Arsenal star Eddie Nketiah has picked team-mate Gabriel as the Premier League’s best defender. The striker snubbed the likes of Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk and Gunners colleague William Saliba when choosing the top-flight’s stand-out centre-back.
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Gabriel has been excellent for Arsenal this season, continuing the excellent partnership with Saliba that the pair formed in the first half of last term. The Brazilian’s form has helped Arsenal maintain their Premier League title challenge.
Contributing positively at both ends of the pitch, Gabriel’s heading ability has made him a threat at set-pieces. The 26-year-old has scored four goals in the Premier League this season, with Arsenal set-piece coach Nicolas Jover finding innovative ways to find the defender in front of goal.
Gabriel’s defensive work, his ‘aggression’ in duels and his scoring ability has prompted Nketiah to name him as the Premier League’s best centre-back.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the Gunners forward said: “You have to look at what he is doing at the moment, how well we are defending at the back, how much of a threat he is in the opposition box as well - [he’s been] so important chipping in with a lot of goals.
“He is scoring quite a lot. For me, he is impressive in the duels, we see every day how aggressive he is in training.”
Given Gabriel’s impressive form, it is remarkable that he was not in Mikel Arteta’s preferred team at the start of the campaign. He was picked on the substitutes’ bench for each of Arsenal’s first three Premier League matches - but has started all but one game since.
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“It was tough, obviously at the start,” Gabriel recently told PA Media. “I wanted to play and it was very difficult for me but I understood what the coach had to do. It is difficult for any player to not be in the team but now I’m back in I want to keep on working hard to prove my worth.
“He [Arteta] spoke to me and obviously explained the reasons behind the decision. Why I should stay, but the most important thing was to remain focused and concentrate.
“He knew how important I was to the team, so I’m happy to be back and to be able to help the team in every game. I’m happy to be back in the team and hopefully I can help them moving forward.”
