All Arsenal supporters prayed for this international break was no injuries, but those prayers certainly have not been answered.
On Saturday, at their own home Emirates Stadium no less, Gabriel hobbled off around an hour into Brazil’s 2-0 friendly victory over Senegal in North London.
Reports suggest he has suffered an adductor injury, the severity of which is not yet known, but any absence would be a massive blow.
To make matters worse, Riccardo Calafiori has returned home early from the Italy camp, sitting out the Azzurri’s Thursday night victory over Moldova in Chișinău.
Head Coach Gennaro Gattuso stated “he tried to be available, but he can’t force it now”, which has to be worrying for Mikel Arteta, considering the 23-year-old’s injury history.
Both players have started all 11 Premier League fixtures to date, so to be without both considering the Gunners’ next three fixtures, Tottenham (H), Bayern Munich (H) and then Chelsea (A), could be a massive issue.
Nevertheless, Arteta boasts an ideal deputy already.
The numbers behind Arsenal's defensive solidity
Prior to last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Sunderland, Arsenal had kept eight successive clean sheets, equaling a club record set in 1903.
The statistics back up how dominant a defence Arteta’s side has been this season to date.
Goals conceded
5
1st
Clean sheets
7
1st
xG against
6
1st
xGoal difference
+12.8
1st
Goalkeeper saves
16
1st
Shots faced
81
1st
Shots on target faced
21
1st
Corners conceded
34
1st
As the table documents, Arsenal rank first for every defensive metric out there in the Premier League this season.
Their tally of seven clean sheets has been achieved while facing only 21 shots on target, with some jokingly suggesting that David Raya could request to start working from home, even if the Spaniard has pulled off some extraordinary saves in fairness to him.
However, both Gabriel and Calafiori have been such key contributors to this solidity, supporters may be concerned as to how Arteta’s team will fare in their absence, but do they have a ready-made quality player waiting to step in?
How Arsenal can solve their defensive injury blows
After last season was completely derailed by injuries, Arsenal recruited heavily in the summer to avoid a similar eventuality and a sense of déjà vu.
In terms of defenders, Cristhian Mosquera arrived from Valencia for £13m, and the Spaniard has been excellent every time he has featured, with Sid Lowe of the Guardian noting that everyone in North London agrees that he is an absolute ‘bargain’.
By contrast, the summer signing that went under the radar the most was the arrival of Piero Hincapié on deadline day, joining on loan from Bayer Leverkusen but with a £45m obligation to buy, a not insignificant outlay, so after a few weeks watching from the wings, is their Gabriel and Saliba hybrid about to be thrust into the spotlight?
Upon his arrival, Arteta noted that the 23-year-old possesses a “real physical presence”, praising his “versatility and tactical flexibility”, thereby bolstering the team’s “defensive options”, which is certainly pertinent now.
Meanwhile, U23 scout Antonio Mango has described him as “an absolute beast”, and his agent has gone further than that, calling him “a warrior” and “a leader.” It’s easy to see why he’s drawn comparisons to the club’s two main centre-halves.
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During his four seasons at Bayer Leverkusen, Hincapié made 166 appearances for die Werkself, a key figure in Xabi Alonso’s side that won both the Bundesliga title and DFB-Pokal unbeaten in 2023/24, delivering the club’s first-ever Meisterschale.
He has also been part of a rock-solid defence at international level, starting 14 of Ecuador’s 18 World Cup qualifiers as Sebastián Beccacece’s team conceded only five goals throughout the entire campaign, equalling the South American record.
As outlined by Phil Costa of Arseblog, Hincapié’s greatest strength is his ability to play both as a reliable centre-back but also as an attacking left-wing-back, excelling in both roles under Alonso, labelling him ‘aggressive’ and ‘unashamedly South American’, highlighting his ‘strong recovery pace’.
Well, considering that both Calafiori and Gabriel are now major doubts for Sunday’s North London derby, Hincapié is likely to start, either as a left-back or left-sided centre-back.
The alternative options are Myles Lewis-Skelly and the aforementioned Mosquera, but Arteta is unlikely to bring in such a young duo together, while he has proven that he favours a left-footed left-centre-back, Pablo Marí and Jakub Kiwior among many examples, suggesting the Ecuadorian will get the nod in the middle alongside William Saliba.
During Arsenal’s recent victory over Slavia Prague, the 1,000 or so Gooners who had made the trip to the Czech capital spent much of the afternoon and evening singing Hincapié’s new song.
One line includes the lyrics “the Arsenal get excited when they see you play”, which is just as well, given that he is set for a prominent role in crucial upcoming fixtures.
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