Paul Merson has claimed that he would rather have Tottenham’s Davinson Sanchez in his combined XI than Arsenal’s Gabriel, as he told 90 min.
Arsenal will host Tottenham in the North London derby on Sunday and, as always, it is set to be a tasty affair.
Debates will be flying around, far and wide, as to who is in the better position, who has the better coach and who will finished higher at the end of the season.
Another one is which players would get into the Arsenal-Tottenham combined XI.
Well, despite playing for Arsenal, Merson admitted that he ‘can’t make a case’ for picking Gabriel over Tottenham’s 25-year-old centre-back, Sanchez.
“I think with Sanchez, he tries to win the ball too quickly,” said Merson. “Instead of just jockeying. He is too eager.
“I can’t give a case for Gabriel. If I want to be marked by someone then I would rather be marked by Gabriel because Sanchez has got the pace to get back if you do beat him.”
In previous seasons, Sanchez has struggled for form and to showcase why Spurs paid such big-money for him in 2017.
Under Jose Mourinho, he produced a number of error-prone performances against the likes of Man City and Everton.
But during this campaign, he has started off in a strong fashion and has looked a lot better under Nuno Espirito Santo.
As for Gabriel, he is considered Arsenal’s best centre-back, who was one of their best players during the first half of the last campaign.
Even though Mikel Arteta’s men started pretty badly, he stood tall, although he drifted away towards the back end of the campaign and is, once again, showcasing his worth this term.
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