Arsenal: Don’t sell out on Gabriel Paulista’s future just yet

Arsenal nation was rightfully frustrated with Gabriel Paulista following the Tottenham match, but it’s far too early to count him as a lost cause.

It was Gabriel Paulista who surrendered the penalty that sealed Arsenal’s loss against Tottenham and no matter if you think it was an actual penalty or not, it was most certainly a poor decision at the very least.

As such, the outcry against the Brazilian has been intense, as many are claiming that he simply isn’t good enough. But this is another usual overreaction to one poor performance. We have to remember that Gabriel was just starting to hit his stride and for while against the Spurs, he still had it.

But Tottenham funneled their attack at Gabriel, intent on breaking him down. They got one goal to show for it, but for awhile, he held tough. And we need to remember that learning is a process. It doesn’t just happen over night. Francis Coquelin and Granit Xhaka were both card machines in their initial forays with the Gunners, but the cards started to slow. They were still never completely wiped out.

Gabriel’s mental lapses are slowing. And while they have bigger consequences than the occasional yellow card, the overlying message is the same – this was a situation Gabriel had not been exposed to.

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He was targeted and put under extreme pressure for ninety minutes, that is tough for anyone to handle, particular in a passionate, final North London Derby against a Spurs team that has, unfortunately, just been superior this season.

He will come back stronger, more composed, and smarter. He has shown so much improvement over these past few matches, both in his versatility as a defender, his already strong one-on-one defending and in his intelligence and communication, both of which were questionable at the start of his Arsenal career.

One bad game does not spoil anything. And it wasn’t even an entire game. I would call it one bad hour.

To dub Gabriel “not good enough” because of this one game is foolish and short-sighted. Gabriel is absolutely good enough. He has the tools to be successful. He just has a bit more learning to do. There is no shame in that.

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It will now be interesting to see what happens with the return of Shkodran Mustafi, because it would seem that Gabriel is then one keeping the German’s seat warm. Of course, Mustafi also has not partook in the 3-4-3 yet, so plenty to keep an eye on going forward.