Arsenal look likely to start the season without Gabriel after the Brazilian suffered a nasty injury deep into stoppage-time of this evening’s 3-2 win against Manchester City in Gothenburg.
The centre-back was stretchered off after appearing to twist his ankle as he challenged striker Kelechi Iheanacho. There’s no official confirmation on whether the player will be out for a long time or not, but the players and boss Arsene Wenger were visibly distressed as the 25-year-old received treatment.
Arsene Wenger has already ruled Laurent Koscielny out of the start of the season following his international exploits and Per Mertesacker is out until after Christmas with a knee injury.
It means two of Calum Chambers, Rob Holding and Kystian Bielik will line up as a central defensive pairing in the Premier League opener against Liverpool in a week. That’s unless we force through a transfer in the coming days.
“He [Gabriel] is in pain,” Wenger said post-game. “Let’s hope that the pain is not a sign of bad news.
“Laurent’s back in training but Liverpool may come a bit soon. We’re short in defence at the moment.”
All in all, it’s far from ideal. We keep our fingers crossed for Gabriel, let’s hope it’s nowhere near as serious as it looks.
Is this the part where we panic buy Jonny Evans?
I think leaving the position open for the game will result in a more respectable final score.
We don’t wanna loose points in the opening day. Just get Koscielny back into action. Do not put too much pressures on our young defenders.
I’m not emotionally ready for this
This is why, “waiting for the opportunity day and night and act on it when it falls into your lap” is a bullshit transfer strategy.
some things never change, some people never learn.
Why not? We have twelve seasons to prepare for this.
Seeing how people agree with this statement (and I am one who agrees), I guess the victory hangover is done.
Hoping it’s not serious and Gabriel gets well soon. He’s a key senior defender we need, and deserves our support.
He is a senior defender but is not a “Key” defender.
He’s key in the sense that he was our only remaining fit, experienced centre-back going into the season. We’re now relying on some promising but very, very raw talent. Scared for Sunday.
Looked like another ACL to me, he twisted his knee while it bent underneath him..
yeah they had a full leg brace on…they don’t do that for ankles.
Best hope is a MCL tear or strain, but speaking from experience (I’ve torn my ACL) that was what it looked like and it hurts like F%&king hell!!
Poor guy
Kos will be back on Saturday, since anyone we bring in from another league is unlikely to be any further along in preparations.
Sunday
Better to lose the game I think, in the long run
What you all would rather we rush Kos back, he gets injured and we end up having to play for months without him?
Don’t try and understand it.. just embrace the red thumbs..
Transfer period is where we see the bi-polar side of fans.
This is our lot in life…
So it would seem …
We’re doomed…
Shiiiiiiit think we shld bite the bullet and go out swinging on those speculated and possible transfer targets
Good performance by the team and another (bad?) injury to one of our CB’s. Wenger should make good use of the money available and really buy an experienced CB this week. Don’t see Holding + Chambers surviving Coutinho, Mane and Firmino next weekend.
All the pussy footing around, under-cutting with low bids, and now the selling clubs have a much stronger hand in negotiations. Should have been sorted much sooner and we all knew it. Good one Arsene.
Exactly! A summer that started so well has once again become an utter farce, thanks to our useless manager who should have fucked off years ago.
Even if we buy a centre half tomorrow morning, he’ll have no time to gel with his teammates, and will be thrown straight into the deep end.
that’s right, Arsene should have bought…
-5 Goalies
-10 Defenders
-15 Assorted defensive and attacking midfielders
-6 or 7 strikers, handsome ones
That way we are well covered in case of injuries so no club can force our hand and take advantage of us.
On a more serious note, Arsene could buy the best striker and centre back in the world and there’s nothing to say they can’t have a very nasty injury before ever playing for us on an official match, sometimes shit does happen.
I think your less serious note was the only way we might have the depth to make it through the season. We are absolutely cursed!!
Why were we playing injury time in a friendly anyway?! WTF? friendlies finish at 90mins…
It’s not like we’ve went into a season with only 2 center backs. It’s like not we’ve went into a season with only 1 proven striker. Asking for more? Madness! What can go wrong, right?
