Arsenal centre-back Gabriel did not impress the media in his homeland Brazil after his country lost 2-0 to Uruguay in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday night.
The defender was given a 4.5/10 by Globo Esporte who said that he made a “decisive error” in the build-up to Uruguay’s second goal.
Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez (who had already scored in the first half) was surrounded by Gabriel and one of his teammates, but the striker still managed to get a cross away which found Nicolas De La Cruz, who made it 2-0.
The defeat means that Brazil sit 3rd in the South American qualifying group for the 2026 World Cup; five points adrift of Argentina after the first 4 games.
Gabriel has had an up-and-down international break
The centre-half got his first goal for his country against Venezuela last week, but it wasn’t enough to secure the 3 points after Brazil’s opponents equalised late on.
Gabriel got his fourth consecutive start at international level versus Uruguay, but the defeat will raise questions about his continued presence in the starting lineup.
Arsenal will hope Gabriel is fit and ready to face Chelsea this weekend
The Uruguay-Brazil fixture was played on early Wednesday morning UK Time, so Gabriel won’t have much of a break before taking to the field for his club on Saturday.
After travelling back to England and having a day’s rest, it’s likely that the 25-year-old will have one day’s training (on Friday) at the very most before taking on Chelsea.
Luckily, for Gabriel, the Gunners only have to travel across London for the clash at Stamford Bridge, and it is even more fortunate that it isn’t a lunchtime kickoff.
With William Saliba’s fitness also up in the air, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta does have some concerns about his centre-back pairing heading into a big game.
