I believe it’s not solely Gabriel

Brighton & Hove Albion manager Fabian Hurzeler is confident that his side can contain Arsenal’s set-piece strength when both teams meet in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, October 29.

The Gunners seem to have mastered the art of scoring from dead ball situations, with a huge chunk of their goals coming from set-pieces. They scored 22 set piece goals (excluding penalties) in the Premier League last season, the most in the division. They have picked up from where they left off, scoring 11 goals via set-piece so far this season, two more than any other side (Chelsea are second on nine).

Notably, the only goal in their last outing—a 1-0 win against Crystal Palace—came via a set piece. Gabriel Magalhaes seems to be the player to watch when defending set-pieces against Arsenal, with the Brazilian having been involved in most of their goals from such situations

Speaking in a press conference, Hurzeler shared his view on how to combat Arsenal’s threats in set-pieces. The German believes nullifying the Gunners’ aerial threats from set-pieces requires more than just man-marking. He pointed out that Arsenal’s collective movement and coordination make them one of the most dangerous teams from dead ball situations. He then said that his team’s defense is strong enough to prevent the league leaders from scoring from set-pieces.

When asked about how he intends to contain Magalhaes’ threat in set-pieces, Hurzeler responded:

“You can’t defend them one-against-one, that’s the first thing. The second thing, I think it’s not only Gabriel [who provides a threat], it’s the movement they do together. I think they block very well for each other. They have really good patterns and the other side is also that we are quite good in defending. When we look at our defending record statistic this season, we are quite good. We also try to build a set-piece culture. This needs time and doesn’t come overnight.

“When we look at Arsenal, they are one of the first teams in the league who had a set-piece coach, and they work now on these topics for several months, for over several years, and you can now see the results of all this work. So, I think it’s getting more important these set pieces in the Premier League. So, we have to adapt and be ready but we are quite confident that we are able to defend this set piece against them.”

Mikel Arteta rules two players out for Arsenal’s Carabao Cup clash with Brighton

Mikel Arteta has ruled out William Saliba and Gabriel Martinelli for tomorrow’s clash with the Seagulls. Saliba was forced off at half-time during Arsenal’s Premier League match against Crystal Palace, while Martinelli was seen limping down the tunnel at full-time.

On Saliba, Arteta said:

“He’s out [for Brighton]. We are assessing him, but he won’t be involved in this match.”

Regarding Martinelli’s availability, he added:

“It looks like he’s going to be out as well. We have to do some more tests and see the extent of the injury, but this game is going to be too early for him.”

However, there was positive news on Declan Rice and Ricardo Calafiori after they were taken off against Palace, with Arteta confirming that the duo ‘will be available’ to face Brighton.