“Big games are for big players,” Mikel Arteta stated earlier this season. Yet, for the second time in lower than a month, the participant that Arsenal’s supervisor by no means passes up a possibility to reward shouldn’t be match sufficient to characteristic against the Premier League leaders.
Gabriel Jesus was hailed as a determine that “changed our world” by Arteta in October but has struggled for health all through his Arsenal profession. Since becoming a member of the Gunners in the summertime of 2022, Jesus has solely performed in 51% of the obtainable minutes.
After sitting out the 2-0 defeat to Liverpool within the FA Cup third spherical final month with a knee harm, Jesus was as soon as once more unavailable when the Reds rocked up on the Emirates for an important Premier League contest on Sunday afternoon.
Here’s why Arsenal needed to take to the pitch with out Jesus.
The Brazilian quantity 9 was in positive type against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night time, smuggling the ball between Matt Turner’s open legs to interrupt the impasse in a good contest which Arsenal went on to win 2-1.
Jesus travelled with Arsenal for the league assembly with Liverpool 5 days later, pictured strolling across the stadium in membership apparel, however wasn’t included within the matchday squad.
“Unfortunately, he had a setback in training and wasn’t fit to play,” Arteta informed Sky Sports forward of kick-off. When pushed on whether or not the identical problematic knee was bothering Jesus, the tight-lipped supervisor provided: “Yes, it’s something relating to that. Unfortunately, he’s not fit.”
The Arsenal boss was optimistic that Jesus hadn’t sustained any critical harm. “Hopefully not [long term]. I think it’s a short-term thing but the game was too fast [soon] for him.”
Intriguingly, Arteta didn’t flip to Eddie Nketiah, Arsenal’s solely different pure centre-forward, to switch Jesus. Instead, the Spaniard lined up with Kai Havertz by means of the center – simply as he had when Arsenal misplaced to Liverpool within the FA Cup.
The Gunners created a glut of possibilities in that tie, rattling off essentially the most photographs Liverpool had conceded with 11 gamers on the pitch all season. Havertz was accountable for a game-high six efforts that day however failed to search out the web – or imbue any sense of confidence – with any of his makes an attempt.
Jesus is hardly the Premier League’s most predatory striker and even admitted that scoring targets shouldn’t be his “strong suit” earlier this season.
Liverpool had harm doubts over their very own misfiring striker within the type of Darwin Nunez. Jurgen Klopp revealed that the trigger-happy centre-forward left Anfield in a boot after Liverpool’s 4-1 thumping of Chelsea in midweek. Yet, Nunez was deemed match sufficient to make the bench on Sunday whereas Cody Gakpo took his place within the entrance line.
The scarcely noticed midfielder Thiago Alcantara sat alongside Nunez among the many substitutes. It was the primary time Thiago had featured in a Premier League squad since April.
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