I am pretty sure that Arsenal’s Gabriel and William Saliba defence is here to stay for the forseeable future. That’s the impression I get from Mikel Arteta’s remarks regarding his two centre backs.
“I think they clicked straight away and that is something as a coach you really hope for. When you talk about partnerships those two positions are key.” said Mikel Arteta of our brilliant defensive duo.
“There is a chemistry and an understanding, they complement each other in a great way and everyone has a clear role which is accepted.
“They are getting better and better but they are still super young for the position they play but they can still get better.”
It is common knowledge that for defenders to play well, they must be on the same page; they must complement each other, and Mikel Arteta, as noted above, believes that is what Saliba and Gabriel have been doing.
Surprisingly, Gabriel appeared to have fallen out of favour at the Emirates at the start of the season. He was left out of the starting lineup for the first three games of the season. Many thought Arteta had moved on from him, even after playing him in every league game in the 2022–23 season.
That was not the case, as he has been solid since returning to the starting lineup on Match Day 4. He hasn’t made impulsive decisions like he used to. Many people credit Saliba for Arsenal’s defensive strength, but they forget that it is Gabriel who complements him.
Clearly, thus far this season, Arsenal’s defence appears to be their strength; they have conceded the fewest goals (15). They have the most clean sheets (7) of any team. These two together would be incapable of putting up a poor defence.
Even if a move for a defender like Goncalo Ignacio is being discussed, I doubt Mikel Arteta will be persuaded to break up the Gabriel-Saliba partnership. Why change something that is working, unless the Boss is only covering himself in case of an unexpected injury crisis…
All Arsenal fans (and Arteta) must be praying that neither of these two suffer any serious injuries this season.
Daniel O
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