23 hours Ago
Mikel Arteta admitted that losing Gabriel Magalhães at such a critical stage of the season is a significant setback but insisted Arsenal will continue fighting for silverware despite their growing injury concerns. The Brazilian defender was forced off early in the 2-1 win over Fulham after appearing to struggle inside the penalty area. Clearly in discomfort, he went to ground, holding his leg and shaking his head as teammates signalled for medical attention.
Although Gabriel managed to leave the pitch without assistance, he looked visibly frustrated as he made way for Jakub Kiwior. "It's not good for us to lose a player like Gabi, but it is what it is,” admitted Arteta. “We are going to have to see what happened with him and if he is good for the next game, and if not we will have to try to adapt.
We know how good we are and we are going to try to win the games even though he is injured." With a Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid on the horizon and their Premier League hopes still hanging in the balance, Arteta stressed that his team remains focused on competing for trophies. "We have a big game coming up against Madrid and we are going to try to win the Premier League as well," he said.
"We are going to try to win the games and win a title." Defensive options are becoming increasingly limited, with Gabriel’s injury coming just days after Ben White was sidelined due to a training setback. ”He had a little niggle two days ago," Mikel Arteta said on White pre-match.
"Yesterday we tried, he wasn’t feeling right, so we decided not to put him in the squad today.” Arsenal have already struggled with key absences in attack, which hampered their title bid earlier this year. Now, with their defensive ranks also stretched, Arteta faces a fresh challenge in keeping his squad competitive as the season reaches its climax.
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