Arsenal’s backline has become the foundation for their recent success, with William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes at the core of it.
The duo have been ever-present at centre-back, with no one else in the squad able to shift the pair from their seemingly guaranteed place in the team.
Saliba has shown his importance to the team since coming through under Mikel Arteta, helping the side make an immediate push for the Premier League.
The Frenchman’s injury in the Europa League that season seemingly derailed the Arsenal title challenge, with difficulties in replacing his quality.
Gabriel has been available throughout his time, but his reliability has been underlined by his recent winning goal in the North London Derby against Tottenham.
That has brought up debates as to where the pair ranks compared to some of the best centre-backs in world football.
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Rio Ferdinand verdict on Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba
During the build-up to Arsenal’s Champions League clash with Atalanta, former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand was asked about Saliba and Gabriel.
“Yeah, definitely,” the ex-defender said on TNT Sports when asked if the Arsenal duo are the best centre-back partnership in Europe.
“I think they’ve proved that the last couple of seasons now. They’ve been resolute, hard, they can do it in different ways, got a great blend.
“Got Saliba who is a little more calm, wants to cover and sweep a little bit, whereas Gabriel is on the front foot more, more of a Martin Keown type, aggressive type player but they complement each other so well.
“But I always wanna reinforce it’s not just about those two, you need the Ben Whites of this team to come in and chip in with the side and make it a three at times and I think the goalkeeper as well.”
It shows not only the individual quality that is required of the team, but the team ethic that is in place for the club to succeed.
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How Arsenal defend against transitions
While Saliba and Gabriel are key parts of the team, not least for their one-on-one defending as the last line of cover, there is a wider part of the team at play too.
It was something Ferdinand spotted during the Atalanta game when discussing how Arsenal defended against transitions from the opposition team.
“The red shirts, look how quick they get back in transition,” he said during the first half on TNT Sports. “We say how good the two centre-backs are but without that team effort, that structure, that identity, you need teammates to make you look good. As a team, they’re well-drilled now.”
It’s the type of effort that good defences and good teams are built on, with a philosophy that will be key for their title clash with Manchester City too.
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