“That is just incredible” - Gary Neville reserves special praise for Arsenal star during entertaining first half against West Ham
Gary Neville heaped praise on Arsenal after Gabriel scored from the corner against West Ham United at the London Stadium in the Premier League on November 30. The Manchester United legend claimed that the Gunners had made the set-piece routine a part of their game and are showing how important it is.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Neville pointed out that Gabriel was the one who started the move and ended up scoring from the corner as well. He added that the ball into the box from Bukayo Saka was also exceptional and said:
“That is just incredible – Gabriel has just conducted that goal from start to finish. I can’t think of a more important place when defending corners than the near post. The quality of the delivery in is outstanding though and these Arsenal corners need special attention.”
On BBC Rabia 5, Andy Reid also heaped praise on Saka and Gabriel after the goal. The former midfielder also praised Nicolas Jover, the set piece coach at the club, and said:
“Straight away the Arsenal staff go to hug the set-piece coach [Nicolas Jover]. It’s a brilliant ball in, there’s not a lot of pace on the ball, but it’s really accurate. Gabriel gets free and he has the movement from the back to the front post – he will not get an easier header. He has the desire to get his head on the ball, but the delivery is key.”
Gabriel has scored four goals in 19 games across competitions this season. Meanwhile, the Gunners won 5-2 at West Ham United on Saturday to move to second in the league table. Saka and Gabriel were joined by Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, and Leandro Trossard on the scoresheet at the London Stadium.
Mikel Arteta praises Arsenal set-piece coach as the best in the world
Mikel Arteta spoke about Nicolas Jover earlier this season and claimed that the Arsenal set-piece coach was the best in the world. He added that the decision to bring him from Manchester City was his decision and said via The Guardian:
“In his field, in other fields and as a person. And the relationship that we have – that’s why I made the decision to bring him to City when I was there and then to Arsenal. Him and the rest of the staff have injected the belief to the players that there are many ways to win football matches. This is a really powerful one and he has given us a lot. So a big compliment to all of them.”
Arsenal have scored 20 goals from corners in the Premier League since the start of last season, which is the highest. Gabriel also scored from a set piece in the North London derby earlier this season to give the Gunners a 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur.