Josh Strouts

Arsenal players are really going to miss out on a lot of awards this season, and it’s not because they don’t deserve it, but because they have three players competing for the same recognition Rice, Raya and Gabriel and the crazy thing is all three are performing at almost the exact same elite level. It’s not like one have been so clear of the other, in fact you can make a case for each over the other and you will be right. That’s the problem with having a genuinely dominant defensive structure. The credit gets divided instead of concentrated on one superstar narrative. Rice controls everything in front of the backline. He kills transitions, wins duels, covers absurd ground and gives Arsenal physical dominance in midfield almost every game. Then Gabriel has probably been one of the most dominant center backs in the world this season physically. Aggressive, aerially unbeatable, constant presence on set pieces too. Then Raya quietly gives Arsenal one of the biggest advantages in modern football calmness and control from the goalkeeper position. His sweeping, distribution and command of space changes the entire defensive structure. And because all three are elite together, voters start asking themselves “who is actually the main reason Arsenal are this good defensively?” That hesitation alone will splits votes. If Gabriel was doing this in a weaker defensive team, people would scream best defender in the league every week. If Raya was carrying a chaotic backline with heroic saves, his narrative would explode too. If Rice was surrounded by a weaker midfield, his importance would look even more than this. But because Arsenal look so complete structurally, everyone shares the praise. I mean people were even making case for Saliba That’s why individual awards can sometimes fail to fully capture football reality. The best teams often weaken individual award chances because greatness is spread across the system instead of resting on one person. And honestly, this is one of the biggest signs Arsenal have become an elite side under Arteta. They no longer rely on moments from one player to survive games. Their quality is layered everywhere. One player steps up, another dominates the next match, and the overall level never drops. Years from now people may actually appreciate this Arsenal defensive core more than they do right now, because building a defense where the goalkeeper, center backs and midfield shield all operate at elite level is incredibly difficult in modern football.