Gabriel: Arsenal won’t defend for 90 mins at Bayern

Mark Holmes
Gabriel: Hoping to keep his place against Leicester

Gabriel: Hoping to keep his place against Leicester

Gabriel says Arsenal need to “attack with intelligence” at Bayern Munich but will not spend the entire game the Allianz Arena sitting back.

Arsenal kick-started their Champions League campaign with a 2-0 win over the German giants in London a fortnight ago.

However, the statistics show the Gunners had only 31% of the ball as the Bundesliga side dictated much of the encounter but failed to record the most important tally of any goals from some 22 attempts.

Bayern remain top of Group F but are now level with Olympiacos and have only three more points than Arsenal.

Gabriel knows just what to expect from Pep Guardiola’s well-drilled team but stressed Arsenal will not spend the entire game on the defensive in Bavaria.

“When we play away, we also have to have a slightly different outlook, but that doesn’t mean we will spend the whole game defending,” Gabriel said.

“We are a big team, we are Arsenal and we need to attack because we need the result, but we need to attack with intelligence and make sure we don’t suffer a defeat and complicate our situation for the rest of our competition.”

Gabriel sees no reason why Arsenal, who are hit by injuries to Aaron Ramsey, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, should not travel to Germany with confidence, having drawn away to Bayern in the knock-out stages last season and won there 2-0 in March 2013.

“Everything is possible in football,” he said.

“We know the difficulties we are going to find. Bayern are an excellent team playing at home with the fans on their side, so it will be a big challenge.

“If we are as determined as we have been over the last few years, I believe that we can go there and get a great result.”

Gabriel has grown into his position at the heart of the Arsenal defence this season, standing in for either Laurent Koscielny or Per Mertesacker when required.

The 24-year-old has quickly become a firm favourite with the Gunners’ faithful for his no-nonsense approach, not to mention the tussle with Chelsea striker Diego Costa at Stamford Bridge in September which saw the Brazilian shown a red card.

“I think I am adapting more to English football every day,” said Gabriel, who was signed from Villarreal in January 2015 in deal worth around £13.5million.

“My style of game is similar to the English style anyway, so I am very well adapted.

“I am growing in every game and getting more experience. I am helping my team and I am at the disposal of my manager.

“If he chooses me, I will try do my best to be able to help my team-mates get the result we need.”

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