Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has told Sky Sports that Pablo Mari was going to start but had to be taken out of the team at the last minute.
Blow for Mari
Arsenal ended up picking Ben White and Rob Holding to start against Leeds United, as they picked up a 2-0 victory.
Both White and Holding had to come off during the contest, but Arsenal still managed to keep a clean-sheet.
Calum Chambers, who may not have featured if Mari had started, actually scored the first goal of the match.
The often overlooked Arsenal defender headed home from a free-kick, which sparked huge celebrations from his teammates and the Gunners coaches.
But all could have been so different, if a sickness bug hadn’t impacted on so many Arsenal players.
Arteta said: ”Pablo [Mari] was going to start but he couldn’t because he had a bug, I think there is something happening around here.”
Needing match time
Mari’s inability to start looks like a blow for him, as the Brazilian needs to prove his worth.
Mari has not featured very regularly this term, and it seems unlikely that the £14 million man (Metro) will be able to force his way back into Arsenal’s team at the weekend now, as he didn’t have the chance to impress.
White and Gabriel have been Arteta’s first choice pairing at the back of late, and it seems most likely that they will start together again on Saturday.
Arsenal’s next game comes against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium, in what could be a tough test for Arteta’s side.
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