28 August 2023 , 21:42
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Arsenal legend Ian Wright has admitted he harbours some concerns over the way his former side have started the season and questioned the lack of game time for Gabriel Magalhaes.
The Gunners have won two of their opening three Premier League games, beating Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace before drawing 2-2 against Fulham at home in their most recent outing. One bizarre constant across all three of those fixtures is the fact that Gabriel has not been named in the starting line-up for any of them.
Considering the Brazilian was an ever-present in the Arsenal side from effectively the momen he arrived up to the start of this season, his omission from all three starting XI's has been met with understandable confusion and concern, with club legend Ian Wright no exception.
Following the recent draw against the Cottagers, Wright not only questioned Gabriel's lack of minutes, but also the soft manner in which the Gunners have been conceding early goals. Andreas Pereira's opener on Saturday was the third time Arsenal have conceded inside the opening minute in their last nine league home games.
Speaking to Premier League productions in the aftermath of the 2-2 draw, Wright was asked whether he was worried about the regular sloppy starts. He replied: “A little bit worried. There is a bit of sloppy play. I think they need to tighten up at the start of games.
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"There were times when I was watching the game and I felt nervous for us. We don’t seem to be as confident as I thought we could have been in managing the game once we got back into it when we were 2-1 up."
Wright went on to express his worries regarding Gabriel and seemed to suggest that if the Brazil international had been on the pitch at the time of Joao Palhinha's late equaliser, he could have helped prevent the late blow and guided Arsenal to a 2-1 victory.
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Gabriel Magalhaes has started all of Arsenal's games this season from the bench (Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC)“I think that’s a little bit of a worry because there are things that happen," he added. "I know the fans are a little bit worried about Gabriel not playing, he gives us solidity in there, and then when they score that goal at the death there, from the corner, it’s something our big defender would be there. There is no Gabriel, as I said, to be that organiser."
Gabriel's recent spell on the bench has coincided with speculation suggesting he could be on the move, with a number of Saudi Arabian clubs interested.
However, boss Mikel Arteta has insisted the centre-back is not going anywhere and the decision to leave Gabriel out of starting line-ups has been a purely tactical one.