- Arsenal have the best defense in the Premier League this season
- The Gunners have only conceded 24 goals in 29 games
- Arsenal have FINALLY grown up… they were soft and you can’t say that anymore. It all starts
Rio Ferdinand has hailed an Arsenal defender as one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League and revealed Declan Rice has privately waxed lyrical about his teammate.
Arsenal have the best defensive record in the Premier League this season, having scored just 24 goals in 29 games and just four times this calendar year.
The Gunners held Manchester City to a 0-0 draw at the Etihad on Easter Sunday, becoming the first team in 57 consecutive games in all competitions to score the Premier League champions at home.
By not conceding on Sunday, Arsenal become only the third team to keep a clean sheet against City in both Premier League games since Pep Guardiola arrived at the Etihad in the summer of 2016.
The partnership between Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba at centre-back has been crucial to Arsenal’s defensive solidity and Ferdinand revealed that Rice has been very impressed with the Brazilian.
Rio Ferdinand has revealed Declan Rice has raved about an Arsenal team-mate
Rice was particularly impressed with a central defender for the Gunners
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“When I saw and spoke to Declan recently he waxed lyrical and enthusiastic about Gabriel,” the former Manchester United captain said on the latest episode of his Vibe with Five YouTube show.
‘I criticized him last season and I still stand by that, and rightly so. But he seems to have learned, he has matured.
‘He is one of the most aggressive, yet controlled and composed centre-backs in the league.’
It’s not the first time Rice has complimented Gabriel this season.
Speaking to TNT Sports ahead of Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Newcastle in February, the England midfielder named the Brazil international as the player who had impressed him most since arriving at the Emirates in the summer.
“The one who really surprised me is Gabriel,” Rice said.
‘He is so aggressive, so strong, really wants it all the time, never loses a duel.
“If you have two central defenders like that who want it, play aggressively, that really helps and gives you confidence.”
Rice has singled out Gabriel for his performances this season, handing the Brazilian a key role in Arsenal’s title challenge
The 26-year-old was fantastic against Manchester City on Sunday as Arsenal kept a clean sheet
William Saliba was equally impressive, winning Man of the Match at the Etihad
The partnership between Gabriel and Saliba has been crucial for Arsenal this season
With 33 goals conceded, only City and Newcastle had a better defensive record than Arsenal last season, as Mikel Arteta’s men allowed 43 goals in 38 games, at a rate of 1.13 goals per game.
Crucially, 18 of those goals came in the final nine league games of the season, which Saliba, named Man of the Match on Sunday, missed with a back injury.
Arsenal won five of those nine games, but gave up two-goal leads to Liverpool and West Ham and lost to City – who eventually guided them to the title – Brighton and Nottingham Forest.
The goals-per-match ratio has fallen to 0.82 this season and Ferdinand believes the combination of Gabriel and Saliba could be crucial to Arsenal’s quest for a first Premier League title in 20 years.
“His partnership with Saliba (…) if he had been fit last season they might have won the league,” he said.
“His importance and status within the team are now next to Gabriel.”
‘I don’t think you can see one without the other. I think they are the best collaboration.
‘(Liverpool centre-backs) (Virgil) Van Dijk and (Ibrahima) Konate are close, but these two work better together.’