William Saliba was reportedly involved in a heated fight with teammate Gabriel Magalhaes after Arsenal’s 1-0 league win against Leicester City earlier today (February 25).
Gabriel Martinelli scored the only goal of the match, doing so in the 46th minute to give his team all three points. Instead of celebrating a major victory at King Power Stadium, Saliba and Gabriel were seen engaging in a heated exchange after the final whistle.
Athletic journalist James McNicholas wrote on his Twitter account @gunnerblog (h/t HITC):
“Some angry words exchanged between Saliba and Gabriel full time. The Frenchman seemed to push his partner away. Some kind of disagreement. Sure to pass.”
Some angry words exchanged between Saliba and Gabriel in full time. The Frenchman appeared to get his partner away from him. Some kind of disagreement. It will surely pass.
Some angry words exchanged between Saliba and Gabriel in full time. The Frenchman appeared to get his partner away from him. Some kind of disagreement. It will surely pass.
Nothing can be definitively said about the incident until it is clear what the two center backs were discussing with each other. However, such cases are common in team sports.
Emotions can run high in tense situations, which can often boil over in the form of a spirited exchange with a teammate. The two centre-backs were impressive in the clash against the Foxes and kept a crucial clean sheet away from home.
Leicester managed just one shot throughout the game, and even that was not on target. Saliba and Gabriel have played together 26 times in competition this term.
Ten of those games ended with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet. They are expected to partner in defense once more when the north London giants take on Everton in the Premier League on March 1.
Arsenal legend Paul Merson impressed with the former Chelsea midfielder’s display against Leicester City
Paul Merson was impressed by Jorginho after the Italy international helped his team beat Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.
Jorginho vs Leicester game numbers:◉ 95 touches (most)◉ 68 completions (most)◉ 10x possession won (most)◉ 3 tackles made (most)◎ 7 duels won◎ 1 interception◎ 1 foul wonControlled the midfield. 👨✈️ https://t.co/I7HSrbXxvg
Jorginho joined the Emirates in January after the Gunners agreed to pay a £12m fee to Chelsea. Since then, he has made four league appearances for his new club, three of which have seen him feature in the starting XI.
He played the full 90 minutes against the Foxes in defensive midfield, making three tackles (the most by any Arsenal player). Commenting on the former Napoli midfielder’s performance, Merson said (h/t HITC):
“Jorginho has come on and he has done a very good job. I think he has done well again today, he just kept the pace. He calmed everything down.”
He started alongside Granit Xhaka and Martin Odegaard in midfield and played his role to perfection. Jorginho sat in the middle of a midfield three and was crucial in breaking the game up and starting the attacks for Arsenal.
One can expect him to continue to start under manager Mikel Arteta as the second half of the season progresses.
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