Arsenal legend Gilberto Silva calls for calm after disappointing start to Premier League season

Gilberto Silva spoke to Mirror Football astir Arsenal's play up of his foundation lucifer Strive Aid against Brazilian World Cup-winning teammate Roberto Carlos

Arsenal Invincibles fable Gilberto Silva is reluctant to dependable the panic alarm aft the Gunners' disappointing commencement to the Premier League season.

Mikel Arteta's men person fallen 9 points down Premier League rubric rivals Liverpool with defeats to Newcastle and Bournemouth denting their hopes of dethroning defending champions Manchester City.

A drawstring of injuries and suspensions haven't helped Arsenal's lawsuit either, with summertime signing Riccardo Calafiori retired with a genu wounded aft a affirmative commencement to beingness successful northbound London. Club skipper Martin Odegaard has lone conscionable returned from an ankle wounded that saw him miss 12 games.

England duo Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka person besides fought done the symptom and are teetering connected the borderline of clip connected the sidelines. Arsenal volition play 7 Premier League games earlier the extremity of the twelvemonth that could marque oregon interruption their play - but Gunners fable Gilberto says it's not clip to acceptable the panic stations.

"The play hasn't started arsenic we expect them to," Gilberto admitted to Mirror Football up of his Strive Aid foundation lucifer against Team Roberto Carlos astatine Lewes's Dripping Pan. "The past fewer years person been truthful nice. They person done good warring for the title. And past we expect them to person a large start. But it's not the extremity of the world. There's a batch of games to beryllium played."

Arsenal aren't lone competing with Man City this year. Liverpool person enjoyed a reemergence nether Jurgen Klopp's successor, Arne Slot. The Dutchman has scored the astir points retired of immoderate Liverpool manager successful the archetypal opening 11 Premier League.

Chelsea appears to person besides recovered the close click with Enzo Maresca aft burning done 3 imperishable managers since a consortium of investors led by Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly bought the West London nine from Roman Abramovich successful 2022.

Arsenal can't spend to driblet immoderate much silly points, the 2002 World Cup victor insisted. "The question is astir recovering the points and not losing silly points," the 48-year-old said. "Because it's going to beryllium a pugnacious play again. Not lone against City, but Liverpool is back.

"And past we person different teams who are doing precise well. So it's going to beryllium precise pugnacious until the end. They person to recover. And not lone triumph the games astatine location but particularly distant games."

Odegaard's lack caused a situation successful midfield. Attention turned towards £105 cardinal antheral Rice and whether helium was capable to impact the crippled successful the absorption fractional portion the Norwegian recovered.

However, Gilberto, who operated successful a akin presumption successful his playing days, says Rice is executing the relation he's been told to bash by manager Arteta. "Listen, erstwhile you don't get the results, sometimes radical talk. They request to find thing to say," Gilberto said.

"Declan is simply a bully player. Sometimes you person to enactment immoderate vigor into the game, immoderate pace. In immoderate games, you can't clasp the shot truthful much.

"But it's conscionable astir them focusing connected what they person to bash for the squad to perform. It's important for everyone to absorption connected what they person to bash successful bid to triumph the games and particularly termination the crippled erstwhile they person to."

Gilberto Silva faced World Cup teammate Roberto Carlos successful shot lucifer Strive Aid to rise wealth and consciousness for termination prevention foundation the Campaign Against Living Miserably