Gabriel can’t wait for the opportunity to lift a trophy at Wembley Stadium with today’s Carabao Cup final against Manchester City.
He spoke to the press during the week about how much he’s looking forward to Sunday’s game and more.
“I think it’s a really good feeling to play for this club, to be in the final, against a top team as well,” he said. “We have a good feeling and can’t wait for Sunday.
“We need to push our fans to be behind us, so in a game like that they can help us a lot.
“We are in all competitions, so of course we want to win every game. We’re very excited for this game, and we know it’s going to be a big battle, but we’re ready for this and try to win.”
Asked what it’s like to come up against Erling Haaland once again, Gabriel added: “I enjoy every game against every striker. It’s my job, so I like to fight, battle, but he’s a top player and of course I think he likes to play with me as well. It’s fun, we enjoy it.”
Excluding two Community Shields, we’re looking to win our first trophy since 2020’s FA Cup, and Gabriel was asked if we’ve need to suffer in recent seasons to push for more silverware this term.
“I think we learned a lot in the past,” he reflected. “We work very hard to win, we want to win every game, but we know the Premier League is the most tough league to play in and the last three years we didn’t get it. But this year we tried to do our best from the start and we are in good moments. Just keep doing what we’re doing and let’s see the end.
“When some things don’t go well, I think it’s more important we stay calm. We know the quality we have. The way we talk is to help each other to win the game.”
Gabriel demonstrated his willingness to put his body on the line to help us win at all costs when he made a painful block with his neck in our 1-1 draw away to Bayer Leverkusen recently.
“Of course it hurt,” he said. “I couldn’t breathe after this! But I tried to do my best and I give everything for this badge. My teammates can see that as well. If you see Calafiori’s block against Everton, it was unbelievable. We try to do our best every time.
“When I was young, I was very aggressive. When I played with my friends they would say ‘hey, calm down, you’re a professional!’
“But it’s just like what I do every day. I try to defend my house. Maybe after football I can be a security guard!”
Set-piece goals have been a theme of this season and Gabriel is no stranger to getting his head on the end of a deadball delivery, so what are his thoughts on those?
“When we have a corner or a free-kick, I just put it in my head that I want to score, I want to help my team,” he said. “Everyone talks about Gabi, Gabi scored a lot. But it’s not only Gabi, it’s the whole team. It’s the way we work together.”
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