Not for the primary time, Arsenal have been left cursing their luck after a world break that has caused nothing but problems.
Injuries have been a difficulty on the Emirates all season but with added depth and quality within the ranks, Mikel Arteta has largely been capable of navigate his way through the storm. Despite some key absences, his side are 4 points clear on the summit of English football ahead of Sunday’s north London derby against Tottenham.
But with the ultimate international break now out of the way in which and a breathless run through the festive period looming large, fresh concerns were waiting for Arteta and his staff in north London this week.
Gabriel Magalhaes didn’t even have to travel to affix the walking wounded. The centre-half limped out of Brazil’s friendly with Senegal on the Emirates with a thigh injury that is predicted to rule him out for a minimum of 4 weeks.
While not quite a bombshell, there was the somewhat startling admission from Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann that Kai Havertz has had a ‘minor relapse’ in his bid to return from a knee injury that has delayed his return to the top of the 12 months.
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Havertz has not played because the opening weekend of the season went he underwent what the club described as ‘minor’ surgery in August.
There have been also slight concerns for Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber during their trips away with Italy and Netherlands respectively.
Arteta has been without Noni Madueke and Martin Odegaard for plenty of weeks with Viktor Gyokeres also missing the last two games with a hamstring injury. Before the break, Arteta was cautiously optimistic the trio could be back in time for the derby, together with Gabriel Martinelli. But however, there was similar hope for Havertz.
Arsenal resume their campaign fully on top of things as they chase down a primary league title in 22 years. Prior to the 2-2 draw with Sunderland last trip, they’d conceded only one goal in a run of 10 games, rock-solid on the back with elite quality and depth in midfield and attack.
Arsenal have stood firm this term when key personnel have dropped out. But injuries have had a destabilising effect prior to now.
How long is Gabriel Magalhaes out for?
While Arsenal are still investigating the injury, Stephen Smith, CEO and founding father of Kitman Labs, believes the problem may relate to the Brazilian’s quadricep muscle.
Reports have suggested the Brazilian is facing at minimum 4 weeks on the sidelines but that trip will rely upon the severity of the problem.
‘As he walked off the pitch, we saw him clutching his quad so most probably it’s a quad strain, Smith said. ‘The common timeline based on recent studies is about 25 days. That may vary if its lower or higher grade but whether it is a grade 1, it can be generally lower than 25 days.
‘Grade 2 might be 20 to 40 days and a grade 3 or a more severe grade 2 might be upwards of a month and a half or two months. Hamstring injuries might be very tricky and you possibly can miss an honest period of time with them. But with quad injuries, if there may be any tendon involvement within the injury, that might be really tricky since the whole muscle group is totally compromised.
‘So if there may be any level of tendon involvement that could be a real issue from a rehab standpoint and van delay the return to play.’
It was the lack of William Saliba that derailed a title charge within the 2022-23 season. Arsenal won just five of their 11 remaining games that campaign after losing the Frenchman to a back injury. They eventually finished five points behind Manchester City who went onto secure the treble.
Last season, they were just three points adrift of Liverpool when Saka was struck down by a hamstring injury that required surgery just before Christmas. By the point he returned, it had grown to a 12-point chasm with title hopes in north London long extinguished. Arsenal also lost Havertz and Martinelli to injuries in February with Odegaard missing a major period earlier within the season.
The difference this time around stands out as the strength in depth Arteta has at his disposal. Madueke, whose move across the capital from Chelsea was initially met with scepticism, stepped in admirably during Saka’s absence in August and September after a fresh hamstring issue. Martin Zubimendi has been a reliable source of control and invention in midfield during Odegaard’s frequent absences. Cristhian Mosquera meanwhile has slotted in effortlessly when called upon and will now be handed an prolonged run within the side in Gabriel’s absence.
The Brazil international has been a fearsome presence at each ends of the pitch for Arsenal this term. With perhaps the exception of his partner in crime Saliba or Declan Rice, his absence will perhaps be felt probably the most.
Arsenal are still waiting to learn the complete extent of the injury with Stephen Smith, CEO and founding father of Kitman Labs which specialises in injury welfare, suspecting the precise issue could also be with the defender’s quadriceps muscle.
How will Arsenal manage Gabriel’s comeback?
Any injury within the thigh area might be problematic, with it affecting almost every fact of a player’s game.
Acceleration, decertation, the force required in kicking the ball, jumping and landing relies on that muscle structure – with those latter two particularly vital for Gabriel who has been a colossus within the air each on the back and in front of goal.
‘It would be very necessary for them to administer his physical load through games,’ Smith said. ‘They [Arsenal] might be keen ensure his vertical jump is similar and his power output is similar. The quantity of explosive force to leap but additionally to land is large – plenty of the time you are usually not actually landing on two legs, you’re coming back down on one with entire force of your body, plus sometimes with another person’s momentum as well.
‘So they are going to absolutely be that and serious about that. It’s a very important a part of his game so it can be a very important a part of their simulation work to make sure he is ready for that.
‘You may’t ask an athlete to go on the market and alter they way he behaves. He has to trust and belief when he walks on the market he can play the sport the way in which he does.’
‘Arsenal will need to see the photographs themselves and determine exactly where that fibre disruption is,’ Smith told Metro. ‘They will even want to grasp how much bleeding or how much fluid got here from the tear as well to offer them an honest indication of what damage was created. A scan will show the variety of muscle fibres that were torn, subsequent scans will show the dimensions of the tear and help understand the magnitude of the problem if indeed it’s a quad strain.’
Elsewhere, little or no has been disclosed over the injury Gyokeres picked up in the beginning of November with Arteta poised to deliver an update on the striker and the remainder of the squad on Friday.
While Mikel Merino has so often been a dependable stand-in up top, having the Sweden international and Havertz unavailable heading into December might be one other huge problem to resolve.
But unlike previous seasons, they may just have the solutions at hand this time.
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