Arsenal legend Martin Keown has claimed that Laurent Koscielny and Gabriel have the makings of an excellent centre-back partnership.
The duo started the Gunners' 3-1 Champions League defeat at Barcelona on Wednesday, though at times the pair did seem to complement each other well.
Gabriel played at the expense of the laborious Per Mertesacker, and Keown says that he and Koscielny have the pace to forge a successful understanding
"I think the longer Gabriel and Koscielny play together, though, things can improve," he told the Daily Mail.
"They've both got good pace but when they drop off it makes things harder for the full backs as they have to track back, by which point Barca were already through.
"But with a bit of adjustment with the centre-halves, they can get better."
Goals from Neymar, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi - who netted both in a 2-0 first-leg win - scored the goals to cap a 5-1 aggregate win for the Catalans.
Shane Callaghan
