As we approach the new season, the talk around the town is of a potential title challenge. Therefore, it’s important to think of how Arsenal are to utilise their players to the maximum, so that any problems in the squad can be patched, in order to sustain a genuine title assault from matchday one to matchday 38.
Gabriel Paulista has shown promising touches in the back four during his seven months at the club, but perhaps was restricted by small injuries, the dominance of Laurent Koscielny as well as the captaincy (with the absence of Mikel Arteta) of Per Mertesacker. However, with the Brazilian now having Premier League experience under his belt, what will next season hold for Gabriel in what looks to be a crucial campaign for the Gunners?
Gabriel will be appearing much more often in the heart of the defence, because unlike last season, a lack of leadership will not be experienced if Mertesacker is left out of the starting XI. The signing of Petr Cech offers the North London side experience and leadership, so even if not officially designated captain, Cech can still be trusted upon to lead the back line. This decision would result in Gabriel gaining more starts, as the importance of Per Mertesacker begins to wane.
Gabriel will also gain more appearances after this essential pre-season period, because of the opportunity pre-season can provide. Firstly, it allows the former Villarreal player to properly gel with his team-mates, especially his fellow defenders, so that the quartet can learn each other’s playing styles, and anticipate the decisions that the rest of the back four would make.
Secondly, this is Gabriel’s first pre-season at the North London club, a perfect chance for the Brazilian international to hone in on his weaknesses – perhaps his ability to build up an attack from the back, and his overall quality on the ball needing some work – key components in an Arsenal side who are famous for their possession play, and how fundamental that is to the Arsenal way of winning.
Also, in a general sense, you would hope that Gabriel has picked up some English in his time at the club. Whilst complete fluency is obviously not expected at this point, it wouldn’t surprise me if the 24-year-old has picked up some key defensive terms and commands, that should allow him to set up correctly in matches with his teammates. It may not seem the biggest factor, but in actual fact it can make the difference in a match.
Finally, we can expect to see Gabriel’s ruthless streak bursting through this season, as he builds a reputation within the side. The defender has built up a knowing, particularity back in Spain where he played with Villarreal, of a tough-tackling persona, and we’ve seen glimpses of that in front of the Arsenal faithful. Achieving more starts means that the 6 foot 1 inch defender will grow in confidence, and again we can bring a ruthless edge to the back four, that players like Martin Keown once embodied in the Gunners back line. It’s an essential factor in footballing success – John Terry and Nemanja Matić demonstrating that in Chelsea’s triumph last season – and Gabriel is the one who should make the step up to this level.
Altogether, we’ll be seeing more of Gabriel going into the new season. A defender who’ll be more confident, and offer a new edge to the team. These factors should make him a core player, and as a result will make the Arsenal defence much more stable, and successful.
