There are many things to love in football, but watching your team concede a last-minute goal is certainly not one of them.
Unfortunately for Arsenal fans, that is precisely what they witnessed yesterday afternoon, as after nearly 60 minutes of sensational defending, Manchester City managed to put the ball in the back of the net to snatch a 2-2 draw.
Now, coming so far and still just missing out on the three points is always going to sting, but within the context of a second yellow card for Leandro Trossard, the Premier League title race and Erling Haaland opening the scoring in the first half, a point at the Etihad has to be looked at as a good result.
Moreover, while the North Londoners presented practically no attacking threat in the second half, their defensive work was exemplary, especially from one player whom former defender turned pundit Rio Ferdinand was once quite scathing of.
The beginning of Gabriel’s arsenal career
Yes, the player in question is none other than Arsenal’s man mountain, Gabriel Magalhães, who has come on leaps and bounds in the four years he has been at the club.
The North Londoners paid French side LOSC Lille around £23m for his services back in the summer of 2020, and while it wasn’t the sort of transfer that garnered much attention outside the Gunners fanbase, he quickly settled into life at the Emirates.
In his first season in England, the Sao Paulo-born star made 32 appearances across all competitions, in which he scored three goals and provided one assist, meaning that as a centre-back, he maintained an average of a goal involvement once every eight games, which was a sign of things to come.
The following campaign saw the “unstoppable” 6 foot 3 ace, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, rack up another 39 appearances and five goals in all competitions.
However, despite now playing alongside the talented Ben White, there were still some problems at the back, which were on full display in the 4-0 defeat away to Liverpool that season.
Fortunately, 22/23 saw the introduction of William Saliba into the backline and the transformation of White from a centre-back to a right-back, which is the set-up that’s been the bedrock for much of the club’s success over the last few years.
However, despite the defence getting stronger, Gabriel was still not necessarily getting the plaudits he deserved, as mistakes against Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates in October 2022 and against West Ham United at the London Stadium in April 2023 created an image of the defender as an unreliable and reckless player.
Unsurprisingly, following the penalty he gave away against the Irons, former centre-back Ferdinand criticised the Brazilian, saying: “As a defender, you’ve got to be calm. There’s no need for him to do what he did.
“It was a rush of blood, he needs to eradicate that, get that out of his game quick. But rash… and I’ve said this about Gabriel a few times. He’s rash, he makes mad, wild decisions.”
He even hinted that the defender could be someone Arteta looked to move on if he continued in that manner. “‘As a manager you don’t want to see that. Because those types of things ruin the head too many times, it starts becoming part of their make-up, and you’re going, ‘hold on, can I rely on this guy?”
First Impressions
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This perspective may have held some water then, but over the last year or so, Gabriel has proven that the former Manchester United star was very wrong.
Gabriel’s recent form
Surprisingly, Gabriel started last season on the bench and didn’t start a Premier League game until the home game against United in matchweek four, which the Gunners won 3-1 in rather dramatic fashion.
However, following that match, he was once again a regular starter alongside Saliba, and while the team missed out on the title by just two points, they produced the best defence in the league.
By the end of the campaign, the perception of the former Lille ace being a potential issue for the manager had all but disappeared, and as further proof of his sensational form, the 26-year-old was named in the PFA Team of the Year, alongside four of his teammates.
This season has seen the nine-capped international continue his incredible work at the back, and alongside the defensive solidity he brings to the team, he has kept up his habit of scoring from set-pieces and currently has two in five appearances, meaning that, across all competitions, the Gunners’ number six has scored 17 goals and provided one assist in 174 appearances.
However, it wasn’t just his goal against City that made his display yesterday afternoon so sublime; it was the fact that, alongside his teammates, he was forced to defend against arguably the best team in Europe with ten men for close to 55 minutes, and while Pep Guardiola’s juggernaut eventually scored, it shouldn’t take away from the Herculean effort from Gabriel and his teammates.
For example, in his 99 minutes on the pitch, he made five clearances and two tackles, blocked three shots, lost the ball just four times and scored a goal for good measure, which all helps to explain why the Standard’s Simon Collings was entirely fair to award him a 9/10 on the day.
Ultimately, while some of the early criticism Gabriel faced at Arsenal was likely fair, there can be no denying that as things stand, he is one of the very best defenders in the country and has made himself utterly undroppable.
