“It was like that” – Paul Merson makes interesting claim after two Arsenal stars were seen arguing on the pitch

Noted pundit and former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson has revealed his admiration for a post-match discussion between Gunners defenders William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes.

Following a 1-0 away win over Leicester City in the Premier League last month, Gabriel and Saliba were seen having an exchange on the pitch. Despite the victory, the two players appeared to be discussing a mistake made during the contest.

Merson compared it to an incident he confronted with Arsenal legend Ian Wright. The Sky Sports pundit wrote in a column for the Daily Star (quoted by TBR Football):

“I loved the incident between William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes after the final whistle at Leicester. I don’t care about that at all. The two defenders argued among themselves despite keeping a clean sheet and securing the three points.

added:

“If I didn’t pass the ball to Ian Wright in my day, that was it. We had arguments at half time and once at Nottingham Forest when I didn’t pass him up for a chance and he made sure to tell me how he felt.”

Merson concluded:

“I prefer to see the players doing that and showing that they care about the game. can only be positive for [Mikel] Arteta in my opinion.”

The Gunners’ defence, led by Gabriel and Saliba, conspicuously limited Leicester to an expected goals (xG) figure of just 0.02. The Foxes, despite playing on home soil at King Power Stadium, managed just one shot, which went wide, in 90 minutes.

Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba have enjoyed excellent Premier League campaigns so far for Arsenal.

Arsenal currently have the second-best defensive record in the Premier League this season, having conceded just 23 times in 25 games. They are only behind Newcastle United, who have conceded just 15 goals.

The Gunners’ first-choice center back pairing of Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba have been key to their defensive prowess. The duo have notably started all of their team’s league games this season, helping them keep 11 clean sheets.

Gabriel has averaged 4.6 successful duels, 3.3 clearances, 1.3 tackles and 0.8 interceptions per game. The Brazilian has also contributed two goals, while achieving an excellent passing accuracy of 89% in 25 games.

Saliba, meanwhile, has been surprised on a couple of occasions in recent games but has been impressive overall for Arsenal. He has averaged 4.0 successful games, 3.0 clearances, 1.2 tackles and 0.7 interceptions per game, as well as scoring two goals and completing 91% of his passes.

His performances have undoubtedly helped the Gunners establish a five-point lead at the top of the standings.