Arsenal: 4 positive takeaways from Southampton win

2. Gabriel is Tidying Up His Game

That might seem like a peculiar thing to say having watched him go flying into a tackle with less than two minutes on the clock, but it’s the way he responded to that which is something noticeably improved from him across the whole campaign.

Even if he’s matched his Premier League tally of two yellow cards from last season, his overall rashness has been toned down dramatically.

Often guilty of going lunging in around the box and giving away silly fouls, there is a composure to the way he conducts himself that was on show against the Saints. Getting that early card (which was pretty rash, in fairness) how he managed the game from thereon in has been a staple of the season.

Having Benjamin White alongside him may be helping, as he too is a hugely calming character with an almost arrogant and laid back style. It could be rubbing off on him.

What the more likely reason will be is his overall maturity. He’s more confident in how he plays, speaks he language better and has developed immensely as a defender across the past 12 months.

Being less fearful of a centre-back pairing is a luxury Arsenal supporters have not been able to cherish for a great numbers of years. Every facet of his game improves each week, and his huge threat from set pieces can’t go without mentioning. When you’ve got an aerial monster you have to find ways to use him.

Plenty of credit goes to Jover on that one.

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