Arteta admits Arsenal 'were all scared' after Gabriel injury fright
Mikel Arteta has revealed that Arsenal players were “scared” after Gabriel appeared to injure his knee during Saturday’s Premier League win over Everton, before praising the Brazilian’s reaction as he recovered to score the winning goal.
The alarm bells started ringing ten minutes into the second half at the Emirates Stadium when Gabriel went down clutching his right knee after stretching to make a clearance inside the box. He immediately signalled to the Arsenal bench for medical attention and received treatment on the pitch as concerned team mates and supporters looked on.
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He gingerly made his way off while continuing to stretch out his leg, but after more treatment on the sidelines, he signalled that he wanted to return. Not only did Gabriel come back on, he went on to head home Ben White’s cross with 22 minutes remaining to seal another three points for Arsenal, who moved level on points with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League after City’s first defeat of the season at Aston Villa.
Arteta praises Gabriel's mentality
Speaking after the match, Arteta pointed to the reaction of Gabriel and those around him as proof of the character running through his squad. “Well, he's a clear example, when I'm talking about the mentality of the team, obviously the mentality of the team is the mentality of the individuals in the team,” the manager said.
“Gabi is a great example of that because we were all scared. Not because of the way he went down, but the reaction of the players that were next to him. Immediately he says that he wants to continue and then he scores a goal to help us win the game. That's what we need from our players.”
Gabriel’s goal followed Ezri Konsa’s first strike for Arsenal after just seven minutes, with the summer signing bundling in at the back post from a corner, Arsenal’s first set piece goal of the season after developing a reputation for being lethal from dead balls last term.
Calafiori withdrawn with 'slight issue'
Arteta also confirmed that Riccardo Calafiori picked up a knock in the closing stages against Everton, which saw winger Noni Madueke finish the match at left back. “Yeah, I wasn't that mad to change those two from their positions,” Arteta said. “It was because he [Calafiori] had a slight issue, we don't know what it is. It seems to be something very small, but he was cautious about it.”
Arsenal remain without Bukayo Saka, who could be sidelined for up to eight weeks with a quadriceps injury sustained against Bayern Munich, while Christos Tzolis is still working his way back from a hamstring problem picked up on international duty with Greece. Piero Hincapie returned to the bench having recovered from an ankle issue, while William Saliba continues his recovery from the back injury suffered at the World Cup that has kept him out all season.
Attention now turns to whether Gabriel and Calafiori will be fit for Arsenal’s next fixture, with the club set to provide further updates on both as the week progresses.
