Arsenal: Gabriel Paulista Behind Shkodran Mustafi And Rob Holding
Arsenal’s Gabriel Paulista has stated that he is looking to regain his first-team role. However, he has now slipped behind Shkodran Mustafi and Rob Holding.
In the midst of a preseason injury crisis, Arsenal’s centre-halves were depleted to extreme measures. Laurent Koscielny was already suffering from fatigue due to his international exertions at the European championships, Per Mertesacker went down with a knee injury likely to keep him out til Christmas time while Gabriel Paulista soon after injured his ankle.
The Brazilian international has now re-entered the fray, starting Tuesday night’s game against Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup, and will be set to challenge for a starting spot once more. However, while in his Arsenal career this far he has only had to compete with Calum Chambers as the third centre-half in the squad, behind Koscielny and Mertesacker, he now has far greater competition.
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In the summer, Arsene Wenger bolstered his defensive options adding Rob Holding in a surprise £2 million move from Bolton, before purchasing Shkodran Mustafi in a sensational £35 million deal from Valencia. Consequently, Gabriel faces a tough challenge to reclaim his starting role, and speaking after the 4-0 win over Forest, Paulista conceded as much:
“I think this season the competition has been and will continue to be very strong, with so many great defenders at the club. If a player is at Arsenal it must mean they are great, and whoever the manager picks to be in the starting XI is good enough to be there. The fight to get a place in the team will be a good fight, and Arsenal benefit from this competition between players. Us players will always try to get a place in the team. I’m going to train very hard to try and get in the team, to get in the starting XI, while at the same time showing respect to my team-mates.”
Such respectful comments, especially towards his teammates and the squad as a whole, display how harmonious this Arsenal dressing room is. However, the recent performances of Holding and Mustafi – the latter, while not perhaps being as impressive as many had hoped, will start simply due to the investment tied to him – have seen Paulista relegated to the fourth choice centre-half.
Gabriel did not show enough to merit a starting role when in the side previously. He is far too aggressive to survive in the Premier League, particularly in his pursuit of the ball, trying to nick it in front of opposition strikers, does not read danger quick enough and is not particularly imposing aerially.
Ultimately, in limited time Holding has looked far more accomplished, possessing far more potential, while Mustafi has been signed as the future of the Arsenal defence. There isn’t a place for Gabriel on this squad, and he certainly does not deserve a starting role.