In an interview, former Arsenal player Gilberto gave an in-depth analysis of his old club's championship situation this season. He believes that compared with last season, the team's biggest advantage now is "stronger lineup depth", which is the key to their championship challenge.
Speaking of happiness, your former club Arsenal haven't won the league title since you played for them. I don't mean to expose the scars, but it has been a while. Do you think this season will be Arsenal's? Do they have what it takes to win a championship this time?
They encountered a lot of problems with injuries last season. This time, I can say, they have a stronger squad. I hope things continue to go smoothly. We know how hard it is. You know, there's still a long way to go, but in every game, they have to continue to do their job.
You mentioned a stronger lineup, does this refer to the depth of the team? Is the depth of Arteta's squad key to getting his team over the finish line this season?
Yes, it’s the depth of the lineup. I hope this works. The good thing is, when I see the game and the guys that come off the bench, they look just as comfortable as they did in the starting lineup.
This is a good thing for the head coach because he has more options and he has confidence in his contracted players. They are in good form and do not feel that they need too much time to adapt to the team's rhythm. We've already seen some of the impact, such as this week when Saka scored his 100th goal for the club in his 200th appearance. He's special, isn't he? He was quiet, everyone loved him and I was so happy for him. I hope he can score goals for Arsenal until the end of the season and fight for the title. Speaking of goals, Sowemendi is a new addition and also scored a beautiful goal against Nottingham Forest a few weeks ago.
Whether he is a starter or a substitute, how important can Sowemendi be to the team?
Oh, he showed incredible ability, you know the impact he can bring to the team, the strength he can contribute to the team. Yes, he showed his ability. This is important for Arteta. I think when you and a club decide to sign a player and they can make an immediate impact, that's always a positive for them. When you have high-level players, you know, Arsenal lost Thomas, another high-level player, but they brought in Sowemendi and he did a fantastic job. I hope he can bring more to the team and help them achieve their goals. You won the Premier League and that iconic partnership was key.
How do you evaluate the partnership between Saliba and Gabriel this season?
This is very important, you have the backbone of the team. You know they've played together for a long time and you get to know each other more and they become leaders on the field because they give everyone confidence that the defense is going to do the right thing and you're going to protect us. But when you attack from them, you have a central axis, you know, Rice, Souwemendi, Odegaard in the midfield.
Whether it's him playing or Martinelli and the players in the frontcourt. I think it's a team effort and we have to rely on everybody, no matter who's playing. I think what's important between now and the end of the season is what kind of perception they have of each other from the beginning and what kind of trust you have in your team. We look forward to seeing how Arsenal perform this season.