William Saliba has been sensational for Arsenal so far in the Premier League this season. His defensive excellence was met by his attacking capabilities as he scored his first goals for the Gunners with a wonder strike against Bournemouth and a precise header against Brentford.
The Frenchman has brought a sense of calmness and assertiveness to Mikel Arteta’s defence which was evidently lacking last season. More interestingly, he has also added speed to the backline, which is also crucial to playing a high line.
He has received all the plaudits this season, while his partner Gabriel Magalhaes has been a victim of a lot of backlash in the early months of the campaign. However, he has been supported by an Arsenal Invincible defender which is arguably the most important opinion of all.
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In the build-up to the North London Derby last month, former Arsenal and Spurs defender William Gallas hit out at Gabriel Magalhaes. "William Saliba has the same style as Rio Ferdinand," Gallas told Genting Casino. "When you see Saliba and how he plays, and when you compare with Rio when he was young, I think they are similar.
"But it's always the same problem. Who is going to be next to you to learn? He's still young, and at this age, you need to learn, and you need to have the right players next to you."
Saliba has been playing alongside Gabriel Magalhaes in the heart of the defence for every Premier League game so far this season. The pair have created a strong partnership, which has helped the Gunners sit at the top of the table after 13 games. However, Gallas maintains that Arsenal need more experience in the backline.
"That's why I said it's very important when you play centre-back. You need to have experienced players you can learn from," Gallas said.
"At the moment, Saliba doesn't have anyone. When I talk about experienced players, I'm talking about top-class defenders. That's why I'm a little bit worried for him. If he wants to go to another level, he needs to be next to top-class defenders. If we speak about John Terry, who was next to him? Marcel Desailly. Rio Ferdinand? He was next to Vidic, or I'm not sure who before that."
These comments by Gallas were certainly a dig at Gabriel, but the Brazilian responded with his excellent performance against Chelsea on Sunday. This is something that Gunners Invincible Lauren agrees with.
Lauren, speaking on behalf of 888sport said: “Saliba and Gabriel are already a great centre-back partnership. There is a real understanding between them. There was a moment yesterday when Gabriel lost his position a little and Sterling attacked the space. But Saliba came in from behind and was quicker. He reads the game so well and he is quick and confident.
"Gabriel can score goals at set pieces and he understands the game. He’s been great. He is aggressive in his approach and this is important when you play a high press. Those two centre-backs are right up there at the moment.”
Lauren was part of a team who failed to lose a single Premier League game during the 2003/04 season which saw Arsene Wenger’s side lift the title and achieve an accomplishment that is yet to be repeated. It is the defence that deserved major credit for this, which Lauren was pivotal in.
So the fact that the defender shares his wisdom and praises Gabriel highlights the improvement of the Brazilian throughout the season after he was heavily criticised by Gallas.
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