The resurgence of Gabriel Magalhães by Aziz
At the beginning of his Arsenal career in the 2020/21 season and the season(s) that followed, I wasn’t convinced that Gabriel Magalhães was a top defender or he was even going to be one for us.
I wasn’t even sure if he could make his career at Arsenal this long, albeit he has only stayed with Arsenal for nearly 4 years by now.
Below are some of Gabriel’s high-profile calamities in his Arsenal career:
●I remember his first away goal for Arsenal against Fulham on 12 September 2020 in his debut season. He started with a bang. Didn’t he?! (See the clip:)
●Then, he had his 2 “Kodak moments” in a single match against Liverpool at Emirates on 3 April 2021: And Arsenal ended up losing 3-0 to Liverpool. We continued to be Liverpool’s whipping boys! (See this clip:)
●Again, I remember very well his “stupid” sent-off against Manchester City at the Emirates on 1 January 2022, in which Arsenal ended up losing 2-1 despite starting the game so well before his dismissal that changed the dynamics of the game. The hoodoo against the Cityzens seemed to have no end! (See the clip:)
●On 27 August 2022, Gabriel had another inconsistent game against Fulham when he gifted possession to big Mitrovic, who ended up scoring for Fulham. Fortunately for him and the team, Gabriel himself scored a late winner 5 minutes before the final whistle. Calamity spared this time! (See the clip:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiTbN4oZ9qQ)
●On 1 October 2022, Gabriel conceded a penalty after a clumsy tackle on Richarlison, in which Kane equalized but Arsenal ended up winning 3-1 at Emirates, thanks to Jesus and Xhaka’s goal. This time our “noisy neighbours” were kept quiet for another time and all the streets of North London were red and white as usual! (See the clip:)
These few incidents above, among many (with Gabriel), proved to me at the time how unpredictable and unreliable a player he was.
He had such sinusoidal patterns in his performances, capped with variations and defects, to say the least.
His decision-making was as erratic as the weather in the middle of the Amazonian jungle.
Then came the beginning of the 2023/24 season, when the rumours surfaced about Gabriel that he could be sold. I thought Arteta had had enough of him, just like I was.
At the beginning of this season 2023/24, after the aforementioned rumours of his exit, Arteta used him rarely and sporadically in the first three games of the English Premier League (EPL).
In the games against Nottingham Forest (12 August 2023), Crystal Palace (21 August 2023), and Fulham (26 August 2023), Arteta paired William Saliba with Ben White as central defenders, while (strangely, in my opinion) using Partey as an inverted right-back (RB), with Timber then Tomiyasu and Kiwior as inverted left-back (LB). Arteta used Gabriel as a late substitute in these first 2 games of the season totalling only 24 minutes: against Nottingham Forrest (4 mins) and Crystal Palace (20 mins).
To put this into perspective, Arteta had only played Gabriel for 24 minutes in the first 3 games of this season (against Nottingham, Crystal Palace & Fulham).
Gabriel was restored to the starting lineup to partner William Saliba at the centre of defence against Manchester United in the 4th game of the season on 3 September 2023, in which he played the full 90 mins and Arsenal won 3-1.
They say the rest is history, and the boy hasn’t looked back since!
Since then, he hasn’t been dropped by Arteta in the team’s starting lineup in the games that followed, and he has become one of the consistent performers alongside Saliba, not only in defence but in all areas around the pitch and he has capped with scoring some important goals on the other side of the field.
According to premierleague.com, this season alone, Gabriel has scored 4 goals in 25 appearances (2 as subs). The total number of goals he has scored in the EPL so far is 14 since he joined Arsenal in 2020/21 from Lille.
As highlighted by WhoScored.com, he and Saliba have now started 17 matches in a row and 23 of the last 24, and neither Liverpool nor Manchester City boasts such a settled centre-back partnership, and Gabriel is among the seven most in-form defenders of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign as of 05 March 2024.
Let’s give credit where credit is due: this season, Gabriel’s performances after being put back in the starting lineup have been immense and changed many people’s opinions about him as a player, including myself. His meteoric rise since he was signed by Arsenal in 2020/21 proved wrong those who doubted him.
Gabriel has improved a lot as a player as underpinned by the above evidence.
Of course, we all know that football is a team game. You need everyone’s contribution to achieve results.
Every player in this Arsenal team counts and contributes to our current in-form status in one way or the other:
●Raya, in the goal, has his contributions (and distributions) that make us better as a team, and Ramsdale is a good shot-stopper and has deputized Raya so well so far when called upon.
●Trossard, when played, can give you some crucial goals with his clever movements and skills, and the same can be said about unfairly underrated Kai.
●Nketiah, Emile Smith-Rowe, and Nelson are important members of the team and are “ones of our own.”
●It’s hard now to pick who to start between Kiwior and Zinchenko on the LB when the latter comes back from his persistent calf injury, and it’s going to be a good conundrum for the manager.
●Tomiyasu and Partey will cover for White and Jorgi, respectively, whenever needed.
●Jesus and Viera are also back from their respective injuries. The former, when he is fit, can be a nuisance to any defenders and can score goals as well, and the latter is a “very talented boy,” according to Arteta. And we will need them all during the final push for the trophy (ies).
●When Timber is back from his serious ACL injury, he will be like a new signing for us as he has only played a single EPL match vs. Nottingham Forest for just under an hour since he was signed from Ajax in the summer of 2023/24.
●Saka, Martinelli, Rice, and captain-marvellous Odegaard are our “poster boys” of the team, and hard for the team to do without them at the moment.
●However, we should not overlook the importance of Mo Elneny, Karl Hein, and Cedric in the team: they put the team first before themselves and never moan their lack of game time to the media or anywhere else outside the club.
