Arsenal’s curious Gabriel situation has unsettled Mikel Arteta’s defence, despite their winning start

As Martin Odegaard trudged slowly off the Selhurst Park pitch to be replaced by Jakub Kiwior for the closing stages of Arsenal’s nervy win over Crystal Palace, he peeled off his captain’s armband and passed it over to Gabriel Magalhaes.

With more club appearances than any of his teammates, the Brazilian was the obvious choice to take on the responsibility of marshalling the depleted Gunners to an important three points in front of a fervent home crowd.

It was still interesting, though, taking into account Gabriel’s unusual start to the season. For the second game running, Mikel Arteta named the 25-year-old on the bench, before throwing him on to help see out a narrow win.

A summer transfer splurge has enhanced Arteta’s squad in all departments, but the serious injury sustained by Jurrien Timber meant that his defensive options in south London were limited to players he had last season. And still, Gabriel couldn’t make the starting line-up.

Gabriel’s absence from the XI over the past two games has provoked intrigue and speculation considering he has previously been a mainstay of the side: his demotion for the Nottingham Forest match on the opening weekend ended Gabriel’s run of 73 consecutive Premier League starts. Only four players accumulated more minutes in the competition last season than him, with Everton‘s James Tarkowski the only outfield player to do so.

What has made it more unusual is that Arteta’s back four has looked makeshift without Gabriel in it. Against Palace, they started with a central midfielder, Thomas Partey, at right back; last season’s right back Ben White was moved into the middle; last season’s right-sided centre back William Saliba shifted over to left-sided centre back; and a natural right back, Takehiro Tomiyasu, played at left-back.

Of that quartet, only White was deployed in his usual position, and even then that was after a full season of being used in a different one.

It also meant that Arsenal lacked a natural left-footer in their backline, an uncommon sight in an era when left-sided centre-backs are a rare and precious commodity. Having a natural left-footer in that role is key to building up from the back as it opens passing lanes that are trickier to play into for right-footed players.

There was an example of how having a right-footed left-sided centre-back can cause issues towards the end of the first half when Saliba gave the ball away to Jordan Ayew after trying to cushion a first-time volleyed pass into midfield on his favoured foot. Any other defender in the league would have found themselves in big trouble; Saliba’s relay sprinter acceleration ensured the mistake was quickly rectified.

One of the theories put forward for Gabriel’s reduced minutes is that he has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia side Al-Ittihad, who have already secured the signatures of Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante this summer.

However, speaking after the win against Palace, Arteta played down the prospect of Gabriel becoming the latest big name to join the Saudi revolution, shaking his head from side to side when asked whether he could go before the transfer deadline.

“It’s about the games that we were expecting, what I was expecting, how we wanted to defend and attack and our belief it was the best thing,” Arteta said when asked about the selection.

“He’s played in both games, he’s helped us to win both games for different reasons. He was really good today, he absolutely dominated the box. He’s going to play a lot of games. That’s the decision sometimes.”

Perhaps this added rotation is simply the next stage of Arsenal’s evolution, a natural consequence of having a stronger and deeper squad. And considering that Manchester City are the only club to have conceded fewer goals in the opening two rounds of fixtures, Arteta’s decision-making has been vindicated.

Arsenal will face sterner tests over the coming weeks, though, with games against Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and City to come in their next six. Maybe only then Gabriel’s place in the pecking order will become clearer.