The school of French central defenders has struck again. If Ibrahima Konaté showed himself to his advantage this Saturday during the clash between Liverpool and Arsenal (1-1), it is William Saliba who has been loving the praises of the Kingdom since last night. Once again, the 22-year-old defender activated safe mode and delivered a boss-sized performance. Uncompromising in the duels against Luis Diaz and Mo Salah, secure with the ball, irreproachable in his reading of the game, the former Stéphanois was logically rewarded with the man of the match trophy at the end of the match.
His coach Mikel Arteta, who over time must tire of repeating the same things every weekend, once again praised the performance of his Frenchman and more generally of his defenders: “Saliba? Huge. But the three (Saliba, White, Gabriel) were phenomenal. I think the whole team reached the top level today“, praised the Spaniard. If Arsenal presents the co-best defense in the Premier League this season (16 goals conceded like Liverpool), Saliba is still no stranger to it.
Saliba praised by the British press
Frequently dubbed by the English press, Saliba will still not wake up with the worry of being destroyed in the media, this Christmas Eve. After his performance, The Guardian glorified her: “William Saliba was excellent, remarkable, and once again repelled Liverpool’s pressure in the second half alongside Gabriel”, praised the British daily. THE Daily Mailin a few words, laconically wrote: “William Saliba has just been outstanding in Arsenal’s back four.“, while the Telegraph goes even further by describing the Frenchman as “successor to Virgil van Dijk as best defender in the Premier League”.
The sparkling form of the French international, in balance with Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konaté for a starting place at the Euro in 6 months, did not escape the BBClaudatory: “William Saliba took home the honors again for his magnificent performance in defense. Arsenal’s intention was clear: to win this game, and they controlled it until Salah’s brilliant finish. » But beyond the press, William Saliba is also recognized by his peers. In recent days, Arsenal legend Sol Campbell had taken a liking to his younger brother, indicating that his partnership with Gabriel was Arsenal’s best duo since the 2004 Invincibles. That’s all.
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