Gabriel Paulista may have not gotten much chance to play yet, but Arsene Wenger is extremely positive about the Brazilian centre-back’s future at the club. A focused, dedicated and skilled defender, he seems like someone who might initially struggle to get accustomed, but if he can fit in, he will end up turning into a top-notch player. Per Mertesacker’s place may come under threat, if a regular partnership between Gabriel and Laurent Koscielny formulates by the end of the campaign.
If statistics are to be considered, Gabriel has enjoyed a superb start to life in English football. Despite having only five outings, he has managed to do pretty okay.
It’s not as if he hasn’t been tested though. So far, he has been forced to take 11 defensive actions per game—the highest of any Arsenal player. It’s clear the Brazilian does not shy away from a challenge, which can only be hugely beneficial for Arsenal.
He has managed to come out on top even if he contests against other players. Gabriel has won an average of 73 per cent of his one-on-one duels, which is also the single highest success ratio among Arsenal’s entire squad of outfield players. Arsene Wenger seems like he has hit the jackpot with Paulista in his team.
Watching highlights of his old plays, it is safe to say that most of his WOW moments were aerial. The former Villarreal man has won an incredible 86 per cent of his headed contests to date despite coming up against physical adversaries such as Everton forward Romelu Lukaku. To provide some context, the giant German Per Mertesacker can only boast of winning 71 per cent of his aerial battles, so score one for Paulista again.
Gabriel has aggression required to dominate his opponent. It’s possible that with a bigger sample of games behind him these numbers might dwindle, but so far, he looks like he has good potential.
Perhaps this new season will see him progress further as a player and evolve into a great defender. Or it might end up being as disastrous as Falcao at Manchester United. Let’s wait and watch!
Gabriel is a perfect player, I know Wenger has observed something special which we do not know. The guy is very calm and he does not panic at all, when he gets the ball, he can also go forward with confidence, it is a matter of time before Gabriel become the PILLAR of Arsenal in defense, because of his aggressiveness. If he partners well with the young defender such as Chambers, then we will see how Arsenal is going to perform. Young Chambers is very skillful, and a good marker, he needs more time to settle as young defender but I rate him high because he does not hit the ball even under pressure, he can stop the ball and use his quick thinking to pass to the next person, he is very technical, he can dribble without any problem and go into attach, so we can see Arsene Wenger is building a very strong and talented youngster for years to come.
Gabriel is a top top player, he will make it.
I think Paulista will be a top notch defender and should start with Kos this season.
BFG is a good defender but lacks the pace to deal with the pacey modern game of the PL and it’s now all about pace up front which he cant cope with and now would be a god time to move him on and bring in another CB.
Pauliasta is a fantastic player and just the recent stats prove that but look at career stats and smashes mert hands down the quicker we get him with kos the stronger our Def will become mert is to slow and is always targeted by pacey forwards meaning kos doing twice the work covering him gabriel 1st choice 4 me all day long
Comparing Paulista to Falcao at the end of Article, Masterstroke
Hi. I am convinced that Paulista will d very well this year. I believe that he will contribute a lot to the championship challenge for Arsenal
Centre-back Gabriel Paulista may be an unknown quantity for some fans, but Wenger is convinced that the £14 million arrival from Villarreal could develop into a top Premier League defender. FA Cup and Champions League, the new arrival may have a chance to prove he has what it takes.