Morning.
A short Friday morning blog for you. When I say the name Gabriel, you undoubtedly immediately think of Magalhaes this week after his goal and assist in Tuesday’s 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid. You could even think of Martinelli, because he also scored a great goal that night. If I ask you to go again, maybe you will end up with Jesus.
But I have to admit, when I saw some images from his Instagram making the rounds yesterday, I thought ‘Oh yeah, we still have Gabriel Jesus!’. I know injuries can take a player out of sight and therefore out of mind, but I feel a little guilty that I forgot about him so easily. Maybe it’s because we started the season well; maybe it’s because we signed three attacking players this summer and the focus was on them; but it’s still a bit crazy that a player of his quality can become so peripheral to me.
It’s not impossible that this says more about me than it does about him, but I wonder if many of you have also overlooked his presence on this team. The videos appear to be of him performing some individual workouts as he returns from a serious injury, and doing shooting/finishing drills as he appears to come back from what has been a very difficult period for him.
Having just rediscovered his goal-scoring talent last season, he scored six goals in three games, before suffering an ACL injury against Man Utd on January 12. He was not included in the Champions League squad for the group stage, despite this being around the time a player typically returns from that particular injury. The final matches of this stage don’t take place until January, so it raised eyebrows that he wasn’t mentioned by name.
However, it is not the first serious knee problem he suffered during his stay here. That November 2022 World Cup injury came after a very bright start to his Arsenal career, and perhaps that history has made it more complicated. Spoken this weekhe sounded positive about his comeback, but also cautious and said:
I feel great. My knee responds very well. So now I’m looking forward to being back with the team soon, to come back to do what I love to do.
I’m at the stage where I have to hold myself back a bit because I’m doing a great job out on the pitches, but it’s difficult because I don’t have to rush myself over the line too hard. If you can see the end, it’s important not to push too hard, keep my feet on the ground, and once the time comes, I’ll be ready.
He called it the biggest injury of his life, and his time away clearly shows that. And when a player experiences something this serious, questions are raised about his ability to get to the right level upon return. He has a contract until 2027 and he says he wants to help Arsenal win things until then, saying:
There has never been any contact with anyone at the club or with my staff [about leaving]. Every day the coach and the board say they are eager for my return. I don’t see myself outside the club’s plans. My contract runs until 2027 and if it is not extended by then, I will stay at the club until at least 2027.
I can’t say for sure if he will ever get back to his best. My instincts say we’ll never see Gabriel Jesus again after the summer/fall of 2022, which is really sad because he was such a nice player back then. Not the nine we ultimately needed, but a striker who gave this team a lot as part of that surprise springboard to the title challenge that season. Things we had missed for too long in advance, and then the World Cup came and you know the rest.
That said, this is going to be a long season. According to yesterday’s blog, there is still a lot of football to be played, and while I hope we have some luck when it comes to injuries, I think we are all conditioned to expect a few absences here and there between now and May. So we won’t get that old Jesus, but what we could get is a 100% fit Jesus who can add even more depth to the team over the course of this season. A player who will probably have to adjust his game a bit, but who can still be a very useful asset.
Imagine after Christmas we have the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and possibly EFL Cup. The more the merrier I say, and it would be a great story if Gabriel Jesus could play a role in the success we could have this season. We know Mikel Arteta won’t pick players based on sentiment, so if he can come back it will be because he has worked hard and earned his chance. Maybe it’s fanciful, but even if it’s just for the second half, I’d love to see Jesus rise again.
Okay, I’ll leave it at that. For some additional reading today, Tim’s column discusses how he identifies with this current version of Arsenal for very specific reasons, and later we’ll have a Crystal Palace. preview podcast on Patreon to look ahead to Sunday’s match.
For now, have a good time.
#Jesus #rise