Why Gabriel Paulista Should Keep His Place for Arsenal Against Chelsea

Regardless of whether Per Mertesacker is fit to face Chelsea, he may have to accept that he will remain on the sidelines. At the moment, Gabriel Paulista is the man in possession of the shirt—and typical of the feisty Brazilian, he does not seem inclined to let it go without a fight.

At his pre-match press conference, Arsene Wenger delivered his weekly bulletin on the fitness of the Arsenal squad. When asked about Mertesacker, he told the club's official site the giant German “may still be a bit short, I have to decide that [on Friday].” The World Cup winner has been absent with illness and has not yet taken a full part in training.

That alone should give Wenger cause for concern. Throwing a rusty Mertesacker in at Stamford Bridge could be a recipe for disaster.

A player such as Mertesacker depends on the rhythm of regular football to find his best form. There is a reason centre-halves are not regularly rotated. Consistency of personnel (and thus partnerships) is key. In such a crucial fixture, Arsenal cannot afford to take a risk with any member of the back four.

This is a massive game for Arsenal: Despite Chelsea’s poor start to the season, they are the champions of England and still pose a perennial threat to Arsenal.

Nevertheless, Arsenal will smell blood. A win for the Gunners would not only be a landmark moment—Wenger has never defeated Jose Mourinho in a Premier League match—but it could potentially deal a heavy blow to Chelsea’s troubled title tilt. They will be absolutely desperate to return to north London with three points.

One of the game’s key duels will, undoubtedly, be the battle between Diego Costa and Arsenal’s centre-halves. The fiery striker terrorised the Gunners in this fixture last season, and Wenger will be hoping to keep him much more quiet this time around.

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Gabriel seems ideally suited to do that. Costa is known for his aggressive style, but on the evidence of the last few games, the former Villarreal man has the tenacity and toughness required to match that physical approach.

He is a typical South American defender, using everything he can to gain an advantage over his opponent. Like Costa, he relishes the individual tussles between defender and attacker. He will not be daunted by the Spain international’s muscularity and mind games.

Arsenal have kept clean sheets in each of the last three league games, and Gabriel has started in every one of those games. He came into the team against Liverpool in difficult circumstances alongside Calum Chambers. With so little playing time together under their belt, Arsenal’s back-up defenders had to produce some last-ditch heroics to keep Brendan Rogers’ team at bay.

However, since being paired with the more experienced Laurent Koscielny, Gabriel has looked utterly assured at the heart of the Arsenal back four.

Wenger won’t be surprised by Gabriel’s progress. When he signed him from Villarreal in January, it was partly with an eye on the future. He knew the first six months of Gabriel’s time in England would primarily be about acclimatisation. This was always going to be the season in which he began to make his presence felt.

Speaking to James Benge of the Evening Standard in the summer, Wenger said:

"

We bought well in the transfer market [last season], and all those players had a good impact. I also think Gabriel will be a revelation.

He didn't have many chances this season, but I am convinced he will be a top player. We will see more of him next season.

"

Despite Wenger’s prophetic words, this has probably happened quicker than even he could have anticipated. After a full preseason with Arsenal, Gabriel’s period of adaptation appears complete. Since getting his chance in the first XI, he has looked every inch a Premier League defender.

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His qualities are obvious: He’s positionally astute, proactive in the challenge and not afraid of the fight. In many respects, he is reminiscent of a young Koscielny. Paired together, they make for a mightily impressive partnership.

The main advantage he has over Mertesacker, of course, is pace. If Mertesacker was quick, he’d probably be one of the best all-round centre-halves in world football.

As it is, his tactical qualities are undercut by his slowness of foot. It is only his preternatural football intelligence that allows him to flourish at the elite level of the game—almost in spite of his physical deficiencies.

However, that doesn’t mean he’s of no use to Wenger and Arsenal. His organisational abilities remain invaluable.

It’s clear Wenger still holds Mertesacker in high esteem. When he starts, he usually wears the captain’s armband. Speaking to the club's website ahead of the Chelsea game, the Arsenal manager said:

"

He has a lot of class on the pitch and after the game. He is well respected, also in the dressing room, because he is always 100 per cent committed and gives everything for the team.

Every day he works with 100 per cent commitment. They are typically German qualities but even more typically Mertesacker.

"

In football, fans are often quick to discard one player after the emergence of another. That would be foolish. Gabriel’s emergence does not render Mertesacker redundant. Koscielny and Mertesacker form a highly effective defensive duo and will probably retain their status as first choice for the majority of the season.

However, Wenger must pick the XI for each week on a game-by-game basis. He is making a decision for the Chelsea game, not the foreseeable future. He has to take into consideration a number of different factors, including form, fitness and the nature of the opposition.

Based on those criteria, he surely has to stick with Gabriel on Saturday. If Mertesacker was coming into this match with the momentum of a string of strong performances behind him, things would be different. He’s not—he’s barely off his sickbed.

With the exception of one sloppy pass late on against Dinamo Zagreb, Gabriel has barely put a foot wrong during his time in the team. For Wenger to withdraw him now would be a bigger mistake than anything the Brazilian has done on the pitch.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.