I think it's close. Rob Holding is clearly the standard though.

Just to clarify, When Van Dijk was 22 he just joined Celtic in the Scottish league. The fact that Saliba is this good at 22 is insane.

Seeing mustifi let me remember that as Arsenal fans we been through a lot lol

He’s my first pick CB in a current prem XI. However, realistically its gonna be about a year or two before he gets that recognition. Us arsenal fans just know already.

Literal tears rolled down my eyes as i had flashbacks of the Mustafi X Sokratis era 😅

I remember when Saliba was out on loan, and there were rumours he'd be sold. So glad we kept him. Haven't seen a centre-back as talented at Arsenal since Campbell. Top 3 in the world, no doubt.

Thing is that Saliba could develop the skills of Virgil and Ruben which makes him an even scarier prospect.

The fact he is doing this at such a young age is crazy, with some good coaching he has the potential to be one of the best of our generation

that knock scared the shit out of me. It's 11pm and was about to sleep

That knock was different for sure

Damn, I can't believe we once had Lord mustafi in our defense and comrade holding and elder David luiz as his apprentice 😅😅

Not just the Premier League, he's the best in the world !

That knock got me 😂😂

He is the best CB in the world.

I would actually say he's our best player.

Rice and saliba compliment each other perfectly

Tbh I’m a city fan and I think this guy composure on the ball is a killer I was watching the Newcastle game hoping for arsenal to loose and every time I see this man on the ball with 3to 4 dif players around him the man just doesn’t loose the ball no matter what I was blown away Dias would roof that shit to hallaand 😂😂 but tbf Dias shot blocking is second to none so bothe have worldclass attributes still gives it to Dias bc of his positioning

Watching Mustafi hard tackling himself to the ground got me 😂😂😂

Never do that again. 😂😂😂I stood and went straight to open the door and found no one there.🤣🤣 Only after I restarted the video I realised what you did.😅😅

Saliba is definitely and certainly currently the best CB but while I’m glad you’ve expanded on this I am somehow wishing you didn’t expose him as i am worried other teams are trying to find our secret sauce and ways to break us down from a predictability perspective 😂🤷🏽‍♂️

Everytime I see Gabriel and Saliba play for us, it makes me remember we got here from Mustafi and Sokratis, and that nakes me feel a range of emotions I didn't even know I'm capable of feeling. 😂😂❤

Great engaging analysis. Generally great channel.

Saliba the kind of guy to wink at the attackers of the opposite team as they are linig up

So true.important Arsenal player

That short Mustafi comp made me 💀

great video alex! mainly bc i agreed with 99.8% of every word lol

ABOUT TIME!!! 😁

Brilliant Video as always! - Slight Nitpick @6:59 - You've listed Man City twice on the cross faced section.

His best attribute is to see where his help is. Every top CBs have this sense of knowing where his help is, the likes VVD Wilo or Rio never make many tackles cuz they are quick to drift the attacks away from the danger zone & towards their help, which is why most of their ball recoveries fall into their teammates feets.

Bro that fucking knock scared the shit out of me

Saliba is always catching bodies. This year he has been fantastic

Personally as of right now I think John Stones is the only player who's ahead of Saliba. He's new role in the back 3 at city last season guided them to a treble

I genuinely thought someone's was knocking my door 😭 This guy ffs

Bro the knock had me shit my pants yo, was ready to throw some hands XD

Nice knock 🎉

I think he’s even the best defender in the world for now ❤

Holdini just fantastic

I have spatial headphones on and I was watching this video just past midnight and that knock at the beginning scared the shit out of me lol.

I watched this intro and just went and answered the door

Insuring for that knock scared the shit out of me 💀

agreed

I would say the 4 names you mentioned are the best without a doubt. But when their levels are so similar, the most objective metric to differentiate is whether they have won any trophies. So it’s fair to say Diaz and VVD are better (but I personally would say Saliba is the best😂)

Saliba is the defender Arsenal lacked for years. He’s like Koscielny but better.. very efficient

That was a regular knock at the beginning though. should make a beat out of a knock that would be different. Btw love you and your content x

I run like a mad man I tackle like a bad man. Can't stop me passing like the Frenchman I am zindane, man. Saliba!

That knock at the beginning creeped me out. I was wearing headphones thinking who is knocking soo aggressively at my door

I had headphones in thought someone was banging my door lool 0:02

Makes sense. Saliba is really good 1v1.

Bro what the hell was that intro 😂 I almost 💩 my pants 😂😂😂

Holy shit, I have been watching you for like a month and have always thought you had like 1 mil subscribers but I just now noticed that it's only 50k, the quality of videos is way too high for the subscriber count, i am so surprised

I am still amazed how we were able to recruit him.

Saliba the beast

I mean Saliba did play RB at times at Saint Ettiene and he would be high up the field at times so managers knew his on ball abilities and allusive speed from young

Not many centrebacks has the skills, technicality and silkyness to play in a tiki taka system. This is an era that you have to be good on the ball in order to be considered being one of the best.

the knock at the beginning caught me off guard wearing headphones 😂

Simply it is SALIBA

Thought that knock was actually coming from my door, different fr

Vdv will be there next season

Is it just me or is statement " i asked my followers on X" immediately in your brain followed by " gon give it to ya"

I tell you the truth: with White, Saliba, Magalhaes, and Tomiyasu or Kiwior in our starting back 4 defense, I can comfortably say that this is a much more formidable defense, better and stronger than that of Manchester City. If you ask me, I will say Zinchenko should be playing the Xhaka number 8 role and leave the left-back role for good because Tomiyaso and Kiwior have got that covered big time. Zinchenko can play the number 8 role and still support Tomiyasu or Kiwior defensively at the same time. Arteta should be flexible enough to make this conversion to give Martinelli enough room to boost our attack more centrally. While Odegaard can give Saka the option to cut in centrally around the 18-yard area and be more dangerous, Zinchenko can also give Martinelli the option to do the same with equal technical ability as Odegaard. Trossard can also play the number 8 role and Odegaard's role effectively as well. Arteta should not be rigid and should be flexible enough to convert or test players in certain positions. This flexibility and adaptability is what Pep has used to become the best manager in the world today. ----------------------------Raya---------------------------- White-------Saliba------Magalhaes----Tomi/Kiwior -----------------------------Rice----------------------------- ------Odegaard/Tross-----------Zinch/Tross-------- Saka-----Nket/Jesus/Tross/Havertz----Martinelli

Honestly he is the best centre back in the premier league. No doubt about it.

