About two weeks ago it looked like Arsenal’s hopes of winning the Premier League title were on the wane.
The Gunners have been the top-flight team in England this season and still are. However, after drawing 1-1 with Brentford and surrendering a two-goal advantage over Wolves to drop points at Molineux, things were looking bleak for Mikel Arteta’s men.
However, they have bounced back brilliantly, destroying Spurs eight days ago and beating Chelsea in a devastating fashion on Sunday.
Their title might be back but they need more from their senior players who are starting to make a few mistakes as the season reaches a critical stage.
Is Declan Rice running out of gas?
One of the biggest strengths of this Arsenal team is how consistent they are. It is one of the main reasons why they were able to challenge Manchester City and Liverpool so well in the last three seasons, without winning major prizes.
They now have the best defense in Europe but the chinks in the military are starting to show. They have kept just two clean sheets in their last six games in all competitions.
The story of the campaign was their 2-2 draw with Wolves when two of their regulars, Gabriel Magalhaes and David Raya, combined to make a terrible mistake. Both players challenged for the ball, resulting in the ball falling to Wolves.
The club’s record signing Declan Rice has also been a bit out of sorts of late. Although the midfielder is in good shape to win the PFA Player of the Season for the duration of the campaign, his performance last week left something to be desired.
Arsenal’s most expensive signing of all time
The Gunners have spent a lot of money in recent years.
Indeed, it was a mistake by the midfielder that led Randal Kolo Muani to score the equalizer against Spurs. Perhaps he was lucky not to give away a penalty against Chelsea as the ball hit his arm in the corner. Fortunately the Gunners were not given away.
Those aren’t the only hairy moments for Rice lately. While he registered Jurrien Timber’s winning assist on Sunday, his passing was more erratic than usual against the Blues in one notable minute that saw him pass the ball out of play for a corner as he tried to find Raya.
Rice hasn’t been bad for Chelsea, let’s set the record straight on that. He was not poor at all. However, the England star is so used to impressing that it’s really obvious when he’s not at his best.
Arsenal star passes Rice
If Arsenal are victorious in their pursuit of Premier League glory, the midfielder could still win the man of the match award. However, at the moment, he is slightly outclassed by some of his colleagues.
Indeed, Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres were the heroes against Spurs a week ago, combining to score two goals apiece in that 4-1 victory.
Meanwhile, against Chelsea last weekend, it was Timber and William Saliba who helped. Saliba, in particular, has been solid in recent weeks, reminding everyone why he is one of the best defenders in world football.
When Saliba first broke into the Arsenal team, he looked like a Rolls-Royce. The Frenchman is a quiet man but has been in Gabriel’s shadow throughout recent seasons.
Together, they form the best defensive partnership in the country, perhaps even in Europe, but it is the loud and powerful Gabriel who has earned the most praise.
The Brazilian is a monster, scoring three goals and providing four assists in all competitions this season. However, Saliba deserves his flowers too, as he showed against Chelsea.
The Frenchman, a £27m signing, has yet to score this season but came up big against Liam Rosenior’s men. Generally, Gabriel was still involved. The centre-back rose high behind the goal to head the ball into the path of his defensive teammate who found the net near him with a deflection.
|
Saliba vs Gabriel in 2025/26 |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Mathematics (in 90 minutes) |
We are sorry |
Gabriel |
|
Goals |
0.1 |
0.2 |
|
Pass accuracy |
92.57% |
89.33% |
|
Passing forward |
20.3 |
18.6 |
|
Fighting |
1.2 |
1.4 |
|
Aerial duel success |
52.94% |
64.71% |
|
Ground duel success |
59.46% |
74.65% |
|
Duels won |
4.5 |
5.9 |
|
Ideas |
0.6 |
0.9 |
A defender’s efforts should not be declared only in the final third. He did a great job at the back, given the job of marching Cole Palmer.
During the opening exchanges, Arsenal seemed confused by Chelsea’s plan. While Palmer is listed as a right winger on the team sheet, he has actually been given a free role to operate wherever he likes.
However, what ended that threat was Saliba who always entered the middle of the field to follow the climb of the visitors. It worked well for the 24-year-old to prevent Palmer from registering a single key pass or successful drive.
Priced at £100m amid previous interest from Real Madrid, his importance to the club cannot be underestimated. That number means he is the most important player in the team now. Yes, he is more important than Gabriel, even more than Rice, even more than superstar Bukayo Saka.
Indeed, according to the Football Transfers expected transfer value model, Rice is worth £94m and Saka is now a talent rated at £90m.
The fact that Saliba is even more important speaks volumes for how good he has been since he first came under Edu’s leadership back in July 2019.
Better than Gabriel & Rice: Arsenal’s £27m star is now the best in the world
Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-1 on Sunday and have their £27m signing to thank.
