Mikel Arteta Responds to Martin Keown’s Praise of Arsenal Duo
Arsenal legend Martin Keown was blown away by the performances of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes in the Gunners’ win over Manchester City on Sunday, and Mikel Arteta was in full agreement. The duo managed to keep top scorer Erling Haaland quiet, with the Norwegian restricted to just 23 touches and no attempts on goal.
Keown’s Praise for Saliba and Magalhaes
Keown, who played 332 times for Arsenal, was keen to let Arteta know just how impressed he was with the two centre-backs. As Arteta was coming to the end of an interview with Astro SuperSport, Keown said: ‘I just want to say, by the way, the two central defenders – as an ex-central defender for Arsenal – they were immense today. Saliba and Gabriel, they ate Haaland! And it’s not often you can say that because he’s a wonderful player. But they were really, physically top class if you want to pass that on to them.’
Arteta was beaming with pride as Keown spoke, nodding his head and saying ‘yes’ several times in agreement with the former centre-back. ‘Please tell them [yourself],’ replied the Arsenal boss. ‘When you see them around, please tell them! I will pass the message on.’
Arteta Reflects on His Side’s Defending
Reflecting on the defensive resistance shown by his side against City, Arteta said at his post-match press conference: ‘I was thinking about that in the 92nd minute, saying that we haven’t had that many [clean sheets]. But against the best team in the world, we managed to do it. The application and the love that we had today for defending was what we needed, was in every player and it was a necessity. If you concede against them, you know afterwards it’s extremely difficult because they don’t give much away. So, it was really important.’
Conclusion
Arsenal’s win over Manchester City was a huge result for Mikel Arteta and his side, and it was largely down to the superb performances of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes at the back. Martin Keown was full of praise for the duo, and Arteta was in full agreement. It was a great defensive performance from the Gunners, and one that could prove to be a turning point in their season.