Proud Mikel Arteta showers “unique” Arsenal duo with praise after recent performances
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has admitted that he is “proud” of the chemistry centre-back duo William Saliba and Gabriel have built during his time with the Gunners as the pair continue to shine as one of the best partnerships in the world.
Arteta has done tremendous work at the Emirates Stadium since his arrival in 2019 and one of the key factors in his success has been the tightening of the Arsenal defence over the last three seasons.
The London outfit were the best-performing team defensively during the 2023/24 campaign, keeping 18 clean sheets across their 38 Premier League matches.
The current season has shown that their standards have not dropped off having not conceded in four of their opening six matches in all competitions and the Gunners’ second-half performance against Man City on Sunday with just ten men once again highlighted their defensive strength.
A key factor in this has been the performances of centre-back duo Saliba and Gabriel. The Arsenal defenders have developed into one of the best partnerships in the world and that is something that has made Arteta “proud”.
Speaking ahead of the Gunners’ EFL Cup clash with Bolton on Wednesday, the Spanish coach said about his centre-back pairing.
“We believed that Saliba and Gabriel could become really good… but their level now is something incredible, unbelievable,” Arteta said via Fabrizio Romano. “That togetherness and chemistry is unique and really good. I’m proud of Gabriel and Saliba, really”.
Arsenal’s defence will guide them to the Premier League title
If Arsenal win the Premier League this season, there is no doubt that their defence will have played a big role in their success as it is unquestionably the best in England at present.
The Gunners have great options across their backline and behind them, David Raya is performing at a very high level, which was evident in the North London outfit’s last two outings against Atalanta and Man City.
Arteta is right to feel proud of how his team are performing defensively and following Sunday’s result, the Spanish coach will be confident of going all the way this season.
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