Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhães has recently given ESPN Brasil an exclusive interview to talk about the Gunners’ campaign.
The 25-year-old discussed how glad he is to be at the club, claiming he took some time to adapt to English football.
“Arriving at a club like Arsenal makes all the difference and I’m very happy to be here. Playing in such a difficult league and one of the best in the world. Since I arrived, I’ve learned a lot and certainly at the beginning it was difficult, but now it’s gone. I’m well adapted. I understand more about the Premier League and how they play. That made it easier for me,” Gabriel Magalhães told ESPN Brasil.
“The biggest difficulty I faced was a bit of the style of play, but I work a lot on a daily basis. I believe I’ve improved since I arrived. I’m very happy to learn more and more.”
Regarding Arsenal’s campaign for the Premier League title, Magalhães praised the job made by Mikel Arteta, claiming the Gunners have been going ‘step by step’ to reach their goal.
“I think everyone knows that we are a very young team, with a very good mentality. Mikel talks to us a lot, he’s a coach who is very close to us. And from the beginning we knew it would be difficult. Last season we missed qualifying for the Champions League, there was a bit of a taste. This year, thank God, we are focused, working hard, and having great victories. It’s step by step because we know the difficulties”.
“We do it step by step. There’s never an easy game and we need to have our feet on the ground and in the end we’ll see what will happen. Arteta always gives us confidence and we work a lot. In several games we see what needs to be improved and that It helps us a lot. Our group is very closed.”
Gabriel Magalhães also spoke about Gabriel Jesus and the injury which has been leaving him sidelined.
He claims to feel sorry for his Brazilian teammate, but makes sure to say Arsenal have enough quality in the squad to replace him.
“We already had a well qualified group, and his arrival helped us even more. From the beginning of the season we already saw a big difference and a very good mentality. Our union on the field of running for each other makes all the difference. That’s why we’re reaping the results.”
“Jesus is a very focused boy and he is working hard every day to come back and help us. But our group is qualified and we have players to make up for the absence, unfortunately these are things that happen in football. He’s sorely missed because he has a lot of experience and won great trophies”.
Following tonight’s FA Cup clash against Oxford United away from home, Arsenal will prepare for a tough sequence in the Premier League.
The Gunners first play the North London Derby against Tottenham on Sunday, and then face Manchester United on the 22th.
After 17 fixtures, Mikel Arteta’s side currently stand on top of the league table with a five point lead over Manchester City.
