Gabriel has become invaluable as Arsenal double act lead chase for records and trophies

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It is an old chestnut but it is hard to argue with the suggestion that a great central defensive partnership is the foundation on which all great teams are built. Sir Alex Ferguson would doubtless agree, having famously said: “Attack wins you games, defence wins you titles.”

There must be exceptions to that rule. Most of them have probably been coached by Pep Guardiola, whose idea of defending has normally been attacking. But a first-class defence underpins most success and a dominant central unit is, of course, fundamental to that. In the Premier League era, arguably the three most effective combinations have been Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister, John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho, and Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.

With the highly important caveat that they still need to win a Premier League or a Champions League, William Saliba and Gabriel are knocking on the door of that cartel. The Chelsea defence of 2004/05, which featured a Terry-Carvalho partnership for the majority of the season, conceded 15 Premier League goals, a record.

That works out at 0.394 goals per game. In this season’s Premier League, Arsenal are currently conceding at a rate of 0.375 goals per game.

They barely ship shots on target, never mind actual goals. It is an understatement to say that Saliba and Gabriel have got a lot to do with that.

Two of the three Premier League goals conceded by Arsenal this season have come when the pair have not been in harness. Saliba had long left the field when Dominik Szoboszlai scored Liverpool’s winner and came onto the St James’ Park pitch when Arsenal trailed to a Nick Woltemade effort.

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As with all combinations, Saliba and Gabriel complement each other perfectly. One covers for another, the Frenchman, for example, coming to the aid of the Brazilian on Tuesday night in a rare moment when Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez was causing a spot of bother.

But, with the exception of Erling Haaland, it is hard to think of an individual who is more important to a Premier League team’s cause than Gabriel is to Arsenal’s. That applies both domestically and in Europe.

Dominant in his own penalty area, Gabriel’s threat in the opposition’s box is well-documented. His goal against Atletico was his 22nd in all competitions since the start of the 2020-21 season - the most by a centre-half for a single side in any of Europe’s big five competitions.

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If you are into your Fantasy Premier League, Gabriel is top of the defensive ranks. Gabriel, 27, was the subject of strong interest from Paris St Germain in the summer of 2024 but Arsenal were having none of it, tying him down to a contract that runs until the summer of 2029.

For some time, Saliba was seen as the headline act in Arsenal’s defence. Now, it is the double act that is rightfully taking the plaudits.

And right now, there is no more aggressive, no more aerially dominant, no more accomplished centre-half than Gabriel. He really is invaluable.

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