To win the championship, Arsenal needs a 'cornerstone' Gabriel

01/11/2025 18:47:00 esportapi

Every club wanting to claim the Premier League title needs sturdy center-backs who act as an impenetrable cornerstone. Arsenal is lucky to have Gabriel, who resembles the elite defenders of the past.

Reviewing the recent seasons when Arsenal won the Premier League, they never lacked top-tier center-backs, from Tony Adams in 1997-98 to Sol Campbell in the unbeaten 2003-04 season. This year, Arsenal has Gabriel, who channels the spirit of those veteran defenders, even though he is Brazilian, not English.

Reminiscent of Adams and Campbell

It’s very hard for Mikel Arteta to exclude Gabriel from the starting eleven unless due to injury: "The toughest part about Gabriel is not playing him because he immediately comes and says he’s ready to wear the shirt and step onto the field. Gabriel wants to play every game; he recognizes his presence and leadership on the pitch and will perform well again."

Arteta doesn’t need to elaborate much on how crucial it is for Arsenal to have quality center-back pairs. Those were the Adams-Steve Bould and Campbell-Martin Keown duos during Arsenal’s Premier League triumphs. While Arteta played from 2011 to 2016, he saw Rio Ferdinand help secure Manchester United’s 2012-13 Premier League title and witnessed John Terry’s influence in Chelsea’s 2014-15 Premier League victory.

So what does Gabriel bring to Arsenal? He offers memories of defensive skill and leadership qualities like those legendary center-backs mentioned earlier, plus he has become a strong asset on set pieces for Arteta’s squad. He and William Saliba form a complementary center-back partnership that helps the team advance. Gabriel is proud of this: "We want to boost our teammates’ energy on the pitch. I want to defend with all my heart."

Gabriel excels both in attack and defense

Skilled from defending to attacking

With Gabriel in the squad, Arsenal concedes fewer goals, keeps more clean sheets, and thus gains more points since the start of the 2023-24 season. He is the only Premier League center-back involved in 20 goals, including scoring and assisting, since joining Arsenal in 2020. Gabriel’s impact is seen not only defensively but also in creating opportunities during Arteta’s attacking plays. He provided a headed assist for Leandro Trossard’s lone goal in the win against Fulham over 10 days ago. Earlier, the 27-year-old defender scored the winning goal in Arsenal’s 2-1 victory over Newcastle last month and also scored once and assisted once in the 4-0 Champions League win over Atletico Madrid.

One reason Arsenal missed out on the Premier League title last season was conceding goals from opponents’ corners while Gabriel was sidelined with a hamstring injury. The fighting spirit is something this Brazilian defender always shows, as reflected in his pre-season statement: "I am reaching a new level and want to maintain my fighting spirit and leadership qualities because I know I am a role model for my teammates on the pitch." Arteta admits Gabriel has the traits of a world-class defender when defending and is a top attacker when joining offensive plays. However, not everything has been perfect for Gabriel. He was dropped from the starting lineup for the first three matches of the 2023-24 season amid rumors of a move to the Saudi Pro League. The previous season, Gabriel made a costly mistake that led to a penalty, resulting in Arsenal drawing 2-2 with West Ham in April 2023.

That is history. Now, Gabriel is highly motivated to help Arsenal win the Premier League for the first time in over 20 years and, further ahead, to earn a starting role with Brazil at the 2026 World Cup.

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