William Saliba has been sensational for Arsenal so far in the Premier League campaign. His defensive excellence was met by his attacking capabilities as he scored his first goals for the Gunners with a wonder strike against Bournemouth and a precise header against Brentford.
The Frenchman has bought a sense of calmness and assertiveness to Mikel Arteta’s defence which was evidently lacking last season. More interestingly, he has also added speed to the backline, which is also crucial to playing a high line.
This will be pivotal going into the North London Derby on Saturday, as Tottenham striker Harry Kane has consistently been a nuisance for the Gunners with his goal-scoring record. But, this is a trend that Saliba could play a big part in preventing.
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Saliba’s dominance in Ligue 1 last season has been replicated during his time in the Premier League. At Marseille, Saliba showed the maturity required to be a regular Premier League centre-back, playing more minutes than any other player aged 20 and under in Europe's top five leagues. The French defender proved to be crucial for Jorge Sampaoli’s side as he started every Ligue 1 match during his spell at the club. And so far this season, the Frenchman has featured in every league game under Arteta.
The 21-year-old was pivotal in helping Arsenal to maintain their first clean sheet of the season at a tricky ground in Selhurst Park. The Gunners had lost 3-0 at the same ground in the previous campaign. His performance was so good that Jamie Carragher awarded the Frenchman with the man of the match award.
"I thought he was very good. He didn't have too much to do in terms of the first half, but there was one moment where Arsenal were pushing out a lot. Anderson kept putting balls over the top, but there was one ball that went in behind Ben White but the way he dealt with it," Carragher said on Sky Sports when speaking about Saliba.
"Before you see him play, he looks the part, for such a young age, helping Ben White, Arsenal fans have been excited to see him. You can argue was it right to put him out, but he is 21 playing centre-back in the Premier League - do you do that when you're 19-20? It's not easy. He looked the real deal.”
Saliba will need to replicate his recent performances to an even higher level in the North London Derby. Kane boasts a great record against the team in red and white as he has managed to score 12 goals in 15 games, a feat which is similar to another Arsenal nemesis in Didier Drogba.
Arteta has placed faith in Saliba to stop Kane ahead of the clash. Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Arteta said: "No this is football and Willy has shown what he’s capable of in the past few months. That doesn’t mean that the line up is always going to be in the same direction, but he’s been so good from my side I have no doubts."
Preventing Kane from scoring will certainly increase the likelihood of Arsenal claiming the victory in the clash on Saturday. Saliba’s presence could be the deciding factor whether the Gunners stay at the top of the Premier League for another weekend, or they drop down the table due to their arch-rivals.
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