Although he will not play the French team’s next matches following a withdrawal, William Saliba has previously delivered a very high quality performance with Arsenal against Manchester City (1-0), all under infiltration. An accomplished match from the Frenchman who is shining at the start of the season with the club based in north London. Winning 100% of his duels and completing 97% of his passes (68/70), while he was never dribbled past in the game, the young 22-year-old French player simply disgusted Manchester City’s attackers, whether it is Julian Alvarez, Phil Foden or even Erling Haaland.
In particular, he received a rating of 8 from the Evening Standard who was rave about it: “He played well with Haaland, including a crucial intervention as City threatened to make the difference towards the end of the first half. Helped ensure the Norwegian fed on leftovers.” For his part, Sky Sports is even more direct and writes this: “Saliba flattens Haaland”. English media consultant Gary Neville insisted on this subject when talking about the Gunners’ hinge: “These two central defenders – Gabriel and William Saliba – were essential against City, they were exceptional against the best player in the world in this position (Erling Haaland editor’s note). The two central defenders and Rice are the most important players to stay fit. They won’t win the championship without them.”
Everyone is unanimous in England
The Telegraph is also under the spell of the Frenchman whom he considers to be an essential link in Mikel Arteta’s team: “Gabriel and especially William Saliba were outstanding in the Arsenal defense and throughout City’s impotence which should not be overlooked. “There was a lot of talk about Saliba’s injury at the end of last season when Arsenal went down and, on this evidence, they really can’t do without him.” Unanimously celebrated by the English press, William Saliba is following a very high start to the season where his team only conceded 9 goals in 11 matches when he was on the field. Moreover, Arsenal is the best defense in the championship with only 6 goals conceded in the Premier League (as many as Manchester City).
A solidity embodied by William Saliba who does not lack ambition and is aiming for the Premier League title this season like his friends. He also recently regretted in an interview for Téléfoot his absence against Manchester City last season during the title race: “Last year I had a good season. Unfortunately, I got injured during the year and in the final sprint. It’s clear that I was a little disappointed, but here it is, it’s a new season with new ambitions and I hope we will do better. It’s clear that with me, Arsenal could have been champions. But now, injuries are part of football and we are focused on this new season. Without him, the Gunners lost with 3 draws and 3 defeats in 11 matches. Armored until June 2027 by Arsenal and full of confidence, William Saliba confirms today that he is one of the best defenders on the planet.
