Arsenal have improved dramatically as a team since Mikel Arteta’s arrival, and are stronger in every area of the pitch than they were before he became manager.
Under Unai Emery, Arsenal lost their attacking edge but were also vulnerable defensively, and buckled under pressure even against sides lower than them in the table.
Arteta has fixed the mess he inherited, and his robust Arsenal side are now performing at a very high level in the Premier League and Champions League.
This is in part to the strength of the defence. Goalkeeper David Raya has been sublime this season, and centre-back partnership William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes have been labelled as the best in the world.
Arsenal’s threat from set-pieces also makes them dangerous, with Gabriel now one of the most clinical players in Europe at corners due to his aerial strengths, but he was not always the imperious figure we see in the back line now.
How Gabriel Magalhaes improved in the air before joining Arsenal
In his early days as a youth player, Gabriel was actually weaker in the air, but this was something he dramatically improved at Brazilian side Aval.
Speaking to Mail Sport, his former Aval youth manager Diogo Fernandes revealed that Gabriel used to be of a slimmer build when he was 15, but targeted coaching helped him improve in the air.
“Gabriel has always been an athlete who absorbed a lot of information the coaching staff provided him,” Fernandes stated.
“Up until the Under 15s age group, he didn’t have a very good offensive aerial game. But in the Under 17s, he ended up improving that.
“At that time, we assigned a professional who worked specifically with the youth categories, focusing on finishing, defensive and offensive heading, and set-pieces.
“Gabriel was part of this programme, where he enhanced his aerial game — especially offensively. Later on, we reaped a lot of benefits from that.”
Gabriel then became the aerial menace he is now, striking fear into other Premier League defenders, and he eventually developed an air of inevitability.
“He scored many goals, and it became routine — every set-piece, Gabriel was a reference and always ended up scoring goals thanks to his learning,” Fernandes added.
Gabriel has been one of Mikel Arteta’s best signings at Arsenal
Gabriel joined Arsenal from Lille for around £27m in 2020, and he was the first player Arteta paid a transfer fee for.
The Brazilian has improved year on year and is now operating at a world-class level. He made his aerial presence known from the moment he arrived, as he scored against Fulham on his debut, but he has reached a different level of performance.
Arteta has made several excellent signings, but Gabriel is one of his best given the development he has gone through under the Spaniard, and his fee now seems a bargain given that he is one of the best players in the world in his position.
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