Hey everyone. Yesterday I had a look at the goalkeeping situation of the club, and my inputs on how we could operate there. The solutions were rather straightforward, but when it comes to the back four, they may not be.
Without much ado, let’s get into it.
Hector Bellerin: One of the best players of last season, there’s no doubt Bellerin deserves to keep a starting berth this season too. Aside from a few positional errors (which his superhuman pace mitigates), the guy has done his job remarkably well and provided an X-factor from the back. A definite stick, this one.
Mathieu Debuchy: Regular readers will know that I’m a huge fan of Debuchy (his French origins help), and if I could, I’d keep him on for another season. However, not-so recent quotes and performances have suggested that simply put, his heart could not be further away from Arsenal.
He seemed to have viewed EURO 2016 as a last chance to win something substantial in his career, and understandably agitated for a move. A thigh injury at Bordeaux all but ended his hopes for participating in winning national silverware, and he’d return to Arsenal a broken man (literally). He’s already on the wrong side of 30 and his contract is expiring soon, so cutting our losses with him sounds practical. A pity, but necessary.
Carl Jenkinson: A cruciate ligament injury scuppered what was a pretty underwhelming second season for West Ham United, but reports suggest Jenkinson may be fit when the new season approaches. It’s unclear if he will be in Slaven Bilic’s plans for next season or ours (or neither).
As such, I feel we should keep him. Letting him go along with Debuchy would make Bellerin the only out-and-out right back option, and that’s too much pressure to heap on a 21-year-old. Arsenal have a lot of business to do as it is, and adding a deputy right-back to that list seems like unnecessary hassle. Jenko certainly isn’t a bad option for a second-choice full back; he’s young, a good crosser, natural athlete and his love for Arsenal is evident. The raw materials are there, and if the circumstances are right, they just might flourish.
Per Mertesacker: Look, if Arsene Wenger is hell-bent on adopting a high line or an offside trap, then Mertesacker is not his man. Per has been an absolute professional and a calm presence in the dressing room when they needed it – especially when the squad was in disarray days after being thumped 8-2 by Manchester United. But to say that on a footballing level the man has done himself justice is generous.
He seems a likeable and characterful personality – heck, my favourite moment was when he chided a high-end player like Mesut Ozil for not acknowledging the away fans. However, defence has been a problem for a while, and Mertesacker may not be the sole causality, but he certainly hasn’t covered himself in glory. Poor (enforced?) positioning on his part gave Lionel Messi, Diego Costa and Wayne Routledge acres of space, which ultimately led to us losing points.
You could argue that Gabriel Paulista has had a worse season, but he deserves a bit of a second chance. Mertesacker has failed to convince for the last two years, and when you factor he’ll be 32 in September, it’s hard to see things look up for him. He was purchased as a short-term fix and has more or less served his purpose. I’ll be sad to see him go, but for the good of the club, it’s obvious he needs to be replaced.
Laurent Koscielny: One of Arsenal’s best players in the first half of the season, but faded rapidly in the second. To be honest, that’s something most of the team have been guilty of, and laying that blame squarely at Koscielny’s feet sounds cruel. He’s certainly the best centre back we’ve got.
There are reasonable points to debate we could cut him loose. He’s prone to the odd error, ageing, and next season could begin a state of decline for him. However, Mertesacker seems further gone than Laurent, and removing both of them could dangerously destabilize the defence. Between keeping Mertesacker or Koscielny, I’d definitely opt for Kos.
Gabriel Paulista: He’s been a huge disappointment this season, conceding cheap goals and earning the distrust of many Arsenal supporters. I’d give him a second chance, but I feel something fundamental in his game needs to change. He was signed to bring aggression and bite to our defence, and this quite excellent post by Tim Stillman suggests he has that in his locker. However, towards the back end of the season, it’s fair to say he just chickened out.
I feel part of the blame with his decline rests with the defensive staff, whoever oversees that. This season should have been the one where he kicked on. He’s 25, impressionable, and has the raw materials in place. That he regressed so badly should be a huge point of concern to the coaching staff, especially since Calum Chambers and Kieran Gibbs seem to be following a similar trajectory.
Calum Chambers: He’s had a quiet season, the highlight of which was a solid second half performance in that 2-1 win over Leicester City (not to mention a sumptuous goal against Burnley). Despite being perceived as average by many of our fans, some of his performances after he initially joined still stick with me. 2015 was definitely a forgettable year for him, but I feel Chambers has the ability to improve drastically.
Plan for next season? I say, promote him. Gabriel has done nothing to deserve a place over Chambers, especially in the second half of last season. Maybe a show of faith and a run of games is all Calum needs to blossom. He’s 21 and I’d argue has the raw materials to succeed. I’m no expert in defenders, but I feel there’s a real player in there somewhere. Let’s coax it out of him.
Nacho Monreal: Apart from Mesut Ozil, Monreal was probably the player of the season for Arsenal. He’s been rock-solid and reliable at the worst of times, providing a decent outlet from the left hand side. That being said, he is approaching 31. His deputy Gibbs doesn’t seem interested with the whole concept of football at the moment. To say Arsenal’s left-back situation might fall a little stale is not unreasonable.
For now, however, keeping Monreal in the team is certainly the best play.
Kieran Gibbs: He hardly made any starts this season, and even when he has, hasn’t looked like a guy ready to battle it to the death with Nacho. It’d be fair to say his career has stagnated a little, and at 26, isn’t someone you’d call a young prospect anymore. There are talks that he may be on his way out, and truth be told, it wouldn’t surprise me if there were fire at the heart of the smoke.
Regardless of whether Gibbs leaves, I think Arsenal should be looking at a left back. Some links connect us to a Leicester bloke named Ben Chilwell, and if the price is right, I’d say get him. I wouldn’t be particularly displeased if Wenger goes into the new season with Monreal and Gibbs, but I don’t really think Gibbs is going to reignite his Arsenal career anytime soon. Why not change it up then?
Conclusion:
Debuchy needs to make way for another right-back, and if that man is an ‘internal solution’ like Jenkinson, that’s fine. We definitely need a centre back (preferably at the expense of Mertesacker) who fits into the system and is a long-term answer, because Mertesacker and Koscielny are certainly not getting younger. It’d be nice to have a left back and show Gibbs the door, but that’s a luxury more than a necessity.
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Right, that’s all for today. In due course I’ll begin reviewing the midfielders, and hopefully that lines up well with Arsenal’s imminent purchase of Granit Xhaka. Time will tell.
Anyway, cheers!
-Santi [Follow me on Twitter @ArsenalBlogz ]
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