Things have been looking up for Gabriel Jesus in recent weeks – he’s fit, playing regularly and, most importantly, scoring. It looks as though his confidence has returned and he’s enjoying his football again.
While it’s too early to suggest a player who has waxed and waned throughout his career has turned over a new leaf, Arsenal fans are hopeful the Brazilian can keep delivering big moments to help the club in their four-pronged quest for silverware.
Ahead of this evening’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg with Newcastle, Jesus had a simple answer when asked what’s different in an interview with Sky Sports.
“The ball is going to the net,” he said with a smile.
“Obviously every single player, when playing constantly, can get more minutes. I think everything is different. The confidence, the rhythm, everything, the impact the player can make in the team.
“It’s not just for me, but I think for everyone. I think that’s the difference. And also, I don’t stop working, I don’t stop believing in myself.
“I am a type of guy who wants to work and then who wants to be on the pitch to help, because I know if I’m on the pitch, I help more.”
Jesus’ confidence issues have been a subject for discussion since he injured his knee at the 2022 World Cup.
Struggling with persistent fitness issues for the best part of two years, he’s played like his best form is just out of reach. He’s subsequently had fewer opportunities leading to more soul-searching – not ideal for a player often accused of overthinking things.
“Maybe the reason I am so hard on myself is because I know my talent, I know what I can do,” he said.
“I know also the situation in my career and that if I’m not scoring, people will judge me a lot.
“A few people have told me about this, that I’m so hard on myself, but the place I come from, I have to work and then to try to give my best.”
He added: “I’m a very emotional guy. I’m trying to put the emotions aside and then try to be focused, like keep like strong in my mind, that sometimes the difficult times will come, but I need to be strong.
“The confidence is a huge part of a football player. If you have it, you are a different player. If you don’t, if it’s low, it’s a complete difference as well. So I’m trying to keep confidence.
“I have tried to work [with a therapist], but I’m the type of guy who speaks very little, I’m not an open guy.
“Now, I talk with my wife a lot and then before, I was with my mum and with my brothers a few times and my close friends.
“Now I’m trying to open this and get someone to speak to help me with these emotions.”
In the absence of Bukayo Saka, Arsenal could definitely do with Jesus maintaining his current run. The team needs matchwinners and he’s a guy who has the experience and know-how to be a leader heading into a defining few weeks of the season.
I do feel, in recent months, that we kinda forgot how to play with Jesus.
We were using Havertz such a lot and he really demands a different kind of service and build up play.
So for a while Jesus looked so lost, wandering aimlessly round the field trying to pick the ball up.
Here’s hoping he’s managed to re gel with the side and know when to pull wide or deep and when to just be in the box.
Agree J4H, Kai & Jesus drifts in to the same areas at the same time, on paper you’d think it would work, a big guy knocking on headers, holding up play to play in his partner and scoring a few himself, thing is Havertz is no Giroud, and Jesus is no Ian Wright, they are very good players in their own right but the game has changed so much especially for us it seems to be our wide players need to be on their game for us to take hold of a game, what’s also missing from our game is… Read more »
I really think the remainder of our season directly correlates with Jesus’s form. He’s an absolutely immense player when he’s 100% on it. I’d argue his ceiling is higher than every forward in the squad with the exception of Saka. Alas the last few years of his career have been a disaster. But on the off chance that he can truly find consistent form between now and May, I would make us favourites for the title. He can be that good.
I want him and Havertz to start together as rotating RW/ST. They are both excellent players who offer different goal threats and it would be great to add some unpredictability to our attacks without compromising on quality
I think it was pretty clear that he carried the *physical* side of the World Cup injury for a long time. In a perfect world, he would have been used sparingly, or not at all, in the months after he came back and had time for a full recovery. Now, it looks like he is back to the way he looked when he first came to Arsenal: constant movement, the quick bursts that regularly catch defenders out, the chaos he causes in front of the goal. Is it because he has regained confidence, or has he regained confidence because he… Read more »
Can we get this man a sock puppet so he feels he can talk?!?
Spit the dog
One that understands parables ?
I would like to mention that the referees who have been fucking Arteta last 2-3 seasons are the same people who fucked Wenger’s younger squads with ‘to beat Arsenal you have to kick’em’ mantra. A section of the fan base was manipulated and trolled to death to the point they turned against the manager who could keep us at the top with limited budgets facing petro-states, oilgarchs, PGMOL corruption and whatever else. I urge people not to do the same mistake twice…..
He just needs to believe in himself