I agree! Wenger is too slow to catch a cold! Thought he was getting signings done early this year with Grant, but same old Wenger and we are gonna be left with the slops again. Get yr bloody check book out you french onion! For gods sake!!
It would be so Wenger like to bid for a striker now!
Too many fluffed opportunities in that first half brought back bad memories from last season
I can see us being OK if we are lucky with form and injuries but I’d be a lot happier if he did bring somebody in
Arsenal remind me of me at work! I know what needs to be done and have plenty f time but somwhow i manage ro fritter it away and end up in a mad panic!! will we never learn?
Sounds familiar!
I’m predicting starting the season with a back four of Bellerin -Monreal -Holding -Gibbs. Far from ideal but what can you do? (you know, other than spending some money fast)
I agree that, under current circumstances, Arsene should resume using Monreal as an auxilary centre half, until further notice.
Nacho will at least provide some much needed experience in the centre of our defence, for the
opening games of the season.
Playing him there will also provide us with some breathing space, whilst we sort out who we can and should buy in that key area of the pitch.
So for me, it’s Monreal plus one at centre half, with Gibbs starting the season in the team.
I think we should go with the two younger guys. This is what opportunity is all about. Nacho hasn’t played a minute of CB in months, maybe years now.
If Koz isn’t ready I’m ok with Bellerin Holding Chambers Nachos…
Hopefully they don’t spill the nachos because Nacho spills are really messi
I thought it was his knee at the time. Generally can tell if it’s a bad one by player reaction. He looked in pain and absolutely gutted. We’ve surely got to buy a CB quickly now? It jumped to No1 priority for sure
Frustrating to see our group of players look like a far more talented bunch yet you imagine City will grow into a stronger team this year.
Could see Guardiola falling flat on his face on the strength of that display … he hasn’t been handed a kickass squad this time …
Still it’s early days
Early days indeed. As I recall, Guardiola’s first few league games at Barcelona delivered so-so results (no wins in the first 3, I think). By the end of that season he had a treble.
He had Xavier, iniesta and Messi!
If city have any chance of a trophy they need an injury free season from aguero!
They also need De Bruyne to reach world class quality immediately (I.e. Iniesta, ozil, sneijder 2010).
He might actually need a building year.
Write off 2017…and go guns blazing 2018…
Just sign Ashley Williams and he can slot straight in.
Didn’t he already change teams?
now that we’ve addressed striker position by marquee signing Theodor Walcott centre back should be our next priority, that Spanish central defender Monreal anyone?
We have ONE centre back left. Why is he on the pitch, in a friendly so long? All day we’ve seen other managers protect their assets. Arsenal now have no proper centre backs to play Liverpool. We’ve known about Per for over a month and done nothing, no strikers either. Sunday League shit in the Premiership. BUY SOME FUCK9NG PLAYERS??????
He had tonsilitis dude…he needed some game time. Come on you really aren’t actually going to blame Arsene for Gabriel’s injury are you?
I think Wenger really has this right:
“I’ve never seen an intelligent accident, they always look stupid. We have to take that. . . . It’s part of our game.”
Watching this match gave me a good number of near orgasms but a failed happy ending on account of Gabriel’s injury. Now I’m sad. Wishing him the quickest recovery.
Seriously what the F**K… we seem to have the worst luck, last kick of the bloody game,
Is it to late to hijack vermaelen’s move from Barca, he could fit right back in to the squad.
Fuck
Well we have 3 options:
-Try and push this Mustafi transfer through as soon as possible. That doesn’t look likely l.
– Try either one of Monreal, Debuchy or Coq as CB. 90 percent chance it backfires against liverpool.
– Rush back Koscienly. This is the riskiest option and probably what Wenger will do.
However you look at it, we’re in some mess. No way in the world are we starting holding and bielik/chambers. They’d get slaughtered.
Feel sorry for Gabriel. I hope he comes back soon.
Wasn’t there reports of Coq playing centre half in training?
Nice win today, esp mentally. Bitter sweet with Gabriel. It’s such Arsenal luck as was last minute of the game, tho it should haven been 2 mins injury time max. Fuckin typical ??
