolivia.
New signing Piero Hincapie will travel back to London from Ecuador with a smile on his face after beating World Champions Argentina, but Martinelli and Gabriel might spend their time reflecting.
Arsenal’s Selecao duo wrote themselves into unwanted history over the international break as Brazil recorded their worst-ever campaign in the South American World Cup Qualifiers.
A 1-0 defeat in Bolivia rounded off an abysmal qualification record for Brazil, who finished fifth in the table with a win rate of just 51%.
Since the format was introduced in 1996, Brazil had never recorded fewer than 30 points in the qualifiers, a record that has now been broken.
Martinelli and Gabriel have been involved in various call-ups over the qualifiers, establishing themselves as part of one of the worst Brazilian squads in history.
Despite the jaw-droppingly bad form the Selecao have shown in recent years, there is a shining light in that Brazil will be seeded in the World Cup due to their position in FIFA rankings.
With the 2026 World Cup coming next summer, Carlo Ancelotti has his work cut out to get this Brazilian squad firing, but how many Arsenal representatives will be at the tournament?
Will Martinelli get a 2026 World Cup call-up?
Brazil need all the defensive stability they can get, which surely guarantees Gabriel’s spot on the plane to the World Cup.
For Martinelli, things are more complicated, as Ancelotti has attacking options in abundance but merely needs to learn how to best utilise them.
| Total appearances | Goals | Assists | Major tournament appearances |
| 19 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
Considering that Martinelli’s form at Arsenal has been poor and that the winger’s game time is set to reduce due to increased competition, the 24-year-old might face a fight to earn a call-up.
The next nine months will be pivotal to the forward, who will be desperate to get his second taste of the World Cup.
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