Piero Hincapie just became another Arsenal undroppable

Arsenal slogged out another quality win in the Premier League, outlasting Brighton with a rugged defensive display, 1-0, and with Manchester City drawing relegation candidates Nottingham Forest, the Gunners are in an even better position to win the league.

The best player on the pitch for Arsenal was none other than Piero Hincapie. Like against rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Hincapie was tremendous defensively on that left flank, showing exactly why Arsenal signed him for who he is: an elite defensive player who brings the quality of a center back with the athleticism of a fullback to either the left back or center back positions (and surely right back, if asked).

Hincapie looks like an absolute warrior out there, even better than he did at Bayer Leverkusen now that he is on an Arsenal team where he can play with other “cracks” in the defense and midfield, absorbing their elite defensive identity.

If Arsenal were looking for a second coming of Gabriel Magalhaes at the back who can win the ball, put his body on the line, and play shutdown defense while being competent on the ball, then Hincapie just might be the guy.

He cleaned up the stat sheet against Brighton again with a whopping 11 clearances, as well as five combined tackles and interceptions in the clean cheet cause. And the Ecuadorian star was also pretty good on the ball.

David Raya, Gabriel, William Saliba, Declan Rice, and Bukayo Saka are the undroppable core of Arsenal players, and, when healthy, captain Martin Odegaard is in there, too. Martin Zubimendi has quickly put himself in that category.

Hincapie is very much in there now. It says a lot that he has usurped another great young defender in Riccardo Calafiori as the main left back, but after watching him make a strong Brighton attack look like kindergartners, Hincapie is now in undroppable status, too.