Really took the Sp*rs fan on the Football Terrace personally XD

bro I went to check the door))

The 4 letter word rhyming with Dora criptic clue - on the road to making the channel an audible crossword puzzle. Next week, 4 across.

Just imagine a center back pairing of him and Timber.. would be epic

I'd say, Saliba is extremely similar to Araujo, Who i still believe It is the BEST 1 v 1 defender in the world. Both imposing, with great speed.

Saliba for me the best

Cant believe Maguire doesn't get a mention

I think the best CB this szn is VVD , I seen his stats , It took him over 2 years to be fully back from that ACL injury .

For me Prime Van Dyke is the standard for a Defender. Saliba is very close to him.

Musty brought back some PTSD😂😂

Chambers, Metersacker, Holding, Mustafi, Senderos, and Sokratis consistently gave me stomach cramps. 😢

Saliba is good but Gabriel is so underrated..

DONT DO THAT KNOCK SFX AGAIN!!!!🤣

He certainly will be the best in a few years time let's be honest

Anyone else not know what hes talking about when he said rhymes with dora?

As a Man U fan I'd say he can be the best at times. Van Dijk is never there for me. He makes more mistakes than one would want from a center back. Although he can make up for it later on with a highlight so spectacular you forget the minor mistakes he makes. However he seems flustered far too often, and that I would put on his inability to trust his team. Saliba can have the confidence to not get flustered like Van dijk does. Because he is confident enough in himself to deal with whatever comes his way. That is why he seems so at ease, and the age really doesn't make a difference to me. Either you will be able to tactically understand your role and space at any age or you won't. Different levels require different wherewithal and once the adjustment is made (I'd argue close to one season is enough to understand a new level up from previous understanding, and sometimes less if the player is elite) you should be comfortable within your capabilities to be where you need to be and to be capable of doing your job. Saliba has that wherewithal. He is elite at an age it's almost unheard of because of the age at which managers are willing to give you a chance at the next level. It could happen more often but CB is the one spot most managers won't take that risk, so as such elite CBs aren't developed until mid to late 20's although they are capable at a younger age. I'd also agree he is capable of being an elite ball carrier but he doesn't want to risk leaving a gap in his place whenever he has the chance to carry. That is elite level thinking. You know you're more valuable in your area so you make the decision move the ball as soon as possible then return to homebase and secure your structural soundness. That's great and once he gets older or maybe he gets a slightly improved team member he trusts in those situations to slot in if he chooses to exploit space when necessary, then he likely will do that when it's required, but I wouldn't put it over 2 more times per 90 if that. Maybe one more progressive carry per 90 is all that is required in most games. So he is doing all that is expected of him and more from a certain perspective. Mine would be to remain in position as much as possible, although some might want him to take a gamble in certain times it's not a prerequisite to being a top CB. So yeah that's my summary. He is elite and will only get better. Best of luck to the gunners and the player himself.

What's a "channel"?

BRUH IF ONLY WE HAD 2 SALIBAS

I still think I’d pick VVD over him currently based on stats alone, but my GOD he’s such a scary prospect at 22 years of age that he’s even being compared to arguably the highest peak CB of all PL

Four letter word that rhymes with Dora?

Sorry Mustafi is clear of William "Zero World Cups" Saliba. I'm kidding obviously😄

Based on age, Saliba is the best CB in the world.

Saliba at left 8? Just a thought.

what four letter word rhymes with dora?

1st Ruben Diaz 2nd William Saliba

Ya and he'll be at PSG or Real Madrid soon.

Hearing Twitter called X nearly made me want to puke icl

He’s not even a regular for his national team?!?

What's the four letter word that rhymes with Dora?

I think he got beat 1v1 by Adama Traore for Fulham this ssn

I like your videos and have subsribed and its great content etc etc but you should really do away with the knocking thing at the start..... this is the 3rd time Ive been listening with headphones and thought there was a knock at my door / through the wall from neighbours as if something was going on. Maybe amusing the first time or whatever but you dont want to be messing with your audience and doing childish things on what is otherwise a smart and adult (I dont mean in that way obviously lol) podcast. Seriously you should stop that

for me, the best CB is John Stones, although that may be because i watch too much Tifo IRL n got infected by john

He is not the best but one of the best ..there people above him like Ruben Diaz .walker but not miles far away from them ..

4 letter word that rhymes with ‘Dora’ Me - ……… 👀😳 Help

I mean he is no Murillo but he is okay

Mate c'mon you trying to kill people with that knock!!!!

Your pronunciation of Rúben Dias really wasn't a bad effort at all. The leading R is hard for Brits to say. However, you then went on to day Diaz throughout the rest of the video. Owwww.

I would say Virgil is still the best, but Saliba is coming.

"Tbh i'd rather be the 50th best CB in the PL and win the treble than be the best and win nothing" John Stones - May 2023 Pure gold xx