Why Arsenal Injury Crisis Talk May Be Premature Despite Another Withdrawal
Arsenal have seen no fewer than five first-team players withdraw from international duty this week, with center back Gabriel the latest to pull out.
Having “complained of pain in his right knee” after the Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City, a Brazil statement confirmed he is not “not fit to play” in his country’s upcoming games against France and Croatia.
He becomes the fifth big Arsenal name to withdraw, following William Saliba, Jurriën Timber, Leandro Trossard and Eberechi Eze, sparking obvious concerns of a potential injury crisis at such a crucial point of the season.
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Talk of a Crisis May Be Premature
Gabriel, William Saliba
Gabriel and William Saliba (right) have both complained of injuries. | Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images
The sight of both Saliba and Gabriel, the backbone of Arsenal’s Premier League title charge, withdrawing from duty is an obvious concern, not least with first-choice right back Timber already forced to sit out the weekend’s cup final with an ankle knock.
Saliba has an ankle problem of his own, while Gabriel has reported pain in his knee, and now both players will miss their countries’ respective friendly fixtures, coincidentally against one another.
March’s international break is full of friendly fixtures, scheduled purely as tune-up games in the final break before the World Cup but with nothing competitive on the line. Such international windows regularly offer up a wave of withdrawals as fatigued players prioritize recovery over dead-rubber affairs.
There are no suggestions that either Saliba or Gabriel have lied about their injuries. Indeed, France and Brazil’s medical departments have confirmed their own diagnoses on the duo—with plenty of clues lying in France’s wording of Saliba’s condition.
Les Bleus go as far as to confirm Saliba’s ailment will require a recovery plan made up of just 10 days rest. As for Gabriel, whose knee problem has been described solely as “pain,” it will undoubtedly be something similar.
The expectation is that both players will be raring to go when Arsenal return to domestic action next month, first in the FA Cup quarterfinals against Southampton before a crunch Champions League clash away at Sporting CP. While many will be quick to accuse Saliba, Gabriel and Arsenal of nefarious tactics to protect their biggest names, the reality is even the international teams will benefit from their withdrawals.
Playing Through Pain All Too Common
Jurriën Timber
Jurriën Timber has dealt with a couple of issues at once. | Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty Images
Professional players regularly play through pain, the kind of which is likely to be plaguing both Saliba and Gabriel after an intense club season. They could continue to play through the barrier, but all that does is increase the risk of a serious injury—just look at Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé, who has rejected pleas to rest and has instead been forced on to the sidelines by a knee problem three times already this season.
As the March international break arrives, bringing with it inconsequential friendlies, the door opens to some much-needed rest for big names as they can allow these issues—Saliba’s ankle and Gabriel’s knee—to heal in peace.
Those key players can then return to their best levels, shake off any fitness concerns and drastically reduce the risk of an injury that could rule them out of the World Cup. If they have to miss out on two friendlies in March, so be it.
Gabriel offers an interesting case study into this idea. Last year, March’s break included World Cup qualification fixtures, and the center back duly attended Brazil duty. In 2024, however, he joined fellow Gabriels Jesus and Martinelli in withdrawing from two friendlies just a few months before Copa América.
Those crying “conspiracy” need only to look at comments from Norway manager Ståle Solbakken, who declined the chance to call-up Martin Ødegaard this month despite his imminent return to fitness.
“It’s the World Cup that matters, not friendly matches in March,” he explained. “I would prefer that he builds up his physical condition and gets a proper training period. He can have the opportunity to do that during this international break.”
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