Two withdrawals from international duty have sparked debate about Arsenal’s fitness, but the facts suggest caution before declaring a crisis. Gabriel missed Brazil’s fixtures after he “complained of pain in his right knee” in the aftermath of the Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City. A Brazil statement confirmed he is not “not fit to play” in his country’s upcoming games against France and Croatia.

Gabriel is the latest of five high-profile Arsenal names to withdraw from internationals, following William Saliba, Jurriën Timber, Leandro Trossard and Eberechi Eze. Timber had already been forced to sit out the weekend’s cup final with an ankle knock. Saliba has an ankle problem of his own and, according to France’s medical team, his ailment will require a recovery plan made up of just 10 days rest.

Both Saliba and Gabriel will miss their countries’ respective friendly fixtures, which, in a curious twist, are scheduled against one another. March’s international window is full of friendly fixtures organised as tune-up games ahead of the World Cup and offers no competitive stakes. Those windows often produce withdrawals as players and medical teams prioritise short-term recovery over dead-rubber matches.

There are no suggestions either player has lied about their conditions. National medical departments have confirmed their diagnoses, and Gabriel’s problem has been described solely as “pain,” which points toward conservative management rather than a long-term issue.

The expectation is both will be available when Arsenal return to domestic duty next month, first in the FA Cup quarterfinals against Southampton before a Champions League tie away at Sporting CP. Critics who accuse Saliba, Gabriel and Arsenal of protective tactics ignore the mutual benefit: international teams also gain from clearer injury management.

Professional players frequently play through discomfort, but continuing through pain can increase the risk of serious damage. One would point to Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé, who has rejected pleas to rest and has instead been forced on to the sidelines by a knee problem three times already this season. The March friendlies create a window for measured recovery. If missing two inconsequential fixtures reduces the risk of a more serious layoff, that is a manageable price to pay.

Manchester City’s Carabao Cup success produced contrasting reactions from the manager and his players over the implications for the Premier League title race. Pep Guardiola praised the performance but cautioned that the trophy might not alter the campaign against Arsenal. “I would like to have nine points in front of Arsenal,” he admitted, even asking whether he would “change” the trophy for that lead. He added: “It will have no impact,” calling the competitions “different competitions.” Guardiola also warned that “They will be more concerned when they come to [the] Etihad,” a reference to the league meeting on April 19, and suggested the win could help his side against Liverpool in the FA Cup quarterfinals.

Players presented a starker assessment. Nico O’Reilly told the CBS Sports studio: “Yeah, 100%. The blood never went—we’ve always smelt blood. We’re confident in ourselves, we know we can do it, they’ve got to come to our place which is a tough place to come to as everyone has seen this season. So we do smell blood and we’ve got to keep going. It does a lot for us [winning the final], builds momentum and just push on now. Obviously it’s a big blow for them. They were going for everything, just as we were [before defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League].”

Rodri echoed those sentiments, calling the match’s effect “A lot, a lot,” and explained: “That’s why I say it’s a game not only for this title [Carabao Cup] but to show that we can beat them.” He conceded “There is still a lot to do,” and reflected on City’s Champions League exit: “and it’s clear we didn’t want to go out of the Champions League, but we went out and now we have to take the positives, we have more time to prepare for the games. So that’s something to take into account—but we also have to celebrate this. The Real Madrid game was pretty tough [losing 5–1 on aggregate ] but the team has recovered. We knew it was a very important game against Arsenal not only because of the title but also because we had to face the best team in the league. Now we need to rest, go back to the next round of internationals and come back with the optimism that we still have two more competitions to fight for.”

Arsenal retain a nine-point lead, though City have a game in hand and can reduce the gap to three with victory at the Etihad on April 19. Mikel Arteta vowed: “We’re going to use this disappointment and this fire in the belly to have the most amazing two months that we have ever [had] together,” adding: “That’s on us and we’ll manage that energy in the right way. Now we have to go through that pain and disappointment and it’s normal and it’s part of football.” Arsenal have lost only four matches across all competitions this season and have followed earlier defeats with double-digit unbeaten runs, a pattern they will seek to replicate after Wembley.

Mikel Arteta said he would repeat the decision to start Kepa Arrizabalaga in the 2026 Carabao Cup final, even after Arsenal lost the showpiece at Wembley to Manchester City following a costly error from the stand-in. The mistake allowed O’Reilly’s second of the afternoon and, while the goal was described as a collective failing, much of the disappointment was directed at the luckless stand-in.

Arteta defended the choice as one of principle. “I have to do what I feel is right, which is honest and which is fair,” he told assembled media after the final whistle. “I think we have an outstanding goalkeeper in Kepa. He’s played all the [games in the] competition and I think it would have been very unfair for him and for the team to do something different.”

Questions were raised about whether cup involvement had been part of the agreement that brought Arrizabalaga from Chelsea to Arsenal. The manager was clear that no promises were made. “I can never promise a player to play certain competitions,” Arteta insisted, “they have to earn it and do enough.

“We are guided by what we see. What he’s done in the competition, and how he helped us to get us to the final, I believe it was the right thing to do. Errors are part of football, and unfortunately it happened in a crucial moment.”

Arteta reiterated his stance to broadcasters. “I would do it again,” he told Sky Sports.

The use of different goalkeepers for different competitions has a long history in English football. As early as 1888–89, Preston North End employed James Trainer for the league while Dr. Bob Mills-Roberts was selected for the FA Cup; Mills-Roberts kept his place for the FA Cup final and kept a clean sheet in a 3–0 win. History has not always been so kind to the substitute.

Pep Guardiola benefited from his decision to trust James Trafford against Arsenal on Sunday. Gianluigi Donnarumma’s understudy made three fine saves to keep City in the tie earlier in the first half. “Players can be happy, unhappy. It is what it is,” Guardiola shrugged after announcing his decision ahead of kickoff.