Arsenal Should Give Gabriel Paulista Chance For Vengeance

Arsenal will be welcoming Chelsea to the Emirates and while it may seem a high-risk scenario, they should absolutely start Gabriel Paulista.

Back in the day when Chelsea were still just ‘in a funk’ and not ‘terrible’, Arsenal had to travel to Stamford Bridge to face the Blues. The game was toe-to-toe, with neither team able to break down the other. It was a very even affair and one that figured to go right down to the wire.

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That is, until Diego Costa engaged in his usual neanderthal shenanigans, flailing his arms about like they were rubbers hoses. Naturally, he targeted Laurent Koscielny, who, after Costa attempted to surgically remove the Frenchman’s face with his paws, stepped up to the rabid Costa. Koscielny was then knocked to the ground, got back up and was beaten to the punch by his team mate, Gabriel Paulista.

Gabriel proceeded to match Costa’s intensity, but according to referee Mike Dean, went one heel kick too far, as he was red-carded while Costa smirked to himself and continued to look like Barney Rubble.

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Chelsea won, 2-0. The red card turned the tide of the game. In the end, the red card was rescinded and handed to Costa. Moral of the story? Costa was in the wrong, Gabriel was in the right, and Mike Dean is public enemy No. 6 or 7.

The point is, Chelsea is coming to Arsenal’s house to play now and according to Guus Hiddink, Costa will be available for the match. But that point is moot. Whether he is available or not, Gabriel Paulista must be given his chance at vengeance/redemption.

Even with the red card being rescinded and handed to Costa after the fact, Gabriel still put himself in a situation that he shouldn’t have. While what he did was completely admirable and won some serious brownie points, it did lead to the game being lost for Arsenal.

Seeing as how Wenger is all about learning experiences, there is no better time than this to let Gabriel Paulista prove that he learned his lesson. Gabriel has revisited the events that unfolded that day and has asserted that the exchange was ‘affectionate’. However, he did go on to say that Costa is not as battleworn as the true Brazilian. 

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Gabriel knows he messed up acquiring the red card. He didn’t mess up with the actions he took, he messed up in that he failed to recognize that Mike Dean was a (insert unflattering remark).

So now it is time to let Gabriel turn over a new page at Arsenal. He has proven that he is starting XI quality. That much is certain. His statistics show that he is better than Per Mertesacker at literally everything and he is even better at Koscielny in most things. However, the opportunities have been lacking.

Arsene Wenger can send a huge message to Gabriel by starting him. It is the same message that Wenger frequently sends to his Arsenal players, a message of faith. He is putting faith in Gabriel not to put himself in another situation where something like a red card could happen again. He would be giving Gabriel a chance to be the bigger man.

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In all likelihood, Gabriel will not start. Imparting lessons is one of Wenger’s top priorities, but sticking to his own formula is a bigger priority. However, a start here would be monumental for Gabriel.