Arsenal have a London derby to contend with on Saturday when Fulham welcome the Gunners to Craven Cottage.
Mikel Arteta was unable to beat Marco Silva – who Nottingham Forest could hire – last season in this fixture, as a goal each from Raul Jimenez and William Saliba saw both sides draw.
Arsenal did – however – beat Fulham by two goals to one in the reverse fixture at the Emirates Stadium.
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Marco Silva has now been speaking about Arsenal ahead of the game – singling Gabriel Magalhaes and Saliba out for praise.
Marco Silva hails William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes
The BBC quote the man born in Lisbon as saying: “They have improved their depth. They are a very, very strong squad. It’s not a surprise to see how solid they are, they have one of the best centre-back partnerships in the Premier League and Europe.”
Arsenal have conceded just three goals in seven Premier League outings so far this season – the fewest of any side in the division – while only Newcastle have more clean sheets than the Gunners (4) with five shutouts.
Not only that, but one of the duo Silva praised is also an offensive weapon for Arteta in Gabriel – who scored a late winner against Newcastle in September. It was the Brazilian’s 18th goal for Arsenal in 167 Premier League appearances.
That equates to an average of a goal every nine games – an exceptional record for a defender.
Fulham must watch out for what William Saliba does
Saliba does not get himself on the scoresheet as much as Gabriel – the Frenchman only has six goals in 106 Premier League outings.
However, the Arsenal No.2 plays a key role in helping the Brazil international score, as Jamie Redknapp noticed when commenting on Gabriel’s winning goal against Newcastle.
Saliba often stands in front of the opposition goalkeeper – using his bulky frame to block them from getting a glove on the ball to good effect.
Redknapp said: “Saliba does so well, watch Saliba, he does enough, makes it difficult for him (Nick Pope).”
Silva therefore needs to be wary of this, but also consider how much of a threat the Frenchman can be himself having scored at Craven Cottage last season.