Arsenal club captain Martin Odegaard has now heaped praise on one of his teammates for his performance against Manchester City.
Arsenal produced a solid defensive display to keep Manchester City at bay on Sunday evening.
Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba were dominant in their battle with Erling Haaland. The Gunners defended their box with diligence and conviction throughout the match, ensuring that the hosts could only muster one shot on target in the entire game.
With this clean sheet, Arsenal ensured that Manchester City fired a blank at the Etihad Stadium for the first time in 57 games.
How Arsenal kept Manchester City at bay
Whilst credit is due to Declan Rice for the way he marshalled Kevin De Bruyne, and Ben White, Gabriel Jesus, and Jorginho, amongst others, all fulfilled vital defensive functions, it was Gabriel and Saliba who truly tied the rearguard effort together.
Gabriel and Saliba have been called the best centre-back partnership in the Premier League and they lived up to that billing in the north west.
Mikel Arteta was without Saliba when Arsenal made their trip to the Etihad Stadium last season. On that occasion, Pep Guardiola’s side hosted the north London outfit during the run-in, when both clubs were vying for the Premier League title.
In the Frenchman’s absence, as he was sidelined with an injury for the final stretch of last season, the Cityzens took Arsenal apart. They ran out 4-1 winners, and all but ended the Gunners’ title hopes in the process.
Martin Odegaard hails importance of William Saliba to Arsenal
This time around, it was clear just how big a difference having a fully fit Saliba to call upon makes. The 23-year-old was imperious, and underlined his importance to Arsenal’s cause with this display.
Speaking to Sky Sports (31/03/2024) after the match, Martin Odegaard gave his thoughts on the centre-back’s performance, and reflected upon how his absence cost them last season. The Norwegian playmaker said, “any team in the world would miss this guy. You see the quality he has on and off the ball, so I am glad he is fit now. Brilliant player and brilliant performance again today.”
It is now vital that Saliba is able to remain fit and firing on all cylinders alongside Gabriel for the rest of this campaign. If Arsenal are to be crowned champions this time around, then this defensive duo will have provided the platform to make that success possible.