Matchday 15 of the Premier League season brought Arsenal back down to earth with a bang.
As Arsenal lost 2-1 to Aston Villa, Unai Emery’s side closed the gap between third and first to three points, while Manchester City sit two points behind the Gunners.
The Premier League title race is heating up, which was to be expected, but there’s no need for Mikel Arteta to panic.
Though the Arsenal manager won’t be thinking that the season is over after suffering a second defeat, one piece of feedback he received from Villa Park is a concern.
Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer agree Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba are irreplaceable for Arsenal
The Villa defeat showed how missed Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba are.
Though Arteta thought Piero Hincapie and Jurrien Timber were exceptional, the pair just weren’t Gabriel and Saliba, and their absence is becoming difficult to ignore.
Arsenal have already had six different centre-back pairings this season…
We're only 22 games into the season, as well…
If you were Arteta, would rush Saliba back from injury or stick with Timber and Hincapie? Let us know your centre back pairing to face Brugge and Wolves… 🤔
Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer broke down matchday 15’s action on The Rest Is Football podcast, where the pair raised the issue of Arsenal’s defensive injuries.
“I mean, the fact that they have got backup central defenders is just as well, and they’re obviously good ones, but it’s hard to replace Gabriel and Saliba.
“I mean, that’s as good as it gets, isn’t it?” Lineker said.
Shearer responded by echoing his co-host’s thoughts, noting that it was inevitable that Arsenal would become ‘slightly weaker’.
“Whoever you’re bringing in, whether it’s Hincapie or Mosquera or whether it’s Timber, they’re not Gabriel or Saliba, and so you are going to be slightly weaker.”
Fortunately, Saliba is close to returning, with the Frenchman’s return made all the more crucial now that Cristhian Mosquera is set to miss weeks.
There’s a huge strain on Arteta’s defence right now, which has made Saliba and Gabriel’s concurrent absence even more unsettling.
Mikel Arteta knew how big a loss Gabriel and Saliba were against Aston Villa
Saliba being close to returning is a positive, but it’s Gabriel who is even more important to Arsenal right now.
Is there a player Arsenal would miss more than Gabriel? If so, who?
The numbers reveal how crucial the Brazilian is to the Gunners, making his injury even more agonising.
The absence of both players is a problem for Arteta, an issue that the boss isn’t trying to hide from.
After the Villa defeat, Arteta acknowledged how much Arsenal missed Saliba and Gabriel in a setting as intimidating as Villa Park.
“Obviously, we know what those two [Gabriel and Saliba] bring, especially in a game like this.”
Arteta will be counting down the days until he can unleash his star defensive duo once again, with Arsenal’s options already nearly exhausted.
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