Mikel Arteta, Jakub Kiwior, William Saliba (Photo: Shaun Botterill, Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta made an interesting comment on Jakubu Kiwior’s strong performance against Real Madrid last night.
The Gunners won a memorable 3-0 victory over the Los Blancos, Declan Rice won two sublime free kicks, and Mikel Merino added a third in the first leg of this Champions League quarterfinal.
They deserve a win totally, so there were so many great performers for Arsenal on the night, but Arteta also gave Kiwiol a special admiration.
Polish International certainly wouldn’t have started the game if Gabriel Magalheis hadn’t been injured, but they had a guaranteed display along with William Saliba.
See below. Fabrizio Romano cites Arteta to claim that Kiwiol’s performance is “not a coincidence”…
Kiwiall often had to make it in time for being a team player, but he shows Arteta his worth by stepping up at such a critical time.
It’s not clear what Arteta is referring to when Atteta says it wasn’t “accidental” that the 25-year-old played well.
There’s no Gabriel, there’s no problem for Arsenal
Kiwiall needs to continue playing this way for Arsenal. Because I imagine there will definitely be a moment when Gabriel’s absence will be felt.
The Brazilian centre-back has been a very important player for the AFC in recent years, but for now, Kiwiol appears to be a very capable agent.
Arsenal has generally had a bit of a nightmare with injuries this season, with other key players like Kai Herberts and Gabriel Jesus missing out on many games, but Bukayo Saka has recently returned.
Gabriel’s recent knock is another big blow, but defense is undoubtedly one area of the Arsenal team where they have the highest depths.
Kiwiall stepped up last night, but others like Ben White, Julian Timber and Riccardo Calfioli can also play at centre-back if necessary.