‘Just phenomenal’: Mikel Arteta praises Gabriel Jesus’ pressing vs Chelsea
|Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta heaped praised on Gabriel Jesus following another impressive performance against Chelsea in the Premier League.
The Brazilian failed to score for the Gunners for the ninth game running. He should have found the back of the net from a wonderful Gabriel Martinelli cross in the first half.
Despite this, he had another solid outing. The 25-year-old work hard for his team up front and his regular pressing in the final third induced errors from the Blues defence.
His most important impact was in dispossessing Thiago Silva shortly after the hour mark. The subsequent corner from his saved shot, paved the way for the winning goal.
Speaking after the game, Arteta heaped praised on the high pressing from Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka and said that the former was ‘just phenomenal’ in that aspect.
He told Arsenal.com: “They’ve been phenomenal, they have a real willingness to do it. They are capable physically now because they have matured to do it and to sustain it.”
“The difference is about demanding them to do something actually and then feeling what they are doing and how important and how beneficial it is for themselves. Starting with Gabby what he did today was just phenomenal.”
The €75 million-rated star has been a revelation for the Gunners this campaign. The goals may have dried up for him, but he has made key contributions with his work rate and link-up play.
The Brazilian chipped in with two valuable assists in the 5-0 victory over Nottingham Forest and indirectly played a key role in the comfortable 1-0 win over London rivals Chelsea on the road.
Jesus has definitely brought a different dimension to the Gunners attack. He is currently going through a lean scoring patch but this does not reduce his overall importance in the starting line-up.
Yes, he needs to score more goals as the striker but it does not matter much so long as the team wins. Hopefully, he can end his scoring drought in the final two games before the World Cup.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com