MARTIN KEOWN: Arsenal now have to do it without Gabriel Jesus

MARTIN KEOWN TALKS TACTICS: Arsenal had an incredible start to the season but now have to do it without the inspirational Gabriel Jesus… it’s Eddie Nketiah’s time to shine and prove he’s good enough to be the Brazilian’s understudy

  • Gabriel Jesus is expected to miss three months with a knee injury he suffered
  • The Brazilian has been so important in Arsenal’s exceptional start to the season
  • It is now time for Eddie Nketiah to step up for the Gunners and fill Jesus’s void 
  • A win against West Ham would be the perfect response for Mikel Arteta’s side

Arsenal had an incredible start to the season and it’s important that they pick up from where they left off, but they’ll have to do it without the inspirational Gabriel Jesus.

Jesus has not scored in his last 11 games in all competitions for Arsenal. But he’s more than just a goalscorer. Of all the Premier League’s Big Six clubs, no one has generated more shots after winning the ball high up the pitch than Arsenal. Jesus is a big part of that.

When I was a young player, Ian Rush seemed to be Liverpool’s best defender, the way he hunted down the ball and never gave us a moment’s rest. Jesus is in the same mould as Rush. 

Arsenal star Gabriel Jesus is set to be out injured for three months after suffering a knee injury

This example is from Arsenal’s 1-0 win at Chelsea before the World Cup break. Thiago Silva has the ball and Jesus has shaped his run to block his passing route to his fellow centre back or goalkeeper. Jesus charges down Silva, wins possession, and forces Edouard Mendy into a save.

From the subsequent corner, Arsenal score the game’s only goal. Jesus is a proven winner, a driving force, a pressing trigger. He brings energy, tracks back, pops up here, there, everywhere. 

Now he’s on the treatment table after knee surgery. Arsenal will turn to Eddie Nketiah in the meantime.

Manager Mikel Arteta has shown great faith in Nketiah by handing the youngster a new long-term deal. He now has a chance to prove he’s good enough to be Jesus’s understudy. 

Jesus is a key part of Arsenal’s pressing and their style – exemplified against Chelsea above

Jesus has been so crucial to the Gunners’ start to the season. He is a proven winner, a driving force, a pressing trigger. He brings energy, tracks back, pops up here, there, everywhere.

From the bench, Nketiah has looked far more physical, stronger and confident. Nketiah would love nothing more than to pick up the baton from Jesus and run with it and give Arsenal the results to stay at the top of the table. 

Arteta has said he may look in the January transfer window to further strengthen his options, but it’s down to Nketiah to prove he has the skillset to keep his club in this Premier League title race. 

It’s perfect for Arsenal that they’re restarting their campaign at home on Boxing Day. There’s a tremendous unity that exists between the players and the fanbase. 

It is now time for Eddie Nketiah to step up and fill the huge void that Jesus’s absence brings

The fans, having been starved of Premier League football, will want to play their part to help Arsenal enjoy a seamless return. A London derby against West Ham always presents a challenge. 

David Moyes has changed to a back-five system when facing a Premier League Big Six side in the past. Moyes has not won away at Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool or Manchester United in 70 attempts and he will have been working diligently with West Ham’s non-World Cup players over the last weeks for the purpose of Boxing Day’s trip.

It may be a challenge for managers to get their players back in Premier League mode after that tournament in Qatar. After the 1998 World Cup, we couldn’t help wonder whether Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit would come back to Arsenal the same.

They were now world champions with France so might return with their noses in the air.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta hinted he may dip into the transfer market to add to his squad

Arsenal’s fans will be really excited for their return to action against West Ham on Boxing Day

We needn’t have worried. Vieira and Petit didn’t want to rest on their laurels. They were ready to work. That’s the mentality that managers will want from all of their returning players. 

While Manchester City’s Erling Haaland was having a nice vacation, Arsenal suffered one of the World Cup’s biggest casualties in Jesus. How they cope without their star striker will be focused on. 

Nothing would be more reassuring than an Arsenal win which would temporarily take them eight points clear of Premier League title rivals City.




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