Tag Archives: hector bellerin

Who is Arsenal’s first choice right back?

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Over recent weeks, Hector Bellerin has come on leaps and bounds. Since his shaky first start in the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund, the run in the team has seen him progress at a rate that nobody, including Arsene Wenger, could have expected.

When he played that game against Dortmund, he looked out of place, his inexperience showing. He looked lightweight, his positioning was poor and defending was shocking. He did not show any of the blistering pace, or attributes, that had got many people glowing about as he came up through the youths.

Since that first game, the improvement has been remarkable. Peaking in the recent performance against Chelsea where he had Eden Hazard in his pocket for the entire game.

He looks like a typical young Arsenal full back in the Cole, Clichy, Gibbs mould. Extremely quick, meaning he can make up for his defensive lapses, and happy to bomb forward.

Very rarely now do you see him use that electrifying pace to get back into position. Instead, we now see it going forward, which he does regularly, providing the width to the side with Ramsey dropping inside.

Yes, he can still improve, his crossing is relatively poor and he can still be beaten easily when someone stands him up, but his performances are going to give Arsenal a selection problem, both for the rest of this year and the start of next.

With Bacary Sagna leaving last summer, Arsenal signed Mathieu Debuchy from Newcastle for £10 million. After just a few games, we as Arsenal fans were happy. Debuchy was performing, both at right back and as an emergency centre back. Then he got injured.

It was that injury, and poor form of Calum Chambers that gave Bellerin his chance. And boy how he has now taken it.

The question to ask now is do Arsenal now invest the time in Bellerin, give him the rest of the season, and develop him into Arsenal’s right back for the next decade, or do they return to Debuchy, bring back the experienced man, who looked shaky in the FA Cup semi final?

Of course, we need a squad, and as we are seeing at left back, you can carry two top class full backs. But will Debuchy be happy with that? At best competing with, at worst playing second fiddle to, a 20 year old full back.

Remember, Debuchy is a French international. Their first choice right back. And at the end of next season, the European Championships are to be held in his home country. Would he want to risk losing his Arsenal place, and therefore losing his France place?

We could see a scenario where Debuchy’s Arsenal career is over before it has even begun.

And what does this mean for Chambers? His star seems to have fallen. After starting the season with a bang, forcing his way into the England squad, he now seems to have slipped back. The signing of Gabriel means he is now 4th choice centre back, and Bellerin has leap frogged above him as right back.

At £16 million and still just 20, it would be silly to write him off (why am I even typing that?) but you have to ask where Chambers will get his game time from. Maybe an option would be to loan him out to a Premier League side until January, where he can play week in week out at centre back.

As for Carl Jenkinson, I doubt we will ever see him in an Arsenal shirt again. It is sad to say as he is an Arsenal boy, through and through, but if you are not good enough, you are not good enough. And sadly Jenkinson is our 4th best right back. After playing a full season at West Ham, he has proven he is Premier League, if not Arsenal quality. And a reported £10 million transfer fee is a lot of money, even for someone as cash rich as Arsenal.

To add to the scenario, what would happen if Debuchy decided to leave to a club to guarantee first team football? Would that mean Chambers staying, as a back up right back, meaning he would miss out on important development at centre back? Or would Arsenal sacrifice the £10 million for Jenkinson and keep him around as 2nd choice. I am sure he would just as happily sit on Arsenal’s bench than start for West Ham.

The Arsenal right back conundrum is certainly a confuddled one. And all caused by the excellent for of a young Spaniard.

We certainly have a player on our hands. Hopefully, as Bellerin’s career progresses, he does not go the same was as Cole (greedy), Clichy (never improved) or Gibbs (injury prone). We maybe have our right back for the next decade.

Keenos

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The Right Back Conundrum & Benik Afobe

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The Right Back Conundrum

We currently have a headache at right back. Mathieu Debuchy is currently head a shoulders above anyone else at the club. He is undisputed 1st choice.

The conundrum then comes with who should be his back up going into next season.

Hector Bellerin is just 19, and certainly has the pace and ability to be a long term contender to the 1st choice right back slot. He looked good against Stoke and certainly has a bright future.

Meanwhile, at West Ham, Carl Jenkinson is going from strength to strength. Another brilliant performance against Swansea for West Ham has led some to start talking about him adding to his sole England cap.

We then have Calum Chambers. Started the season so well, but has gone backwards a little bit, and has rightly been taken out of the limelight. Still just 19 himself, he certainly has a future at Arsenal, whether it be at full back or centre back.

Next season, 3 in to 1 does not fit in the race to be Debuchy’s understudy.

The issue he could be slightly resolved if we decide to turn Chambers into a full time centre half. This would reduce the competition at right back to two. But with us clearly needing an experienced centrehalf to back up Koscielny and Mertesacker (or replace one in the 1st team), that would then leave Chambers as 4th choice centre back. He is better than that. Conundrum not really solved.

If this is the option the club takes, it then leaves Jenkinson and Bellerin battling it out. Jenkinson has the experience – he would have played nearly 38 games for West Ham by the end of the season – but Bellerin is perhaps the more naturally gifted.

