Pain in the Arsenal
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No Matter the Injury Situation, Gabriel Paulista Must Start for Arsenal

By Josh Sippie

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Arsenal are already riding the injury carousel this early into the season. Arsene Wenger may have tried to prepare us for this when he purchased Gabriel Paulista, but an injury to the Brazilian or to Per Mertesacker leaves us with Nacho Monreal to slide in as cover. Not a desirable situation.

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However, it’s hard to call something troublesome when it leads to Gabriel Paulista getting a start with Arsenal. Laurent Koscielny was held out of French International competition due to his back injury that he acquired early in the Premier League season. Many fear that it has been aggravated.

Koscielny is the rock at the back that keeps the Arsenal defense menacing. His aggression and anticipation make him such a valuable asset given his proactive style of play. He is a threat from set pieces and there are few out there that he cannot mark effectively.

Interestingly, Gabriel Paulista has the blueprints to fulfill every line of the previous paragraph. From the moment Paulista appeared on the pitch for Arsenal, he looked reminiscent of Laurent Koscielny. Paulista reads play incredibly well. He times his tackles as well as Francis Coquelin. Many will recall his goal-saving tackle on Romelu Lukaku last year. If you cannot recall, watch it in slow motion over and over:

At the time, it was a welcome sight. Paulista had shown some blips of brilliance but they were offset by some rather strange lapses in judgment, one of which left him literally punching himself in his own head. Not the kind of thing you want to see out of your last line of defense.

Gabriel quickly adjusted to life in London and showed improvements with each passing appearance for Arsenal. He also continued to feed the claim that he was like another Koscielny.

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Now, having made two appearances for Arsenal this season, it has gotten to a point where regardless of injuries, Paulista must play. Mertesacker and Koscielny have missed an appearance or two through various viruses and back problems. This has allowed Gabriel the opportunity to showcase his worth. It is safe to say that in that small amount of time, he has proven that he has ironed out the nerves. He no longer has to punch himself in the head.

This guy brings confidence to the back line. He brings the same anticipation and athleticism that Koscielny does. Another added benefit is that he is not going to be beaten one on one. Whether he has to lay out a slide tackle or brutishly clothesline, no one will get past him on goal.

With Koscielny likely out, it appears that Paulista will be starting next to Mertesacker. In the long run it has to be next to Koscielny that Paulista makes his name. It has worked in the past, playing Koscienly next to Mertesacker, but it has also had some hiccups. With Gabriel being of the same ilk as Koscielny, pairing him with the German would be just as effective. However it would be even more effective to pair him with Koscielny, as we saw against Newcastle.

Next: Is Wenger under too much pressure?

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