Arsenal training sessions was so intense, reveals Gilberto Silva
Former Arsenal midfielder Gilberto Silva spilled the tea on the finer details on how training sessions at the London club paved the way for the success of the club during his time. The Brazilian midfielder was signed in the summer of 2002 following his impressive performances at the 2002 World Cup.
Gilberto Silva was signed by Arsenal in August of 2002 from Atletico Mineiro for a fee of £4.5 million and the Brazilian midfielder went on to cement his legacy as one of the finest midfielders to play at the London club. The Brazilian impressed a host of clubs following his spectacular performances for the Selecao in the 2002 World Cup and he made an instant impact after joining the Gunners as he scored a winning goal against Liverpool in the FA Community Shield on his debut.
The defensive midfielder was an important cog in the Arsenal setup as he made 243 appearances while scoring 24 goals and provided 13 assists across all competitions. Silva helped the London side win one Premier League title, two FA Cups, and two FA Community Shields during his time at the club. The legendary Gunners midfielder reflected on the time he spent at the club and revealed that the mentality of the squad in training was the reason why the London side was highly successful on the pitch.
“An Arsenal training session was so intense. I believe this is what made us invincible. It was because of this type of mentality. The way we trained was no different to the games. In fact, many times, some training sessions were harder than the games we played. It was more difficult because we never pulled back from any of the challenges, none of the players. Sometimes, it was quite scary. Every session was a big battle,” Silva told Goal.
“You had to be at your top level because it was there that everything started for us. It’s where we got prepared for all the games and where Arsene learned which type of player he could count on. I think in this team, everyone would defend each other. Every training session was really hard, but if we went to the game and one of the players had a problem with the opponent, the other would come to help,” he added.