I know the Arsenal and Brazil centre back does not speak very good English yet, but maybe he could have a word with himself in Portuguese because he needs to start taking his own advice. And you could say the same thing about Per Mertesacker as well, apart from the Portuguese of course.
I am sure that I´m not the only Arsenal fan who is getting sick of hearing various Gunners talking before a big game about what the team needs to do and how to approach the game, only for it to be seemingly thrown out the window once they run out on to the pitch.
To be fair to them, both Gabriel and the BFG have accepted that the performance against Olympiacos on Tuesday was far from being good enough and they have accepted their share of the blame, but then both went on to talk about what needs to be done to bounce back against Manchester United on Sunday.
Our German vice captain told Arsenal Player, “First of all, we are disappointed because we started quite well, especially on the break after they had set-pieces.
“We lacked that concentration and it is not understandable why we drifted and did not do the job we are used to doing. That is not acceptable and we will be punished [for that] in the Champions League.
“We need to get behind the ball and play better defensively. We lacked discipline, even when you get a goal back don’t rush yourself. Get your discipline back and with possession you get your chances. If we are not disciplined and do not chase the ball we have got no chance.
“We have got a couple of days to look back on that performance. I think everyone will have regrets and it is good to take that away.
“It will take a couple of days to recover and to think about Manchester United and play in a different competition, which will be a good opportunity to come back to the Emirates and play our football with possession and dynamism.”
Possession and Dynamism! Just make sure you remember that when it matters this weekend Per!
Gabriel was quoted on the Arsenal website as saying, “We just need to be calm. We have to work hard and focus on putting in a good performance [against Manchester United].”
Calm you say? This from the man that failed to not react to the winding up of Diego Costa and could also have seen red for that sliding studs up tackle on Tuesday. We love his aggression and battling qualities but we really cannot afford another sending off on Sunday.
So will the Arsenal defenders listen to their own words of wisdom this time or will we hear the same old thing after another poor performance?