Holding given vital Arsenal title race advice in bid to cover injured Saliba
Kolo Toure has urged Rob Holding and Gabriel Magalhaes to "find a connection very quickly" to get Arsenal's Premier League title challenge back on track.
The Gunners are five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table having played two games more, with the two teams meeting at the Etihad on Wednesday night. Mikel Arteta's side have struggled of late, failing to win any of their last three games.
Holding was brought into Arsenal's starting XI to replace William Saliba, who suffered a back injury against Sporting Lisbon last month. The France international is still nursing that complaint and will not feature against Pep Guardiola's side in the huge title clash.
Saliba is enjoying a breakthrough season at the Emirates after forming a vital partnership with Gabriel, starting every single one of Arsenal's Premier League fixtures before his injury.
Saliba impact has become clear, with Arsenal failing to keep a clean sheet in any of their fixtures without the 22-year-old. Their most recent outing was the 3-3 home draw against bottom club Southampton, with the visitors scoring twice within the first 14 minutes.
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Toure, who was Arsenal's young centre-back when they last won the Premier League title 19 years ago, believes his former employers are missing Saliba at the heart of their defence.
Kolo Toure was speaking on behalf of BT Sport (BT Sport)Do you agree with Kolo Toure? Let us know in the comments below!
"In the back four, when you have one player missing and you've been playing together, and they have a good relationship between the four defenders and one gets an injury, it’s difficult," Toure tells Mirror Football on behalf of BT Sport.
"The new one coming in needs to adapt to the team. Most of the time, the two centre-halves need to have some connection, they need to understand each other very well, and they need to have different qualities to be able to be complimentary.
"Of course, Saliba has been unbelievable with Gabriel at the back. He’s done a fantastic job. Both of them, you can see they have a great link, they’ve both been in France [Arsenal signed Gabriel from Lille] and I’m sure they speak French on the pitch.
"But now, of course, it’s very difficult for the player who replaces him, but they need to find a connection very quickly."
The biggest challenge for Holding and Gabriel will be keeping Erling Haaland quiet. The Norwegian has scored 48 goals in just 42 games for City this season and will be keen to add to his tally in the biggest Premier League game of the season.
It's Game On for the title. Watch Man City v Arsenal, the biggest game of the season, exclusively live on BT Sport 1 on Wednesday 26th April from 7pm. BT Sport will broadcast all Premier League midweek fixtures from Tuesday 25th to Thursday 27th April. Watch 30 days of BT Sport, contract-free, for £29.99 a month with the BT Sport Monthly Pass. For more info, visit: bt.com/sport/monthly-pass
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