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Martin Keown has offered \u201csensational\u201d Gabriel Magalhaes and \u201cRolls-Royce\u201d William Saliba some advice as they prepare for the \u201cnightmare\u201d challenge of Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final.<\/p>\n
After clinching a first Premier League title in 22 years, Mikel Arteta\u2019s side take on PSG in Budapest on Saturday in the showcase game of the season as they look to secure a historic double.<\/p>\n
Gabriel and Saliba have formed a formidable centre-back partnership for Arsenal that\u2019s been at the centre of their rise to become one of the best teams in Europe and Keown was full of praise for the pair ahead of the showdown.<\/p>\n
He told football.london<\/em><\/strong>: \u201cI think we\u2019ve probably got the best two central defenders in Europe right now. I think Gabriel is a bit of a sensation this season, in both boxes and what he\u2019s brought to the team.<\/p>\n \u201cSaliba is like a Rolls-Royce of a player. He\u2019s silky, good in possession, big, strong man, mobile. He\u2019s got everything to his game. Goes on loan, by the way, for three seasons.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you spend that amount of time on loan, you start to think, \u2018this can\u2019t be for me, I can\u2019t be an Arsenal player\u2019. So just think about that for a minute. The mental toughness he had.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe it was part of a bigger plan. But he was the (UNFP Ligue 1 Young) Player of the Year in that last season he was there. He was the man of the match in his first game for Arsenal against Crystal Palace.<\/p>\n \u201cI was at the game thinking, \u2018where\u2019s this kid been?\u2019 Goes on loan for three years and comes back. So now he\u2019s formed a partnership with Gabriel. Gabriel\u2019s a player I find I get the most joy from watching because I like his physicality.<\/p>\n \u201cI like the way that he makes his challenges. It\u2019s rewarding for me to watch. I\u2019m not saying that I played like that because he\u2019s a way better player than me, but I enjoy that style that he offers, and I think he is the leader of the pack, and they are quite formidable, and they will need to be at the weekend because they\u2019re going to be stretched.\u201d<\/p>\n Saliba and Gabriel look set to for their toughest test of the season against PSG\u2019s fluid and fabulous forwards and Keown had some words of advice for the duo.<\/p>\n He added: \u201cSometimes when you\u2019re playing, when you don\u2019t have anyone to mark, and suddenly you\u2019ve got three players to mark, it can be a nightmare.<\/p>\n \u201c(Ousmane) Dembele\u2019s going to run out of that space. He\u2019s going to disappear, and then (Khvicha) Kvaratskhelia is coming in like an express train, suddenly into that space. You have to be able to read things very quickly.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t go off too deep. When you do, you\u2019ve got to win it. It\u2019s a difficult task to play against PSG, and this will be their most difficult game\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE: Eboue tells Arteta told not to start two Arsenal stars in Champions League final vs PSG<\/strong><\/p>\n Asked about a moniker for this Arsenal team after the side Keown (sort of) played in went down in history as the \u2018Invincibles\u2019 after going through a whole Premier League season without losing a game, the former Gunners centre-back said they should be called the \u2018Number Ones\u2019. Catchy.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ll be winners, that\u2019s what they will be \u2013 and that will do for me,\u201d Keown said.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd they\u2019ll be the first-ever winners of the Champions League. So for me, they\u2019re the \u2018Number Ones\u2019. They\u2019re not just the \u2018Unforgettables\u2019 or the \u2018Invincibles\u2019. They\u2019re the \u2018Number Ones\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cIt puts them as number one, because no one else has won it.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been disappointing in Europe. There was a Cup Winners\u2019 Cup competition that fell through our hands. The UEFA Cup as well, Galatasaray beating us on penalties.<\/p>\n \u201cSo the club needs to now do something major in Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n Arsenal were beaten in the semi-finals of the Champions League last season by PSG, who went on to win the competition, but Keown believes this group of Arsenal players will be in a different head space after winning the Premier League title.<\/p>\n \u201cOne thing I found, when you hear that music, that Queen music \u2013 you know, We Are The Champions,\u201d Keown said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt does something to you. You start believing that you can achieve anything.<\/p>\n \u201cThe sky is the limit. This kind of creates a platform for the club. This will give them wings to go and do something really very special.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/div>\nThe \u2018Number Ones\u2019<\/h2>\n