“He can be so emotional” – Arsenal legend highlights concern about 25-year-old Gunners star after Aston Villa win

Arsenal legend Alan Smith believes Gunners centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes will become a liability for Mikel Arteta's side in the near future. The English football commentator claims the Brazilian defender is too emotional and a cause for concern for the Spanish boss.

Smith said (via Football365):

“Gabriel would be a concern for Arteta in the future. He can be so emotional on these occasions and that can affect his game. If you look at [William] Saliba, you hardly notice him because he’s so calm. He does the simple things really effectively."

He added:

“Whereas Gabriel catches the eye for a number of reasons and I think it’s something Arteta will consider if he can rely on him going into these big games. That’s an issue for Arsenal I think.”

While Smith is critical of Magalhaes' stability at the back, the Brazil international has been Arteta's go-to man this season. The defender has featured in all 23 Premier League games and registered 31 appearances across competitions for the Gunners. He has kept nine clean sheets in the league and also scored two goals.

Arsenal have emerged as title contenders this season amid stellar form in the English top tier. The Gunners, up until their 3-1 loss to Manchester City on 15 February, dominated the top spot in the league table.

The north London outfit's defeat to the Cityzens could prove to be a huge set-back in the title race this term. However, they have moved back up to first place after Manchester City's 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest.

Arsenal have a two-point lead with a game in hand and will hope to win their first Premier League title since their historic 'Invincibles' campaign in 2004.

---

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta lavishes praise on his team after Aston Villa win

Arsenal secured an emphatic 4-2 comeback victory against Aston Villa on February 18 at Villa Park. The Gunners were 2-1 down at the break after Philippe Coutinho and Ollie Watkins netted for Villa as Bukayo Saka got on the scoresheet for Arsenal.

The north London outfit managed to find a last-gasp equalizer in stoppage time. Jorginho's magnificent shot from outside the box deflected off Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and into the back of the net. It resulted in an unfortunate own goal for the World Cup winner.

Gabriel Martinelli then sealed the victory with a goal five minutes later.

Hailing his side's performance in the encounter, Arteta said after the match (via Football365):

“We showed character, resilience. We have to take some lessons from today – in the first half we didn’t do the simple things right. We gave them a chance to score two goals in a simple way. They had two shots and they scored two goals. Credit to them for that."

He added:

“In the second half we created chance after chance. We needed a magic moment and Jorginho produced it. He has many qualities but that probably isn’t his biggest strength. It was absolutely bouncing [in the dressing room], it was a big effort to play less than 72 hours after the result we had. I’m really pleased with the boys.”

Arsenal will next face Leicester City away on February 25.