03 May 2023 , 10:13
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Mikel Arteta could be forced to go with an untested centre-half partnership after Gabriel's injury blow.
Arsenal have already been having to deal without William Saliba, who has been missing since mid-March. His absence has coincided with a dip in form which has hampered their title hopes. Rob Holding had come in alongside Gabriel, but the Brazilian was forced off late in the Chelsea win.
Arteta has not appeared optimistic about the defender's chance of a swift recovery, which would limit his options and leave him with little choice but to pair Holding and Jakub Kiwior at the heart of defence, at least for a short period.
The Gunners boss said on Gabriel's injury, which forced him off in the 85th minute: "He wasn’t comfortable. We tried for 10 or 15 minutes but he could not carry on which is strange for Gabi. So we are a bit concerned about that because normally he’s not one that wants to leave the pitch."
Holding has copped criticism for some of his performances since coming in to replace Saliba. Giving away a penalty at Anfield and struggling to cope with Erling Haaland as Manchester City tore Arsenal apart. He was taken out of the firing line for the win over Chelsea with Kiwior coming in.
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The Pole was signed in January but has been forced to bide his time with his inclusion against the Blues his first start in the league. Arteta was full of praise for Kiwior, who could now partner the man he replaced for Arsenal's clash at Newcastle this weekend.
Jakub Kiwior was handed his first start on Tuesday night (Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)Arteta said: "He looked ready, he looked fresh, he looked really determined. He’s been getting better and better every single day, not only in training but his interaction and his language. He’s more settled and he’s a player that I really like, that’s why I signed him. He has the potential at his age to be great and he had a big task against the players he had to face today, and I think he did it really well."
Saliba could yet be out for the season despite hopes of him returning in recent weeks. The Frenchman had been a stalwart prior to his injury and Arsenal have failed to keep a clean sheet since he hobbled off in the Europa League defeat to Sporting Lisbon.
Arteta, who has opted to stick with a settled squad, could yet bring Ben White back into the heart of defence if he wanted to go with more experience. The England defender has been pushed out to right-back this term whilst Kieran Tierney has also operated centrally in a three-man defence previously.