‘A lot of mistakes’: Liam Brady says 25-year-old Arsenal player is so much worse when Saliba doesn’t play

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Liam Brady has stated that Gabriel Magalhaes isn’t as good for Arsenal when William Saliba isn’t in the team.

Speaking on The Stand with Eamon Dunphy, the Arsenal legend was discussing where the Gunners’ season went wrong as the title slipped away in recent weeks, and according to the pundit, the injury to Saliba was a big dent in the north London club’s chances.

Brady claimed that not only was Saliba missed, he stated that Gabriel is actually far better when Saliba is alongside him.

Gabriel better with Saliba

Brady gave his verdict on the Brazilian and his centre-back partner.

“There were a few injuries that were very very important. Saliba for me was the main one. Gabriel is a far better centre-half when he has Saliba alongside him. When Saliba wasn’t there, he made a lot of mistakes that cost us dearly,” Brady said.

Dynamics changed

As Brady says, Gabriel wasn’t as good when Saliba wasn’t in the team, but the entire dynamic of this Arsenal side shifted when the Frenchman went down with an injury.

Indeed, Gabriel wasn’t the only one who declined without Saliba. The fact that the whole backline had to play a bit deeper meant that Thomas Partey had to cover more ground, exposing his legs after a long and fatiguing season, while Ben White also didn’t look as comfortable at right-back.

In all honesty, there probably wasn’t an injury that could’ve been more damaging than Saliba. The entire backline was built around his pace and technical ability, and when he was taken out of the side, that all changed.

With Saliba back in the team next season, Arsenal should be much stronger.