Mikel Arteta told by Arsenal legends that Gabriel Magalhaes is too 'emotional' and a 'problem'

Arsenal legends Alan Smith and Ian Wright have raised concerns about the form of centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes after the Gunners lost 3-1 to Manchester City.

Arsenal fell to a disappointing home defeat to City on Wednesday night, a result that saw the defending Premier League champions move to the top of the table on goal difference.

While Mikel Arteta's side do have a game in hand and another meeting with City to come in April, a third successive league match without a win is concerning for all connected with the club.

Arsenal played well for much of Wednesday night's contest but ultimately they paid the price for defensive mistakes and a lack of clinical finishing.

While City should take credit for the way their intense pressing forced the hosts into making errors at the back, Smith is concerned that Gabriel let Arteta down again.

The Brazilian centre-back's wayward pass resulted in Jack Grealish scoring City's goal, while only a VAR offside decision saved him after he fouled Erling Haaland inside the penalty area.

"Gabriel would be a concern for Arteta in the future. He can be so emotional on these occasions and that can affect his game," Smith told Bestgamblingsites.com.

"If you look at [William] Saliba, you hardly notice him because he’s so calm. He does the simple things really effectively. Whereas Gabriel catches the eye for a number of reasons and I think it’s something Arteta will consider if he can rely on him going into these big games. That’s an issue for Arsenal I think."

Gabriel struggled up against Erling Haaland throughout Wednesday night's clash

Arsenal boss Arteta does not have a wealth of other options in central defence - recent arrival Jakub Kiwior is still finding his feet at the club, while Smith doesn't believe Rob Holding is at the required level.

"We’ve been speaking for a long time about bringing in a striker and a central midfielder, but I think perhaps centre back is another area to focus on," Smith said.

Speaking on Premier League Productions, Wright echoed the thoughts of his former teammate.

"We were very fortunate that he [Gabriel] didn’t give away a penalty because he [Haaland] was offside but for me, the pass [for Grealish’s goal] is into nowhere. For me, Gabriel doesn’t know where it’s going. That’s going to be a problem and it was."