Gabriel has insisted Arsenal players are unfazed by Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler's criticism following Wednesday's 1-0 win at the Amex Stadium. The result moved the Gunners seven points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League, but much of the post-match focus centred on Hurzeler's comments about Arsenal's perceived time-wasting at set-pieces.
Hurzeler had raised the issue before the match and was seen speaking to the fourth official throughout the game. After the final whistle, he again criticised Arsenal's approach, saying: "I will never be that kind of manager who tries to win in that way... I think there was only one team who tried to play football today."
Gabriel, who was Arsenal's standout performer, responded to those remarks while speaking to ESPN Brasil. He said: "We don't really care about what he says. That is for the referee to decide on the pitch. If he wants to give a yellow card or not, he decides the time we take. We just have to do things the way we are doing and keep going."
Arsenal have faced broader criticism this season for a perceived reliance on set-pieces, and against Brighton they did not register a second shot on target until the 88th minute, with their expected goals (xG) standing at just 0.01 at half-time despite leading through Bukayo Saka's deflected strike.
Gabriel, however, stressed that results are what matter at this stage of the campaign. "I think not every game we will be perfect. The way we defend is very important. The most important thing is the three points," he said. "We have to concentrate on ourselves and keep going the way we are. Now it's three wins in a row, and of course we have to keep winning. That's the most important thing."
