Lee Dixon identifies Arsenal player who falls short of ‘famous five’ defence standard

Lee Dixon has complimented Arsenal's solid defensive unit, but he feels that one player in the current backline still falls short of living up to the standard set by a key member of the club's legendary 'famous five' defense.

The Gunners moved to within two points of Premier League leaders Manchester City following their hard-fought 1-0 win over Tottenham in Sunday’s north London derby.

With Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice and Mikel Merino all missing, Mikel Arteta’s side were forced to rely on their defensive steeliness and potency from set-pieces to grind out a third successive victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The resolve demonstrated by the likes of William Saliba and matchwinner Gabriel Magalhaes drew comparison with George Graham’s fabled unit which comprised of Dixon himself, Nigel Winterburn, Steve Bould, Tony Adams and David Seaman.

Dixon believes the class of 2024 now deserve to be regarded as the best defence in the Premier League but insists goalkeeper David Raya still has some way to go before he can be considered the equal of one of his illustrious predecessors, David Seaman.

‘There’s no doubt that the Arsenal back four are a very committed bunch,’ Arsenal club legen Dixon told Gambling Zone.

‘Left back has been a little bit of a problem. Timber came in, got injured and missed the entire season, but it looks like he’s making up for lost time.

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‘His absence was a big blow last season.

‘Both full backs had a great game against Spurs and dealt with arguably Tottenham’s two most dangerous players in Son and Johnson quite well.

‘The two centre backs, Gabriel and William Saliba, that’s the best partnership in the league.

‘Saliba is the player that normally gets more attention, but I think Gabriel is just as good.

‘His positioning is exceptional and his appetite to defend is fantastic. He’s dependable and he scores goals.

‘David Raya has been solid since he joined. He’s not as good as Dave Seaman, obviously and Ben White’s not a patch on me (joking).

‘It’s a joy to watch this back four. They really enjoy the process of defending, the best teams do, and some other teams overlook that sometimes.’