Arsenal take on Luton Town this evening, and Hatters boss Rob Edwards has heaped praise on two Gunners stars.
Mikel Arteta‘s side have an opportunity to return to the top of the Premier League table tonight, albeit temporarily. They need to do that to put pressure on Liverpool.
The last time Arsenal faced Luton Town, they were made to work hard. It was a thrilling game that was won in the 97th minute after a header from Declan Rice.
Edwards will want to hurt the Gunners at the Emirates this evening, but he knows just how good this Arsenal side is. He says he has been impressed with two players in particular.
Luton Town manager Rob Edwards raves about two Arsenal players
Arsenal have a fantastic side from top to bottom.
You can’t be challenging for the Premier League and the Champions League titles without having a number of top-quality players in your squad.
Mikel Arteta has built a fantastic side, and Arsenal are now good enough to beat any team in the world on their day.
Rob Edwards has done a tremendous job at Luton Town this season. His side have exceeded everyone’s expectations, and Arsenal know they will have to work hard to win tonight.
The Hatters boss, ahead of the game, had his say on Arsenal, and he revealed that two players have really impressed him in recent weeks – William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes.
The two defenders were the best players on the pitch when Arsenal held Manchester City to a 0-0 draw at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Edwards said about Saliba and Gabriel: “I’ve been really impressed with them. They’ve got everything, haven’t they? They’ve got physicality, speed, power, they’re very well coached and obviously, they understand the game.
“They can play pretty well as well with the ball so they’ve almost got the lot. I suppose it’s Arsenal Football Club and you would expect that as well.
“But yeah, they’ve got such power and athleticism it’s difficult now. They’re a big reason why they suffocate teams now as well. They can lock on and be really aggressive and compete in any which way.
“If you want a fight, they have a physical battle and also they can play as well. So yeah, they tick pretty much every single box and they were clearly magnificent at the weekend.”
Gabriel Magalhaes vs William Saliba stats compared – who has been better?
Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba have formed the best defensive partnership in the entire Premier League. They have been magnificent together.
However, who among the two has the better stats for Arsenal this season?
Gabriel averages 1.3 tackles, 0.9 interceptions and 2.4 clearances per game. He also has one block and 2.4 aerial duel wins per 90 minutes. The Brazilian, who has scored four goals this season, boasts an average of 62.5 passes every game with a healthy passing accuracy of 89.3 per cent.
Saliba, on the other hand, averages 1.1 tackles, 0.7 interceptions and 2.1 clearances per game – all inferior to Gabriel’s corresponding numbers. He has also scored fewer goals and won fewer aerial duels per game compared to his defensive partner.
On the ball, Saliba averages 77.8 passes every game and has maintained a very impressive passing accuracy of 92.3 per cent.
The two Arsenal defenders are not miles apart, but if we had to pick one, we’d say Gabriel has had the better season so far. WhoScored has given the Brazilian a 7.02 rating for his performances this season, while Saliba’s score stands at 6.80.
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