Carlo Ancelotti is doing Arsenal a massive favour in this international break
Mikel Arteta must hate international breaks as much as most fans do.
Yes, we’re sure the Arsenal manager enjoys the break and loves spending time with his family, but potential injuries to his players while they are away on national duty must always be at the back of his mind.
The Gunners always seem to have bad luck during these international breaks, and that has continued. Kai Havertz has returned to London after his injury, and Christos Tzolis has hurt his hamstring too and is on his way back.
The last thing Arteta needs is another injury, but luckily for him, Carlo Ancelotti has been very sensible with his handling of Arsenal players.
Carlo Ancelotti is helping Arsenal out with Gabriel Magalhaes and Bruno Guimaraes
Both Gabriel Magalhaes and Bruno Guimaraes were called up to the Brazil squad during this international break.
The two Arsenal stars are key players for Mikel Arteta, and they have played a lot of football over the last year. They have had their share of fitness issues as well in that period.
Guimaraes started both games against Australia, playing 62 minutes in the first and 81 minutes in the second down under. Gabriel was only involved in one of those games and played the full 90.
Brazil’s next game is against India in Kolkata, and Ancelotti held a training session in Australia before leaving for the subcontinent.
Both Gabriel and Guimaraes were involved in a separate drill at the start and were then allowed to watch the rest of the session from the sidelines – not because they are injured but to manage their load.
TalkSPORT have further revealed that Arsenal and Brazil are working together to make sure that neither player plays more than they have to. Neither Arteta nor Ancelotti wants them to be overloaded.
Both Gabriel and Guimaraes have travelled to India now for the game on Saturday, but it is unclear if either player will feature in the friendly.
If it were up to us, the two Arsenal stars would be given the day off and allowed to put their feet up before returning to North London, reducing the risk of injury.
Ancelotti has been involved in club football for decades, so we’re sure he will make the right decision with his key players on Saturday.