“It can happen to everyone” – Thomas Frank backs Arsenal star to bounce back and get ‘better and better’

Brentford manager has backed Arsenal center-back Gabriel Magalhaes to bounce back following the Brazilian's shaky performance against West Ham United. The Gunners ended up drawing 2-2 at the London Stadium on Sunday (16 April).

Arsenal made a dominant start and raced to a 2-0 lead within 10 minutes thanks to excellent team goals from Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard. However, just like the game against Liverpool last week at Anfield, Mikel Arteta's side allowed West Ham to get back into the game and conceded two goals.

Gabriel tackled Paqueta inside the box in the 32nd minute to give West Ham a penalty. Said Benrahma made no mistake in halving the deficit. Jarrod Bowen scored early in the second half to level the scores.

Along with giving away a penalty, Gabriel only completed three out of seven of his accurate long balls (43%). He also only won 64% of his aerial duels. The Brazilian also cleared the ball immediately on a few occasions rather than calmly playing the ball out from the back.

Thomas Frank believes it was all mental and has backed the Arsenal defender to bounce back. He told The Final Word (via HITC):

“It’s interesting because he’s a great player. We have played them twice and I think he is a fantastic centre-back. I think he will get better and better. In other games, he would just chest it down calm and composed. Football is so mental in confidence and in games. How it can change. It can happen to everyone.”

The Gunners' draw against West Ham meant they still lead the table with 74 points with just seven games to go. They currently have a four-point lead over second-placed Manchester City. However, if the Cityzens were to win their game in hand, the deficit would be reduced to a point.

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How has Gabriel Magalhaes fared for Arsenal in the Premier League this season?

Gabriel Magalhaes joined Arsenal ahead of the 2020-21 season from Lille and has since transformed their defence under Arteta. The Brazil international has been an integral presence at the back and has solidified a solid partnership at the back with William Saliba this season.

In the Premier League, Gabriel has played 31 games this season, helping keep 12 clean sheets while scoring three goals. He has also made over 110 appearances overall in his Gunners career, scoring 11 goals.

The Brazilian will get a chance to bounce back from the draw against West Ham when Arteta's side take on Southampton place on 21 April at the Emirates.