Arsenal: Gabriel Paulista A Near Necessity For PSG Clash
Arsenal were hit with some bad news that Laurent Koscielny may have a problem with his facial injury. Suddenly Gabriel Paulista is a near-necessity.
Laurent Koscielny was one of Arsenal’s heroes against Southampton, as his bicycle kick, along with getting kicked in the face, solidified what had to be an unforgettable birthday for the Frenchman.
However, it looks like the facial injury he sustained was no mere flesh wound, as Arsene Wenger has confirmed that there is a problem with the injury and Koscielny is seeing a doctor to discern how serious it is.
The timing there is rather poor, as Arsenal kick off their Champions League campaign against PSG on Wednesday, giving Koscielny all of three days to be cleared to play. Wenger has suddenly shown extreme caution with his stars after Ramsey’s injury, so the likelihood of Koscielny being risked is slim to none. That’s okay, Wenger prepared us for this. So now we just have to adjust.
Rob Holding could feasibly hold the role next to Shkodran Mustafi. It’s not the craziest thing in the world. The German isn’t the straight-up, sit back and absorb defender like his German predecessor, Per Mertesacker is. So it could work to pair the two, Holding and Mustafi, together.
But there is a better option and given recent injury news, that option may be available.
Gabriel Paulista is back in training with the first team and that is reason to be excited. The 25 year old is the clear heir apparent to Laurent Koscielny, as their play styles are so similar that pairing them in the same defense was pretty much impossible. So if Koscielny cannot go against PSG, then it has to fall to Gabriel to pair with Mustafi. That pairing could well be the future of this defense anyway.
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Gabriel’s invasive style of defending takes Koscielny’s aggressiveness to the next level. The Brazilian will not be seen letting attacks come to him. He has the pace and athleticism to spearhead an approaching attack and recover if the ball gets behind him.
So long as Gabriel stays focused, Arsenal doesn’t take too many steps back. Obviously he isn’t at Koscielny’s level just yet, but that doesn’t mean that he is completely inept. The only reason he has been unable to latch onto a starting role is that he can’t stay healthy. When he puts some games together, he looks like the defender we want him to be.
Plus, it doesn’t help that he is the deputy to Koscielny, who is never going to be replaced.
Getting Gabriel some playing time is crucial too. Especially with the aforementioned position he is stuck in behind Koscielny. Gabriel will have to make his claim in side competitions and prove that he can be a reliable member of this defense.
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