Arsenal have endured a tricky international break so far having seen a couple of their stars forced out of their national teams – but there have been differing reasons for those calls
Arsenal star Gabriel has been forced to pull out of the Brazil squad – but luckily for the Gunners, it’s not because of an injury. The defender was named in the Selecao’s squad for games against Colombia and Argentina.
But he will not play against the latter after picking up a yellow card against Colombia on Thursday. It means he will now be forced to serve a suspension against historic rivals Argentina.
Instead of staying around the squad, the decision has been made for Gabriel to return to North London, with Paris Saint-Germain defender Lucas Beraldo called up as a replacement.
That is not the only change that has been made within the Brazilian camp ahead of their game against Argentina. Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson is also a notable withdrawal having been involved in a nasty collision with former Spurs defender Davinson Sanchez.
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And while Arsenal will be relieved that Gabriel’s return to the UK is not down to injury, they do have a fresh concern elsewhere. Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori picked up a knee injury during his nation’s clash with Germany on Thursday.
Reports in Italy have suggested that he could potentially be sidelined for up to three weeks. “He said that his knee feels strange, but cannot answer more precisely than that, so we’ll have to see,” Italy boss Luciano Spalletti said after the game. And it’s now been confirmed that Calafiori is also set to return to North London.
A statement from the Italian Football Federation said: “Riccardo Calafiori, who underwent tests late this morning after sustaining an injury to his left knee during yesterday’s match against Germany, has been deemed unavailable for Sunday’s second leg and will return to his club.”
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There was also another worry for fellow defender Jurrien Timber. The former Ajax man missed out on the Netherlands’ 2-2 draw with Spain due to illness, with the hope being that he would recover in time for the second part of the double header due to take place on Sunday.
But that has proven not to be the case, with Timber also returning to North London. He has been replaced by Aston Villa defender Ian Maatsen.
Arteta will certainly be hoping that all three of his returning trio can be called on over the coming weeks with a number of key fixtures to come. The Gunners return to Premier League action against Fulham, while they also face Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals next month.
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