When Arsenal shared their team sheet for their meeting with Manchester United on Wednesday evening, supporters may have been feeling a little apprehensive.
Following his dominant performance against West Ham United, Arsenal centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes was missing owing to a knock.
In addition, Riccardo Calafiori’s name also wasn’t present, the pair watched on from behind the dugout, trusting their teammates to get the job done.
According to Mikel Arteta, both have a good chance of returning to the fold against Fulham on Sunday, when Arsenal will attempt to further close the gap to Liverpool at the top of the Premier League.
Mikel Arteta praises stand-in Arsenal pair Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko
Of course, Arteta had to lean on his extended squad in the absence of two regular starters, calling both Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko in to start.
Speaking at his press conference shortly after the 2-0 win, Arteta then praised both for performing ‘magnificently well’.
Jakub Kiwior of Arsenal celebrates with injured teammate Gabriel following the team's victory during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC an...
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
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In recent seasons, Arteta hasn’t necessarily trusted his extended squad, those beyond his starting eleven, but if Arsenal are to win the league they often need to lean on the likes of Kiwior and Zinchenko.
Praising the duo, Arteta said: “Big credit to Jakub and Alex, I think it’s the first start for Jakub after a long time, you have to be thrown against this kind of opposition this kind of front players.
“The same with Alex, they did magnificently well so great. We trust them, they prepared so well, they had the opportunity and they grabbed it with both hands so very pleased for the team.”
Will Jakub Kiwior leave Arsenal in January?
Of course, the elephant in the room in regards to Kiwior in particular is whether the defender will still be an Arsenal player once the January transfer window closes.
On evidence of his display against United, Arsenal can’t afford to lose Kiwior, a defender who is still needed as back-up given how often Riccardo Calafiori and Takehiro Tomiyasu are injured.
Kiwior wants to leave Arsenal according to reports, and there’s a ton of interest in his signature back in the Serie A.
But given his excellent availability record, Arsenal would be losing a real asset, someone equipped to excel in a one-off display.
Perhaps Kiwior has been unfairly judged playing out of position as a full-back, as he’s clearly got something to offer playing centrally.
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