Arsecast Extra presenters Andrew Mangan and James McNicholas have now argued that two Arsenal stars form the most impressive pairing in the Premier League.
Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba have formed a formidable partnership in the heart of the Arsenal defence.
Since the start of last season, Saliba and Gabriel have been Mikel Arteta’s first-choice centre-backs, and the duo seem to bring the best out of one another.
Saliba may well have hogged more of the headlines, as the Frenchman is a more eye-catching performer in many ways. His silky touch and composure when under pressure is a crowd-pleasing aspect of his game.
However, it has been said that Gabriel makes Saliba better. What’s more, the Brazilian has been in exceptional form this season in his own right. He is a powerful presence at the back, committed in duels, and he also offers a significant goal threat from set-piece situations.
The Arsenal defence has been remarkably solid in recent weeks, and Saliba and Gabriel have both had a huge role to play in this success. The Gunners restrict their opponents to very few clear-cut opportunities, as evidenced by the fact that they have only conceded three times over the course of their last seven Premier League matches.
Gabriel and Saliba clearly take great pride in keeping clean sheets, which Arsenal have managed to do eleven times this season, more than any other Premier League club. The two centre-backs can often be seen passionately celebrating blocks and tackles, even when the game has already been all but won by Arsenal’s attacking play. This underlines the professionalism of their mentality and their commitment to the defensive cause.
Do Arsenal have the Premier League’s best partnership in Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba?
Arsecast Extra host Andrew Mangan and journalist James McNicholas have now had their say on if Saliba and Gabriel represent the best centre-back partnership in world football at this time.
In response to that very question, Mangan stated, “I will hold my hand up and admit that I don’t know everything in the world about football…but I would certainly say, in Premier League terms, it is by far the best partnership in the Premier League at this moment in time. No question.”
In agreement, McNicholas then chipped in with, “I think so. Even if you can make the case for an individual…a [Virgil] Van Dijk or Ruben Dias, for example. I don’t think there’s a partnership that can quite stand up to what Saliba and Gabriel have.”
“We all know Saliba is class, we all know his quality. But Gabriel’s reliability, dependability, availability, I mean, he’s just an absolute machine. I think as a unit, they are brilliant.”
Highlighting the fact that the two defenders have mutually complementary characteristics in their game, Mangan added, “they make each other better. They both benefit each other, if that makes sense. The partnership is its own thing.”
It is now vital that both players are able to remain fit for rest of the season. They provide the firm foundations that the rest of Arteta’s team is built upon. Last season, Arsenal’s title push collapsed after Saliba succumbed to injury ahead of the run-in. It would be a cruel blow if a similar fate were to befall either player this season.