Martin Odegaard heaps praise on William Saliba after Man City draw

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard heaped praise on defender William Saliba following the goalless Premier League draw against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

The Gunners went into the game as underdogs and many had predicted them to suffer a defeat at the hands of Pep Guardiola’s side. However, they stood up to the occasion with a hard-fought draw.

The Cityzens were limited to just a solitary attempt on target. The defence had a big role to play in the goalless stalemate. Saliba was undoubtedly the stand-out performer.

The Frenchman won 100 per cent of his ground duels. He made eight ball recoveries, five clearances and also won five tackles versus City. Saliba was impressive on and off the ball.

Speaking after the game, Odegaard was quick to praise the centre-back saying: “Any team in the world would miss Saliba, we’re lucky to have him – glad he’s fit, brill performance and a brilliant player.”

Saliba missed the season run-in last term with a back problem. It contributed to the club’s downfall as they dropped points in six of the final 10 games of the league season.

The 23-year-old is fully fit and firing this time around. Him and Gabriel Magalhaes have formed one of the best central defences in Europe and have kept regular clean sheets.

The pair will be aiming to continue the excellent form in the coming weeks as the Gunners look to keep up with Liverpool and City in the hunt for the Premier League title.

The club also have a Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich to look forward to. They should be optimistic of progressing further with their solid backline.

Stats from Fotmob.com & Sofascore.com