Gilberto - A trophy will lead to more success

Gilberto will be back at Emirates Stadium on March 2 when he leads Brazil out for an international friendly against the Republic of Ireland.

The former Gunner was part of the 'Invincibles' squad which completed an unbeaten title season in 2003/04 and went on to set a new record of 49 League games without defeat.

Gilberto left Arsenal in 2008 but has been back to his old stamping ground a number of times since then with Brazil making Emirates Stadium their 'home' in Europe.

Ahead of Brazil's mouthwatering friendly with the Irish, Gilberto caught up with Arsenal.com. Read part two of his exclusive interview now as the midfielder assesses his old club's prospects of silverware.

Have you been keeping up with what is going on because it seems to be a very interesting title race?

I have been following Arsenal’s matches in the Premier League. I’m sure that despite the two defeats against Manchester United and Chelsea, Arsenal can make things change. They must believe in themselves, in their quality. They must believe in themselves that they can win their remaining games.
 
Arsenal are a young side. Is the first trophy hardest to win? Do you feel if Arsenal get one trophy more would come quickly?

Arsenal need to achieve the first trophy to feel that they can do it, because for a player it is very frustrating when you go through a whole season and have been very close, but at the end you don’t get the reward for your job. I’m sure if Arsenal win their first trophy, they are very young and their confidence will be higher and they can win more and more. It’s up to them to believe that they can do it.
 
Arsenal are only six points away and have all the big teams out of the way. How big an advantage is that?

It can make a difference in the competition if you have played all the other teams at the top of the league. This is because if you have an easier run-in to the end of the season, your belief that you can win the title is higher. If Arsenal can win their games there is the possibility that other teams will drop points. But it is up to Arsenal - don't focus too much on the other teams, focus only on what Arsenal have to do to win their games. If they win their games, then we will see what happens, but the most important thing is to keep their focus.
 
Do you still speak to any of the players?

Yes, I still speak sometimes to see how they are. It is nice to keep in touch. I’ve always had a very good relationship with the players and also people who work at Arsenal. As I'm not there anymore, it’s nice still to have contact with them and still give Arsenal my support.
 
What do you miss about Arsenal?

I miss the good atmosphere within the team. But to be honest, I miss everything about Arsenal! The time I had at Arsenal was amazing and I miss everything. But I have great memories about Arsenal, memories I will never forget.
 
For me, Arsenal was a big school, as I learned so many things at the Club. I am very thankful for everything, the Club, all the people at Arsenal, they were so nice to me and very helpful during my time there. Everyone was always smiling, always there to help me. It’s impossible to point to just one thing I miss because I had a great time at Arsenal. I fitted in well with the culture at Arsenal.

When I came to Arsenal I had on my mind that I had to start from zero again with many things in my life and my football career, and I started at this point from zero. When I started from there I think it was a chance to learn. I always had on my mind that I had so many things to learn.

[Tuesday, February 23, 2010]

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