Having said that few would argue otherwise that the pair between Saliba-Gabriel as central defenders is such a non-negotiable if Arsenal has to win a major trophy(ies) after waiting for so many years, as pointed out by WhoScored.com that this partnership is the best in the league at the moment.
We hope he keeps this form until the end of the season. Fingers crossed!
COYG!
Aziz Senzia
A Gooner Fan in Tanzania
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The Brazilian was always a monster in our defense, proper shielding by the ever consistent Declan Rice have turned our defensive pairing as solid as a rock
A long, well detailed ,but ultimately wrong headed article. Although ONLY about the writers personal view of GABRIEL, prior to this season. Most of the othe content of his piece was shrewd and well argued
. I disagree massively with the writer about GABRIEL BEFORE THIS SEASON TOO,, as right from his start I saw a tremendous CB who, yes, did make a few high profile errors but whose all round play very much MORE compensated for the errors that ALL CB s make at times.
Yes even , shock horror, our own SALIBA AT TIMES and also VVD, who are widely considered the two very best CBs in our current PREM.
I have several times, disagreed with Grandad , a much respected Gooner , about Gabriel when IMO, even Grandad unfairly and hastily used to criticise GABRIEL.
IMO, it is fair toi say Gabriel has improved, but even further and from an already high base.
I find the Gabriel section of this piece, depressing to read, as it is from a writer I MUCH RESPECT, from his , albeit only few, previous articles.
I think many Gooners are only begining to realise even now quite WHAT AN EXCEPTIONAL PAIR of CBs we have.
IMO, we need to go all the way back to Adams and Bould in their prime to find a PAIR to match them. CAMPBELL DID MATCH THEM , but not the lesser though willing and able Toure.
An area of agreement I HOPE I can share with all Gooners, is that any REAL title hope we have depends a great deal on BOTH GABRIEL and SALIBA staying fit til seasons end.
And of course, with OTHER key players too, but I DIGRESS!
Jon
Agree with your statements, and I would confidently say Saliba / Gabriel are the best pairing in the PL BAR NONE, and even argue the best CB pairing IN WORLD FOOTBALL!
I don’t think there is a better combo, and love hearing our rivals wish they had defenders at their level.
I would not trade them for anyone, or sell for anything less than 150 million a piece!
I think Gabriel is underrated. He’s been one of the best CBs in the Epl this season but he doesn’t get the praise others get. I agree with the writer that he has cut out the errors out of his game. He also seems more level headed now. The recent tactical tweak that has him at Central CB with Saliba and Kiwior either side of him also seems to favour him. It’s worth mentioning that his passing and distribution have improved as well.
It’s a good thing people who know Football never doubted him. Yes all the greatest defenders are prone to making an error. Some punished and some go unpunished. Unfortunately for Gabriel he had others ahead of him, players making errors in front of him that have put him under tremendous pressure and made him look foolish. The position he has to cover let’s say when zinchenko plays and him having to cover that whole left side. Like others quoted above he has been an underrated Monster for us and long may it continue!!!
Gabriel Magalhaes who currently ply his football trade career for Arsenal as a ccentreback. is undoubtedly one of the topmost formidable defender grazing the Epl at the moment.
But of a concern to us Arsenal in today’s evening Arsenal’s Epl home match against Brentford.
In which there is the likelihood for the Gunners to because a little fatigued after playing the match ahead of their home Ucl match against FC Porto next Tuesday night. But with only 2 days interval in between the two matches for the Gunner to rest.
Has make me a Gooner to shout a foul to the Premier League and UEFA protesting to them to ask, what are they doing to think that football players are machines?
But because of the MUST WIN nature of the FC Porto match for the Gunners. And in view of this. But would Arteta take the risk to make a rotation Gunners team to take on the Bees today’s evening?
I’ll certainly not blame him if he does. But provided that the Gunners he will rotate to play the match win it handsomely for Arsenal. Like Arsenal 6-0 Brentford at the full-time of the match.
Therefore, should Arteta rotate for Brentford the following Gunners of: Ramsdale but who has been rotated already. Then Tomiyansu at RB, Zinchenko at LB, Partey at the base, ESR as play maker, Vieria as attackingly MF, Nelson as Right wingers, Trossard as Left winger and Nkethia as CF for the match. But Saliba and Magalhaes will remain at ccentreback pairing for the match.
Can’t this rotation Gunners team wallop the Bees 6 nil if Arteta does make the rotation? I think this my rotation Arsenal team for Brentford will win the match comfortably. But if Arteta does accept.
SAMUEL, I do love your posts, though often for reasons you may not realise.
I find your enthusiam contagious and am saddened that you hardly ever receive any replies or debates.
So that is WHY I posted this reply!
I also think Samuel makes a lot of sense Jon – I wonder if Mikel sees tonight’s game more important, less important or equally important?
The one blessing we have, is that the chelsea game was postponed, giving time for any niggling injuries to be sorted out.
Samuel, which title, the PL or CL would YOU choose if we could only win one?
Which would YOU choose KEN?
For MY money,it has to be a league comp the Prem, over what is essentially a cup comp, the CL, all day long!
For the greater future use to AFC, the PREM is watched far more extensively around the world than mere CL group stage games and only the CL final competes seriously with Prem games.
For me, it’s the PL this season and the CL next season – mind you, if it’s the other way round, I’ll be happy.
Not for me though KEN .
I would take endless consecutive PREM titles, hopefully alongside a CL title too.Or several!
But ALWAYS THE PREM FIRST FOR ME!
City won their ownly CL last year but has it elevated them in esteem, MORE THAN THEY ALREADY WERE? ?
I think not actually! It was their run of Prem titles 7 in 11 years that mostly did that for them.