– I am fucking livid about this. Why the fuck are we playing these meaningless, pointless fucking friendlies?! Money is the only reason. Well with Mertesacker and now Gabriel down, those money-spinning friendlies have effectively cost us £30m if we want to replace those two with quality centre-backs. We’ll never do that, though. So we’ll lose point after point this season because of make-shift, inexperienced centre-back replacements, and that’s our season done with. Fucking genius thinking, that. Nothing but greed. What a fucking shambles.
Every team in every league plays pre-season friendlies. It’s part of the normal preparation for a season.
Ever thought of match fitness??
If he choose not to participate in friendlies, we’ll be having a few more injuries than one centre back and you’ll blame him for that.
FOREVER COYG!!!
Well the gods are on showing how not to run a football club.But is money in the bank more important than putting players on the pitch then I think our cash reserve can play CB next week what a joke of a manager and a club.Any one what going to happen now I have pretty good ideal PANIC BOY THAT THE GAME NOW WENGER MOST GO .
93rd minute?! FFS. Poor bastard. Wenger really needs to react now. Last minute “poker” isn’t going to get us through the first few games. We could easily find ourselves trailing right from the outset.
when you only have one senior cb to start the season and you’re 3-1 up to man city in a friendly after 90 minutes and you don’t sub said cb off….well you get what you deserve. kudos arsene. you’ve managed to fuck yourself, this team and it’s fans over royally. not looking forward to liverpool in a week.
Arsenal XI vs Liverpool: Cech, Bellerin, Chambers, Holding, Monreal, Xhaka, Ramsey, Iwobi, Ox, Alexis
Subs: Ospina, Dedouche, Gibbs, Campbel, Elneny, Theo, The Jeff
Wenger isn’t making any purchases until we lose to Swansea or somebody like that
Based on pre-season, I’d like to see El-Neny start rather than the recently returning Ramsey. He’s been sharp, keeps play ticking, shows up in defence to start build up, is always available EVERYWHERE, is a threat on set pieces and contributes to attack. Ah! But I’m basing my choice on just pre-season games.
I like what I’ve seen of Elneny so far, but he does have a tendency every now and then to play a “hospital ball” pass to a team-mate, which is scary.
I’m fine with that line-up, maybe Akpom instead of the Jeff. The idea of Ramsey starting with Xhaka is good, for home games we should be more offensive-minded, on the road, I would start El-neny or Coq with Xhaka.
Personally, I am against going out and panic buying a CB. Although we currently have 2 injured, we still have 4, even if Kos is not quite ready. If we buy another, that would make 7 CB when everyone is fit, crazy, isn’t it ?
When everyone is fit? And that would be after we are trailing 10 points? Wenger himself said we are short at the back and he doesn’t like buying fcol…
Like the lineup, especially under the circumstances.
I sincerely hope that doesn’t pan out.
That lineup is already down to 10 men.
I’d much prefer us to play with 11 players though……very funny.
You’re making things difficult starting only 10 players…
I’d go with 11 and probably have to start Campbell or Walcott as well
Santi?
I know some people think playing with Walcott is a liability…but is it that bad that you would rather play with 10?
:p
I’m guessing you’ve either left out cazorla or coquelin from that line-up by accident.
I’m guessing cazorla?
I personally would go for
Czech, bellerin, chambers, Monreal, gibbs, el neny, xhaka, iwobi, Ramsey, the ox and Sanchez!
I wish him a swift recovery. Maybe he can read his first book during his convalescence. That made up article from Blogs about Coquelin playing at the back is getting closer to an awful reality.
Well, history is just repeating itself. This is not very surprising to me. It’s the same old story again, just this time the injuries come before the season even starts. After loosing Per you should’ve gone for a backup. After doing nothing at all your last senior FB gets injured in injury time of the last friendly!! Now all of a sudden you are running out of time. I expect no more signings to happen, you know, there is not good players around that would make the team better. As Arsene just stated a few days ago. This is just… Read more »
Obtenha Bem Logo, Gabriel Paulista
That’s at least what Google translate says is get well soon in Portuguese.
Show your support for a lad who’s shown real fire and passion for the Arsenal.
He can’t read or understand English, but let’s show we care.
