Tempers flared between Declan Rice and Gabriel Magalhaes as Arsenal lost to Fulham on Sunday afternoon. With almost an hour of the game gone at...
Tempers flared between Declan Rice and Gabriel Magalhaes as Arsenal lost to Fulham on Sunday afternoon.
With almost an hour of the game gone at Craven Cottage, Declan Rice and Gabriel Magalhaes engaged in a brief shouting match on the pitch as Arsenal struggled to repel another Fulham attack.
Moments after this exchange, the Gunners were behind. As Rice and Gabriel both failed to deal with a delivery into the box, the ball eventually fell to Bobby De Cordova-Reid, who fired home from close range.
Although Mikel Arteta made changes, the north London club never really threatened to get back into the game. Arsenal have now lost consecutive Premier League matches, dealing a severe blow to their title contender credentials.
Seeing the likes of Rice and Gabriel argue on the pitch certainly isn’t a good sign. Arteta has regular preached the importance of unity within a squad, but there was certainly disharmony on the pitch against Fulham. What’s more, Arsenal have generally been very impressive as a defensive unit so far this season. It is a huge problem for Arteta if his rearguard are losing their cohesion.
Arsenal fans react to Declan Rice and Gabriel Magalhaes disagreement
Plenty of Arsenal fans are concerned that clash between the Brazilian defender and the former West Ham United man could indicate deeper issues in the dressing room. Taking to X, one supporter said, “Seeing Rice and Gabriel arguing too isn’t a good sign either. Seems like something has gone on behind the scenes this Christmas.” Another stated that “There is no joy in this team, Gabriel shouting on Declan Rice on the field… Players blaming one another, Martinelli being selfish… Arteta is trying to take the blame and keeps on hiding their mistakes… They aren’t playing as a team.”
One fan fears that the team is starting to fall apart, saying, “Rice and Gabriel argument in game… Yeah they are fully disintegrating right before our eyes.”
One fan felt that this interaction reflected the general theme of Arsenal’s performance in west London, saying, “Gabriel and Rice arguing too. It was messy all around today.” Another supporter was worried that things could get worse from here, saying, “Gabriel and rice screaming at each other and gabi ignoring smith Rowe spells trouble.”
Arsenal certainly need to bounce back from this disappointing result. Against Crystal Palace next time out in the Premier League, Arteta will be demanding a far better showing. He also won’t want to see a repeat of anything like the confrontation between Rice and Gabriel, either.