‘Best partnerships in the league’; Tony Adams excited about Arsenal duo’s big potential

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Ex-Arsenal captain Tony Adams believes the Gunners have a growing partnership. It could even become one of the Premier League’s very best.

Tony Adams clearly likes what he sees from Arsenal’s defensive partnership. The former Gunners captain spoke very highly to Sky Sports about the potential in Gabriel and Rob Holding.

“The Gabriel and Holding partnership – I think it’s got the potential to be one of best partnerships in the league, you know,” said Adams. “Rob, he’s had problems with injuries and stuff, but I think they’ve got the athleticism, they’ve got the strength, the commitment.

“They just need to be worked with on a regular basis.”

The duo have started alongside one another in Arsenal’s last two Premier League games with mixed results. They kept Manchester United out at Old Trafford in a 1-0 win but then sunk 3-0 at home to Aston Villa this weekend.

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The stats do back Adams up here. Looking at things like tackles, interceptions, clearances and blocks, both Holding and Gabriel consistently rank highly per game in Arsenal’s squad (per Whoscored).

But it’s an interesting one. They never really play in a traditional back-four, given Mikel Arteta usually plays a hybrid 4-3-3/3-4-3- system. Keiran Tierney is frequently playing as a left-sided centre-half with the license to push on as a full-back.

It makes it hard to judge Gabriel and Holding as a proper partnership. If they do continue to perform, though, perhaps Arteta will gravitate more towards using them in a back-four. The arrival of Thomas Partey offers better midfield protection, too, which could see the Spaniard move a defender forward.

The two most dominant teams in the Premier League play back-fours, after all, and it’s the most successful way of playing right now. If Gabriel and Holding can prove themselves, we could well see Arsenal join them in that.