This has been a season of brutal injuries for Arsenal and the loss of Gabriel Magalhaes, ruled out for the season just a few days before the Champions League meeting with Real Madrid, is unquestionably another devastating blow.
There can be no overstating the importance of the powerful Brazilian to Arsenal’s defensive set-up, and he has been perhaps their most consistent performer throughout this campaign. In the eyes of many at Arsenal, he has been their player of the season.
How will they cope without him against Madrid? The most likely replacement is Poland international Jakub Kiwior, who came off the bench for Gabriel against Fulham on Tuesday night. Kiwior also started when Gabriel was absent for a few games in December.
Kiwior is a solid performer but he is simply not as reliable or imposing as Gabriel. He is also more prone to making errors, as he did against Fulham on Tuesday and against Crystal Palace earlier this season.
In that League Cup match against Palace, Kiwior struggled against the pace and power of Jean-Philippe Mateta (zero France appearances). How, then, will he cope against Kylian Mbappé (88 France appearances, 48 goals)? It will be a troubling thought for all of an Arsenal persuasion.
Mikel Arteta might have alternative options in Jurrien Timber and Ben White, if those players recover from knee issues in time for Tuesday’s first leg at the Emirates Stadium.
Timber and White are more than capable of playing as central defenders, although they are both right-sided. It would therefore require Arteta to move one of them to the left of the central defensive pairing, or indeed to push William Saliba (usually the right-sided centre-back) into that position. Neither situation is ideal.
How frustrating it must be, too, that Riccardo Calafiori is also missing with a knee problem. The Italian was signed for his ability to play as a left-back or a left central defender, yet he is still managing an injury that he picked up on international duty last month.
Arteta said on Monday that Calafiori’s injury was “hopefully going to be a matter of weeks”, which makes him a doubt even for the second leg in Spain on April 16.
