The reason why Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba are considered one of the greatest center-back combinations in the history of the Premier League has been elucidated by former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher.
Jamie Carragher believes that Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba are on the brink of becoming one of the Premier League’s finest center-back pairings.
The Arsenal tandem have resumed their performance from the previous season, establishing a strong foundation for the 2024/25 campaign. Gabriel and Saliba have been instrumental in the remarkable record of Mikel Arteta’s team, which has conceded only one goal in their first four Premier League matches.
Ben White and Jurrien Timber have been the preferred full-backs, while David Raya has served as the custodian. They have been consistent members of the defense. Carragher has elected to express his admiration for Gabriel and Saliba prior to Arsenal’s visit to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, despite the fact that the majority of the conversation has centered on Raya’s remarkable double save against Atalanta.
Carragher wrote for The Telegraph, “We will eventually refer to Saliba and Gabriel in the same breath as the two stand-out partnerships of my generation: Chelsea’s John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho and Manchester United’s Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, provided that they remain together.”
In order for the tandem to secure a place in the hall of fame, Arsenal must win either the Premier League or the Champions League. However, they are making significant progress and are the primary reason why Mikel Arteta’s team can travel to Manchester City with confidence this weekend.
Terry and Carvalho are considered the finest center-back pairing of the Premier League era by former Liverpool defender Carragher. The pair were the foundation of Jose Mourinho’s exceptional Chelsea team, which allowed only 15 goals during the 2004/05 Premier League season.
He cited Tony Adams and Steve Bould, Adams and Martin Keown, Sol Campbell and Kolo Toure, and Arsenal’s legacy of centre-backs. However, he believes that Gabriel and Saliba surpass them. “They have optimized their positioning and utilization of their pace to execute recoveries,” he concluded.
Carragher concluded, “The great pairings do not shine for one or even two incredible seasons.” United achieved five Premier League titles and the Champions League after Vidic and Ferdinand joined the team at Old Trafford. Terry and Carvalho were champions in three of their six years of collaboration.
“Saliba and Gabriel have made an impressive start.” They do not require any reminders of the expectations that are placed upon them in order to ensure that the early comparison with the game’s greatest players is not perceived as absurdly premature.Arsenal’s defense was the most stringent in the Premier League last season, allowing 29 goals in 38 matches, which is 14 fewer than the previous year. Additionally, their defensive performance this season indicates that they are maintaining their current trajectory, despite the fact that it required another Raya double save to prevent Ollie Watkins in their 2-0 victory at Villa Park last month.