Thought that was autocorrect gone haywire for a moment
Stack the £100m on the goal line in bundles of tenners. Probably cover most of the goal. They’ll never score. Sorted. Time to get the wonga out Wenger. It’s no use to us in the bank.
I think it will be a good opportunity for Chambers especially & Holding to get more field time this season. Luckily the injury is at the beginning of the season. I was disappointed at how little time Chambers got last season but felt he did fairly well for the amount of time he played. It was so disappointing how the fans attacked Debuchy, Chambers and Gabriel last season. With very little playing time for Debuchy and Chambers I wondered how we could expect more. Most of the time Wenger put Debuchy, Chambers or Gabriel on at the same game. It… Read more »
I feel a bit sick reading this comment section sometimes…. I can’t believe wenger injured Gabriel like that, what a monster!
Ridiculous! The Arsenal injury curse begins even before the season begins. First Mertesacker, now Gabriel. Looks like he will be out a long time too. Maybe we get lucky and Holding and Chambers can step up next week at least until we get Koscielny. I’m hoping for our youngsters to step up too, since I have a feeling we will not be bringing in any big names during this transfer period. Well, this should make or break AW. We do well this year and he leaves a hero, or gets a renewal, we do poorly, he just leaves. Personally I… Read more »
CB a priority now. Otherwise it’s one of Chambers/Holding/Bielik for the guts of the season. That’s assuming the worst on Gabriel. Ideally we’re going to need someone tall/strong to compliment Koscielny. Personally I’m not sure Mustafi is ideal. Manolas perhaps?
….I’m sure no one saw this one coming.
I hope Gabriel’s injury isn’t too bad. I have high hopes for him but I thought Gabriel was struggling throughout, left his man for both goals. No leadership in defence without Mertesacker or koscielny.
I think IF we get a strong experience player (which is imperative now) to partner with Koscielny in the absence of the excellent BFG, then we are alright with Chambers, Holding and Bielik vying for the surrogate role.
Gabriel had the usual over valued ‘pace’ but to me, he always made me uneasy.
Unfortunate for him because he could sense this was a big break for him to come through and impress with Metersecker unavailable.
If Mustafi is a solid head at the back, we will need that sort of player who can keep a bit of calm.
All we need now is for Jack’s injury to keep him out a few months and it will be like groundhog day all over again 🙂
Fuck
Wow talk about dejavu. Firstly I agree why is your only senior center half playing in the 90th minute of a friendly? Secondly why haven’t we got a replacement to Metasacker yet. We know gabriell and koshielny aren’t convincing and there’s been plenty of time to find a replacement…unless Holding is it? Thirdly we play the waiting game for a striker and now will try for a last minute transfer deadline deal…Same thing that happened when we got Welbeck. I think we’ve all said it over and over…there’s no excuse to start the season unprepared and undermanned. We were shit… Read more »
That is so very Arsenal
this is for Gabriel
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xj13m_lamb-gabriel_music
So Wenger is still saving pennies?
Whats wrong with him, 7 days into the new season and now the panic buys begins or maybe not!
Any defender now will be quoted at $5 million extra….we always wait till something goes awry big time.
Ashley Williams 3 year contract. Why not? We’re desperate!
Would be better to give Sol a 5 year contract.
We needed another CB even before Per was injured. While it’s critical to see a top CB brought in at this point, I would not be opposed to see us snatch Vermaelen back from Roma’s grasp for some experienced depth.
fuck…
From the 91st minute onward all I did while I watched the match was ask every person/inanimate object in sight the following quesiton: “Why the fuck are we playing injury time?”
In my heart I knew the answer was “so we can lose a player to a serious injury”.
Of course, I will feel a little bit better on Sunday when Holding and Chambers score 40 goals between them.
*Question
Early in the morning…
We didn’t do a lot of buying and that could be a blessing in disguise.Let us spend some money now by getting a good centre back.
Hope we make a signing .
That said in relation to Liverpool match , holding and chambers has been England’s under 21 partnership for more than half s dozen matches including winning this summers Toulon tournrment ( one of most competitive in Europe in that age group) they ‘ be been . So they know each others game and hAve developed a partner ship.
Reckon play Francis and xka! In front of them to give them a strong shield .