It is secure to say that Arsenal’s defence has come a good distance beneath the stewardship of Mikel Arteta.
Flash again to the darkish days of Arsene Wenger’s previous couple of years with the Gunners and you may sadly keep in mind some error-stricken defenders who weren’t as much as the duty.
The likes of Shkodran Mustafi, Sebastian Squillaci and David Luiz aren’t remembered too fondly by supporters on the Emirates Stadium and rightfully so.
Mustafi was maybe the worst of the lot with a few of his errors within the 2019/20 season stopping Unai Emery’s males from sealing Champions League soccer.
Fortunately, gamers like which can be no extra. Arteta now has one of many most interesting defences in European soccer at his disposal with the likes of Gabriel and William Saliba two colossal figures on the again.
Final time period, Arsenal shipped simply 29 targets of their 38 league video games; the perfect file in all the division.
Whereas Saliba is the Rolls-Royce of the duo, Gabriel brings a bit extra aggression and a pair extra horsepower. He is like the trendy Vary Rover. A person for all events, for all weathers.
Gabriel’s season in numbers up to now
The Brazilian, signed for £27m from Lille again in 2020, has confirmed to be one of many absolute best signings of the Arteta period up to now.
He’s a person mountain and has already scored 4 targets from set-piece eventualities this time period. His newest two got here in the course of the membership’s final couple of matches, powering dwelling a header on the again put up towards Sporting in midweek earlier than scoring a extra deft header on the close to put up when Arsenal thumped West Ham 5-2 on Saturday.
Gabriel, though withdrawn at half-time, was one of many stars of the present as he so usually is and he is lastly stepped out of Saliba’s shadow.
He’s maybe the perfect defender within the Premier League, actually on the subject of the offensive phases of play.
So, why is he so good? Effectively, it helps that the Gunners are the perfect corner-takers within the land.
Gabriel’s headed objective towards the Hammers this weekend turned out to be Arsenal’s twentieth from a nook within the league because the starting of final season. For context, no crew have scored extra from such conditions over that point. Moreover, Gabriel’s haul of 5 targets from corners are greater than some other Premier League defender throughout the identical time-frame.
In order for you much more numbers to marvel at, because the Brazilian arrived in England in 2020, no centre-back has scored extra in Europe’s high 5 leagues than the 26-year-old’s 17.
He is fairly rattling good, is not he? Effectively, what if there was a defender with much more targets for Arsenal? Sure, that participant does exist.
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The one Arsenal defender with extra targets than Gabriel
Again in July 2010, Arsene Wenger used the membership’s chequebook to signal a Frenchman. Shock, shock.
On this event, nevertheless, it was not a participant of Thierry Henry’s calibre, nor was it a participant of the calibre of a sure Robert Pires.
As an alternative, it was a defender. Laurent Koscielny penned phrases after shifting from Ligue 1 aspect Lorient for a price of simply £8.5m. Because it turned out, that was one of many greatest bargains the good Wenger secured throughout his time in north London.
Why? Effectively, it wasn’t simply Koscielny’s longevity that stood out however his management and his means to attain some fairly vital targets shone via, simply because it has with Gabriel in Arsenal colors.
For a second, we need to put apart the controversial method by which the centre-back finally left. Membership captain, he was introduced as a Bordeaux participant by ripping off an Arsenal shirt. It was weird, proper?
However anyway, the France worldwide must be remembered for what he truly delivered to the pitch throughout a time when Wenger’s aspect have been removed from superb defensively.
He finally left the membership with a whopping 353 appearances in all competitions and within the phrases of Rio Ferdinand in 2015, he was the easiest the English top-flight needed to supply at the moment.
“Laurent Koscielny, when he is on type, he is the perfect defender within the league for me. He is a kind of you do not need to play towards – he is fast, he is aggressive,”
Nice reward certainly from a defender who wasn’t a foul participant throughout his pomp both. So, the place does the now 39-year-old rank amongst Arsenal defenders? Proper up there.
|
Highest-scoring Arsenal defenders |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Participant |
Targets |
Scoring frequency |
|
1. Koscielny |
22 |
11.1 video games |
|
2. Gabriel |
17 |
8.3 video games |
|
3. Vermaelen |
13 |
8.4 video games |
|
4. Gallas |
12 |
8.4 video games |
|
=4 Adams |
12 |
21.2 video games |
|
6. Toure |
9 |
25 video games |
|
Stats by way of StatMuse (PL solely). |
||
As you’ll be able to see, Koscielny occurs to be the highest-scoring defender in Premier League historical past for Arsenal.
Sure, the dominant Gabriel is at the moment discovering the web with better regularity but it surely can’t be understated simply how good the previous Lorient star was throughout his time on the Emirates.
He scored a thumping objective away at Manchester Metropolis, the winner in a comeback victory towards Everton and maybe most memorably, scored the equalising objective within the FA Cup last towards Hull Metropolis.
All in all, it is secure to say that was £8.5m nicely spent, do not you suppose?
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