5 Burning Questions After Arsenal’s 0-0 Draw with Liverpool

5. Can Gabriel Break into the Starting XI?

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Apart from a few positioning mistakes, I thought Gabriel was fantastic against Liverpool, making some great challenges and playing a crucial role in the clean sheet.

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What does this mean for the future?

I think that when fit, Laurent Koscielny’s place in the starting lineup is non-negotiable, as he is one of the best center backs in the Premier League. But with Mertesacker, it’s a more difficult answer.

Evidently, the fact that Mertesacker is captain will play a role in Wenger’s decision-making, but I believe that Gabriel is a better player and that at some point, he should fall into the starting lineup next to Koscielny.

The two of them, Koscielny and Gabriel, have incredible pace between them, great strength, and most importantly, hunger and determination to win the ball. Despite Mertesacker’s height, I see both of these two as bigger aerial threats from set pieces, and overall I think they have more upside.

Of course, there will be questions of captaincy and concerns about Gabriel’s English, but I think that with a center back partnership of Koscielny and Gabriel, the defense could look really solid.

Hopefully we will be seeing this towards the end of the season.

Next: Number 4