This is an old argument, but it is difficult to deny that a pair of excellent centre-backs are the foundation for building every great team. Sir Alex Ferguson also famously said: "Attack helps you win games, defense helps you win titles".
There are always exceptions to this rule. Most of those exceptions have probably been trained by Pep Guardiola, who always aims for an attacking philosophy. However, a classy defense is still the foundation for most success. And an excellent centre-back is of course the mainstay to create that solidity.
In the Premier League era, the three most effective central defender pairs are Steve Bruce - Gary Pallister, John personal - Ricardo Carvalho, and Rio Ferdinand - Nemanja Vidic.
With the prerequisite being to win the Premier League or Champions League, William Saliba and Gabriel are getting closer to that excellent centre-back group. Chelsea's defense in the 2004-2005 season, with the presence of the central defender pair personal Carvalho for most of the season, only conceded 15 goals in the tournament, setting a memorable record.
This is equivalent to 0.394 goals conceded per match. In the Premier League this season, Arsenal are conceding a rate of 0.75 goals per match.
They rarely have to receive shots on target, let alone goals conceded. It can be said that Saliba and Gabriel have contributed a lot to this impressive achievement.
2 of Arsenal's 3 goals conceded in the Premier League this season have come when both key centre-backs have not played together. Saliba had left the pitch long before Dominik Szoboszlai scored Liverpool's decisive goal. The French centre-back was also brought on at St James' Park as Arsenal were trailing.
Like every other centre-back pair, Saliba and Gabriel perfectly complement each other. One person shelters the other, like when the Frenchman supported his Brazilian teammate at the moment Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez caused difficulties in the recent Champions League.
Except for Erling Haaland, it is difficult to find a more important individual for a team like Gabriel at Arsenal. The Brazilian centre-back is also a formidable threat in the opposition box.
The goal against Atletico marked his 22nd goal in all competitions since the start of the 2020-2021 season - the most for a centre-back in Europe's top five competitions.
The 27-year-old was once given great attention from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2024, but Arsenal were not interested in selling him and signed a new contract with the centre-back, lasting until the summer of 2029.
Saliba has long been considered the brightest star in Arsenal's defense. But now, the central defender pair Saliba - Gabriel are worthy of receiving compliments.
Currently, there is no more aggressive central defender, the better overwhelming position, and more effective than Gabriel. He is truly a priceless player for the Emirates team.
