Arsenal and Liverpool played to a nil-nil draw last night, in a match that ended with an incident that the whole football world is talking about today. Liverpool defender Conor Bradley suffered a knee injury in stoppage time, with Gunners forward Gabriel Martinelli then shoving him off the pitch, in an attempt to maybe try and set up a game winning goal.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told the media afterward that he would have a special, individual talking to with Martinelli.
FA Cup 3rd Round FYIs
Arsenal at Portsmouth
Kickoff: Sun. Jan 11, 2pm
Gunners Team News
“Knowing Gabi, if anybody knows Gabi, he’s an incredible, lovely guy, and probably he didn’t realize what happened,” Arteta said in post game. “I hope that Conor is well, I will have a word with him now to understand that. But probably he didn’t recognize what happened.”
Could this talking to result in some sort of internal discipline from the club? If so, would that mean he’s forced to sit for a game? Would that game be the next one (and FA Cup third round tie at Portsmouth)? Would Martinelli even play in a match like this?
So those are the main questions as we head into the weekend clash, one in which Riccardo Calafiori (unspecified) and Cristhian Mosquera (ankle) will most likely be ruled out, again.
Arteta said the following, the day before the goalless draw with Liverpool: “No, they are out again. I think, pretty soon… they have to go to the last stage of the rehab. And if everything goes well, hopefully very soon, they will be available for selection.”
So while they probably won’t make the squad for the weekend, they should be back for the next game or two after that. Other than that, the injury/availability/team news situation remains the same.
Max Dowman remains sidelined as a longer-term injury absentee.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.