Arsenal must cope without injured William Saliba in crunch Leeds clash
William Saliba has been immense in Arsenal’s title charge and sparks more attacks than any other defender in the Premier League with his ball-winning skills… Mikel Arteta needs others to step up with the French star set to miss crunch Leeds clash
- Saliba has excelled in what is his first full season in Premier League football
- He has formed an almost telepathic understanding with Gabriel in defence
- Stats show nobody in the division is better at winning ball and sparking attacks
William Saliba’s absence from the back line represents a serious worry for Arsenal as the Premier League title race enters the final furlongs.
The French centre-half has been everything Gunners fans hoped he would be this season – and much more besides.
There was dismay among the fanbase when Saliba, 22, was sent out on three separate loan spells in France after he was signed from Saint-Etienne in 2019.
But Mikel Arteta wanted to make absolutely sure the towering defender was fully ready for the rigours of Premier League football and this season he has proved conclusively that he is.
There have been occasional errors but Saliba’s influence on this winning Arsenal team has been immense, with Arteta recently describing his partnership with the Brazilian Gabriel Magalhaes as ‘a happy marriage.’
William Saliba was forced off against Sporting in the Europa League earlier this month
The defender has formed an impressive partnership with Brazilian Gabriel for Arsenal this term
Arsenal will be determined to preserve their eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League
It isn’t known how long Saliba will be sidelined for as he continued to nurse the back injury suffered during Arsenal’s Europa League defeat by Sporting Lisbon on March 16.
He was replaced by Rob Holding for the 4-1 Premier League win over Crystal Palace just prior to the internationals, a result that re-established Arsenal’s eight-point cushion over Manchester City at the top.
Saliba will certainly miss Saturday’s visit of Leeds and they’ll want him back for their visit to Liverpool the following weekend and the title run-in beyond that.
The main worry for Arteta is one of continuity. Saliba and Gabriel have been pretty much inseparable for the whole league season, a reassuring presence in defence and the bedrock of Arsenal’s success.
Saliba had played every single minute of 27 Premier League games prior to picking up his injury and Gabriel had been alongside him all the way.
When the pair appeared to have a heated discussion after the 1-0 win at Leicester City last month, Arteta summed up their partnership.
‘They are a happy marriage. They love playing with each other but they are really demanding with each other, which is good.
‘I don’t want robots. I want players with feeling, with passion demanding [more] from each other.
‘Then they have that chemistry and those two certainly have that on and off the field.’
Mikel Arteta has spoke positively of his defenders’ ‘chemistry’ and the injury absence of Saliba will be a concern with no margin for error in the Premier League title race
Saliba had started and completed every single Premier League game until his injury blow
They have developed an almost telepathic understanding of one another’s games, clicking together almost right away at the beginning of the season.
Arsenal fixtures
Saturday Leeds United (H)
April 9 Liverpool (A)
April 16 West Ham United (A)
April 21 Southampton (H)
April 26 Manchester City (A)
April 29 Chelsea (H)
Saliba has shown admirable composure in his first Premier League campaign, while Gabriel brings bite and aggression to an Arsenal side often accused of lacking such qualities.
They have dovetailed together nicely but that will now be missing for one more crucial game at least with Rob Holding slotting in alongside Gabriel against Leeds.
Holding has played just 103 minutes of league football this season, unable to break the reliable partnership that has formed ahead of him in the pecking order.
Arteta has been loathe to change a winning formula and Holding has high standards to maintain, the scrutiny all the more intense with City looking to pounce on any slip-ups.
What Arsenal are really going to miss is Saliba’s ability to win back possession for his team.
His top-notch positioning and anticipation has seen him win the ball back for Arsenal 206 times in 27 matches – more than any other Premier League centre-back.
But to pigeonhole Saliba as some kind of brutish tackler is completely wrong. His passing game is second-to-none in English football and his role in kick-starting Arsenal moves shouldn’t be overlooked.
He has completed 1,697 passes in league action this season – making him the second most accurate central defender in the top-flight when it comes to passing.
Saliba has also been involved in 78 unbroken passing sequences for Arsenal in his 27 appearances and actually started 29 of these attacks. Both of those are league-bests.
Saliba celebrates with Fabio Vieira after scoring against Sporting Lisbon earlier this month
The stats show how Saliba ranks top in the league for winning possession back and kicking off sequences of passes for Mikel Arteta’s side
The stats show how Saliba plays a prominent role in a good chunk of Arsenal’s passing moves
So Saliba is one of Arsenal’s chief instigators, helping them flip defence into lethal attack, often in the space of just a few seconds.
It will fall upon Gabriel and Holding to compensate for this lost spark against Leeds though of course Saliba’s absence won’t lead to any adjustment in the high counter-press that so often works in their favour.
The Gunners have been fortunate to field the same, first-choice central defensive pairing for so long in a title-chasing season.
It’s up to Saliba’s team-mates to ensure he isn’t missed this weekend as they look to move one step closer to glory.
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