Mikel Arteta has said it is unbelievable how William Saliba and Gabriel have developed in partnership at Arsenal.
Arsenal have boasted the best defensive record in the Premier League in each of the last two seasons, with the centre-back pairing of Saliba and Gabriel having been the foundation of that success.
The duo were on top form as Arsenal drew at Manchester City on Sunday, as the Gunners battled to a point despite playing the entire second half with 10 men. At the Etihad,
Gabriel and Saliba combined for 13 clearances, five tackles, nine duels won and four blocks, while Gabriel also scored Arsenal’s second goal.
Speaking to media ahead of Arsenal’s Carabao Cup tie with Bolton, Arteta said he has been delighted with their development and believes the chemistry between the pair is ‘unique’.
Asked if he could believe their progress as a pairing, Arteta said: “No, because you have to see the development day by day. Obviously we believed they could become really good. That togetherness and chemistry is unique, it’s something that they built. It happened very organically as well. I’m very proud to have them the level they are showing is incredible.
Arteta unapologetic for Arsenal approach at Etihad
Arsenal have faced criticism for their defensive approach at Manchester City at the weekend, though Arteta said his team were forced into their approach following Leandro Trossard’s red card in first-half stoppage time.
“We had to play the game that we had to play. In the first 10 or 15 minutes we couldn’t. 11 against 11, then we got much better and obviously were thrown into a very different context,” he said.
“Every team does. They played 30 seconds with 10 men. Look at what they did, it’s normal what they did for 30 seconds. We had to do it in a different way. We learned from the past as well because unfortunately we’ve been in that situation three times. One was with Granit after 37, 38 minutes and we conceded how many?”
The draw at Manchester City concluded a tough week of away trips for Arsenal, who beat Spurs in the North London derby and drew with Atalanta in the Champions League before the clash at the Etihad.
Asked for his view on their week, Arteta added: “Extremely proud. I think the desire that the team has to compete in any context, to win and to adapt to different circumstances, different competitions and ways of playing and the hunger, emotionally and physically, the way we’ve done it, is superb.
“Happy? No, because we wanted to win the three games, understanding how tough that context is and how difficult it is and the things that we had to deal with. Not only that, but our own issues as well with the amount of players that we had out. I think it’s a significant improvement and we have to proud of that, but not happy because we want to win.”
