Jurrien Timber says the Arsenal squad is equipped to cope with Gabriel Magalhães’ injury absence, with the Brazilian ruled out for weeks after suffering a thigh problem on international duty.
Jurrien Timber insists Arsenal have the depth and defensive cohesion to deal with the loss of Gabriel Magalhães, despite the Brazilian’s thigh injury ruling him out for weeks.
Gabriel had been central to the run of eight consecutive clean sheets that matched a 122-year-old club record before the 2-2 draw with Sunderland. His absence for the north London derby is a major blow, but Timber sees no reason for panic.
“Look at our defenders,” he said. “I’ve played centre-back, Riccardo Calafiori played centre-back, Myles Lewis-Skelly was a midfielder, Ben White was a centre-back. Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera can play anywhere. There is less difference between the defensive positions now.
“When I first came to this club, I came as a rightback or a right centreback. I had never played left-back, but in my first game, that’s where I was. Like I say, you just evolve with the team.”
Those cleansheets have been a marker of Arsenal’s consistency, and Timber was clear about their value. “So far, so good. We need to keep it going, because it will all mean nothing if we start having goals against us. There’s a good connection in the team. It doesn’t even matter who plays in that back line, it’s just the same connection, you know? And also that goes for midfield and attack. Something connects us.”
Speaking on Friday, Mikel Arteta confirmed the club had used the international break to push several injured players towards potential involvement.
“We put a lot of energy in the international break with the medical staff to try to bring them back as quickly as possible,” he said. “Tomorrow [Saturday] we have another training session to see how they are feeling, if this game is too close or they can have a contribution in the game.”
Arteta admitted he was hopeful of returns but refused to name names. “I can tell you but I’m not going to do it.”
In the end, Gabriel Martinelli, Noni Madueke, Martin Odegaard and Calafiori were all spotted with the squad ahead of the derby.
There is no such uncertainty regarding Gabriel. “Gabi unfortunately picked up an injury with the Brazilian national team and is going to be out for weeks,” the manager added.
“We need to have another scan, I think it is next Wednesday. We will have a time that is much more clear than at the moment.
“It’s clearly a blow. It’s our leader in our backline. To miss him is never a positive thing. The good thing is we have some very good options. They need to stand up now.”