Gabriel is not only good in front of someone else’s goal.
The Brazilian always dreamed of playing in defense
Many defensive players have an offensive background in their football history. Saliba worked on the offensive line as a child. Gabriel never wanted to attack, he always liked to win the ball. The Brazilian was the tallest since childhood, although for a long time he was not the strongest physically. He joined his original club, “Avai”, late at the age of 12. So many kids in Brazil dream of becoming a professional soccer player that it’s easy to overlook this lanky left-hander. He was missed by the big clubs.
But “Avai” had good children’s coaches. Two years after Gabriel’s appearance in the candidacy, a certain Rafael Diaz Belotti became his partner. He is now known as Barcelona winger Rafinha, one of the heroes of the season. Diaz is a year older than Gabriel and was promoted to the first team a little earlier. But the European scouts did not doze off like the Brazilians. The Portuguese took Rafinha, and a year later they came for defender Gabriel. At twenty years old, the guy decides to settle in distant France.
Lille knows how to work with young players. At first it was difficult for the Brazilian. I have never lived in such low temperatures. Soon enough, his mother and father moved in with him, which helped. But to adapt to Ligue 1, it was important to learn the language. Gabriel took advantage of Lille’s compactness. A city of 260,000 inhabitants is not Paris; Brazilians are not so often recognized on the streets. I started going to establishments for locals, where I was constantly surrounded by French speakers. And it helped in England.
Gabriel plays at Arsenal with Saliba. On the flank this season there is Timber, who can understand French phrases. Useful for communicating so that opponents do not immediately understand the essence of the conversation. Gabriel learned English less well than Jorginho, who helps him translate complex words, but we are talking about a professional. A few years ago, Gabriel got married and even before that he had a daughter. The wife’s name is Gabrielle, almost the same first name as her husband. My personal life was in order, but I struggled in football.
The defender did not gain a foothold in the Lille team. He is on loan to Troyes and plays a little at Dinamo Zagreb. Who would have thought that in a few seasons Gabriel would become one of the main defenders nuclear submarine? Arteta was looking for a left-footed cross and opted for the Brazilian. They hardly thought Gabriel would be part of such an important duo for the club. The arrival of Salib allows for parallels. Adams played with Bould. Campbell had Toure as a partner. And Saliba and Gabriel will write their own stories.
Arsenal excel in England in defense
When you sort the top 5 clubs by the total quality of their opponents’ chances, there is only one club in the top twenty. nuclear submarine. It is not just the difference in games played. Only Arsenal give up so few chances. They are far behind Bayern, because in England there is another level of resistance. As the results of Bournemouth, Fulham and Brentford show, even average can cause problems for the favourites. Arsenal attack well. Yesterday we scored two goals in the derby against Tottenham and we won.
But Arteta has problems with positional play up front. They are often compensated by standards. Yesterday, Gabriel participated in the Gunners’ important return goal. The Brazilian’s rebound past striker Solanke gave Arteta hope of an important victory. After Trossard’s goal, they managed to score 43 points. While Liverpool have not played their 21st league match, the gap between the table leaders is only four points. There are fewer contenders in the race after the failures of Chelsea and Manchester City.
Arsenal are the ones who have conceded the fewest goals, only 19 goals. It’s funny that 6 of them are after the standards. In their own goal, the Gunners don’t always defend as well on serve as they attack later. But remember that even in a season where Arteta has decided to abandon his old principles and work in a more boring way, the Londoners remain a brave team. We are now in the top 3 in terms of goals scored. And the difference is made by Raya, Saliba and Gabriel, since it is this triangle which was stable on the pitch while the midfielders and flanks changed.
Timber, White and even midfielder Partey played on the right. There are four people on the left. The newcomer Calafiori, the versatile Timber, the forgotten this season Zinchenko and the young Lewis-Skelly, who tries to impose the fight on his more experienced colleagues. Additionally, Tierney has not left the team yet. In midfield there is Rice, Jorginho and Merino, in addition to Partey. And the foundation of Arsenal’s defensive play lies in the intelligent actions of the central defenders and the saves of Raya. Goalkeeper David is among the best in nuclear submarine in terms of efficiency.
Gabriel could lose his faithful partner
We know exactly the club where Gabriel wants to end his career. Corinthians are his favorite team. He goes to matches when he is in Brazil. I wasn’t part of their team, but I know for sure that in my old age I will be asked to join my childhood team. He jokes that he is ready to sign a contract even tomorrow. Nobody will let Gabriel leave Arsenal; he is only 27 years old. He could spend many more years at the base of the Londoners. But doubts remain about Salib’s future. William is only 23 years old, people from Real Madrid will come for him.
It will be difficult to refuse such a club. Arteta needs to think about more than just the central striker the team expected. Mikel will be happy if he convinces Spanish midfielder Subimendi to choose Arsenal after a series of rejections from English clubs. But it is even more important to think in advance: who will play in defense if Saliba leaves Arsenal? In the meantime, proven partners must come together. There were some unpleasant one-off errors. However, the combination is more often praised, such as the Liverpool and Nottingham Forest duos.
Central defenders define the season nuclear submarine. Whenever Manchester City’s defensive play went wrong, there were defeats and stupid goals conceded after naturally winning matches. As long as Manchester United and Tottenham do not operate perfectly in the center of defense, it is difficult for them to even claim fourth place. The defensive line is important at a high level, as the example of Arsenal proves. Gabriel often says that the team was weak when he arrived and that he didn’t like their game.
Four and a half years later, the Brazilian himself and his new football family have grown up. Gabriel notes the excellent atmosphere in the team. His condition is a little worse this season because his “parents” had a fight. Director Edu left because he thought Arteta was turning into a dictator. Mikel is going through a difficult time. But the manager was lucky with the most experienced of the Gunners. While Saka is in hospital, it is Gabriel who plays the role of a seasoned player. Helped win the important North London Derby for the fans.
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