The name on everybody’s lips after his goal sealed 3 north London derby wins in a row for the first time since September 1988. Even Alan Smith would’ve been proud with the Brazilian’s leap.

Not only does Gabby’s important goal solidify our recent record at the swamp, it also to solidifies so many strong, impressive records.

In 2024 Arsenal have played 11 Premier League away matches and conceded 3. That’s right: three. Only Nottingham Forest and the two Spurs goals last season have breached our defence since January – shutting out Burnley, West Ham, Sheffield United, City, Brighton, Wolves, United, Villa and Spurs in the process.

Arsenal have literally spent zero minutes trailing in away matches in 2024. A quite staggering feat, while Gabriel himself now sits at 15 PL goals – 4 ahead of any other defender.

So with this topic no more relevant than now, the question I put to you guys today is: what is your Arsenal all-time back four? So many leaders of men and giants to select, from decades of memorable defensive displays.

Back onto Gabby though, and what statistics can’t truly encapsulate is the journey Gabriel himself has been on since joining the club in 2020.

Joining us from Lille, Gabriel came to the club as a 22 year old with only one campaign of playing week in and week out in Europe under his belt.

With a set of defenders that were either short of the required standard or aging, Mikel gave Gabriel immediate responsibility by making him his first marquee defensive signing.

Gabriel had to adjust to a new language and culture, under an inexperienced manager, and in a side that was slap bang in the middle of its squad rebuild.

And season upon season, Gabriel has been through the low points with the club only to help Mikel Arteta’s project get stronger in each campaign.

Gabriel has matured from an exuberant, aggressive defender that had a level of nuance missing, to a dominant, physical behemoth that now blends his natural aggression with genuine presence and leadership.

Us Arsenal fans know that whenever we faced a Big 6 side and “Combined XIs” are drawn up, Gabriel is one player that opposition fans always drop to squeeze one of their own players in, fully ignorant to just how vital Gabriel is to the functioning heartbeat of this side.

Arsenal may be blessed with many technically-gifted players yet to even enter their peak years. But no player in this side sums up Mikel Arteta’s principals and beliefs than Gabriel: a grafter with an inbuilt self confidence and belief. Someone that takes the negatives and learns from them, and turns themselves into a top class player through a hunger to learn, a hunger to fight, a hunger for more.

There isn’t anybody I’d swap Gabby for. He’s vital for connecting that 2020 struggles to the 2024 modern day. What’s more, he’s already into his fifth season at the club and yet he’s only 26 years old. And that celebration at the weekend proved more than anything that he just gets it. He just gets us. And that’s as important as anything.

Nick

It’s that time of year again. Club football has disappeared as quickly as it came back. Two weeks of International friendlies, two weeks into the start of the new season.

A portion of the squad have jetted out to their respective national sides, with Mikel Arteta and co crossing their fingers for no major injuries to deal with once said teammates return. The remaining players left at London Colney would have continued to work away in a reduced group.

Mikel himself is no stranger to this feeling even as a player. It’s well documented how despite his classy, composed style of play he never received a call up for the Spanish National Team – but that’s life competing against Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, Alonso, Fabregas, Cazorla and co unfortunately!

Still, a lack of national team caps does not make a bad player. After all, John Lukic, Nigel Winterburn, Steve Bould, Rocky Rocastle, Alan Sunderland, Michael Thomas, Paul Davis, George Armstrong, Ray Parlour and Kevin Campbell – all players with thousands of Arsenal matches and memories under their belts combined, only accumulated a total of 31 England caps between all 10 of them.

So what I am curious about is which Arsenal players you personally believe should have collected many more international callups? Which players did you see excel at club level or thought had that type of potential but were always shunned for whatever reason at national team level?

One player staying in London during this interval is Gabriel Martinelli.

His most standout season in 2022/23 which saw him contribute to a combined 21 goals and assists helped secure him a consistent place in the Brazilian National Team squad. But as time has ticked by and his end product numbers have dropped, so has Gabi been from the most recent Brazil squad named by Dorival Júnior.

We really are now reaching that point of a crossroads for Martinelli’s Arsenal career.

With patchy returns on the pitch and Trossard and Sterling providing stronger competition than he’s ever had for a starting berth, will the Brazilian end up outlasting the older Trossard and the on-loan Sterling and push on at 23 years old, or will his game time dry up as the season goes on and leave him in the wilderness? Questions to be asked and questions for Gabi to answer in the next 8 months that could well shape his future at the club in general.

Aside from the aforementioned topics, the days are ticking down until the next installment of us against them. So would you give Raheem a first start away in a north London derby? What’s been your personal favourite NLD memory? And what would be your celebration if you bagged a 90th minute winner against them lot? Creative ideas for the celebs are most encouraged.

Nick