It is clear that Wenger backed Bellerin over Jenkinson last summer, as it was the Englishman loaned out, but perhaps the form of the on loan Jenkinson will perhaps see Wenger reverse the role in 2015/16.

Jenkinson returns to back up Debuchy, with Bellerin on loan, perhaps?

I think what is the likely scenario is a new centre back is bought. Chambers is installed as 2nd choice right back, 4th choice centre back, Bellerin is loaned out, and Jenkinson sold to the highest bidder.

It makes my head hurt just thinking about it.

Benik Afobe

So Benik Afobe is the next Arsenal in a long line of Arsenal youngsters to have been hyped up as ‘the next big thing’ who has ultimately failed to make the grade at the.

Now a lot of people seem to be disappointed that the England youth striker was not given a chance at Arsenal. Citing the performance against Manchester United in the League Cup and the fact that Yaya Sanogo is still at the club as the two main reasons.

The fact is, Afobe did not make it at Arsenal because HE is not good enough.

Over five years ago, rumours circulated that then 16 year old striker Afobe, was interesting Barcelona having put in some good performances for both club and country at a youth level. Alongside Chuks Aneke, big things were expected. Sadly, both have shown how hard it is to make the step up for talented youngster, to  breaking through into the first team.

Afobe is 22 in February. This means we should stop talking about his potential, and start talking about his ‘here and now’. And it is the here and now which is not good enough.

You look at the players he is currently competing with for a place in the Arsenal first team squad. Yaya Sanogo, Chuba Akpom & Joel Campbel.

Afobe is older than 2 of the 3, and is infact 3 years older than Chuba Akpom. Yet is behind all 3 in terms of talent and ability. Some might argue he is better than Yaya Sanogo, but you only have to compare youth international records to see that Sanogo is the superior player.

As for Joel Campbell, he is 6 months older than Afobe. He has already played in the Premier League, in the Champions League and in a World Cup. Afobe has not even played for Arsenal yet!

Finally, Chuba Akpom. Like Afobe, he has been rated ‘the next big thing’.

For me, whilst Afobe has not had his chance at Arsenal, he has had his chance at other clubs.

A loan deal to League One Huddersfield at 18 saw him score 5 league goals in 28 games. But rumours of him being arrogant and a ‘big time Charlie’ would have rung alarm bells at London Colney.

Over the next 3 seasons, he had 4 loan spells at 4 different Championship clubs. In 40 league appearances, he scored just 4 goals.

This season, he went on loan to League One MK Don’s, where he has performed well. 10 goals in 20 league games, 19 goals in all competitions. It would usually be enough to get you excited, but it is League One, and he is nearly 22. Had he had that type of scoring record for Huddersfield at 18, you could talk about his potential. Having that record at 22 probably means he has found his level.

You could point to Tottenham and the likes of Andros Townsend, Harry Kane & Ryan Mason, who between them shared 18 less than impressive loan deals, before breaking through to the Spurs 1st team in their early 20’s. It shows some players do develop later. But the question to ask is are any of those 3 good enough for Arsenal?. The answer is no.

Personally, I do not think any of Afobe, Akpom, Sanogo or Campbell are good enough for Arsenal and would not be surprised if none of them are with the club by the time the 2015/16 season kicks off.

Benik Afobe (and Aneke) is not the 1st to be hyped up massively – mainly by our own fans – to that not make it. A lesson learnt? Probably not.

Keenos

 

2014/15 is a big season for 3 Arsenal players – but for different reasons

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Hector Bellerin

There is an opportunity for young Hector Bellerin to make a claim to be Arsenal’s long term right back. Bacary Sagna’s replacement, Mathieu Debuchy, is 29, so he does not have a long term future at Arsenal. We signed Calum Chambers, who had previously played at right back for Southampton, but it is clear his future is at centre back.

Where that leaves us is in a situation where over the next couple of years, we will need a new right back.

Within the squad, it seems to be a straight shoot out. Carl Jenkinson v Hector Bellerin. With Jenkinson currently on loan (and injured) at West Ham, he gives Bellerin a terrific opportunity to impress, both in training and on the pitch.

At this moment in time, you feel that were Debuchy to get injured, Chambers would be his replacement, so Ballerin’s main opportunity to shine will be in the League Cup. He is 3 years junior to Carl Jenkinson and, at 19, certainly has a bright future.

Good performances in training coupled with composed performances when he is called upon for first team duty could ensure that, whilst not this season, but certainly future seasons, he is considered as Arsenal’s first choice right back.

2014/15 is a big season for Hector Bellerin. It could be the first step towards becoming an Arsenal great.

Jack Wilshere

Young Jack is no longer that young. During the course of this season, he will be 23. For a footballer, that means he is entering being middle-aged. He can no longer be classed as someone with potential, but as someone who should be performing week in week out.

He is in a similar situation as Aaron Ramsey was last season, who himself turned 23 in last years campaign. Ramsey turned from being a boy to a man and is now a key man in Arsenal’s first season. Jack Wilshere now needs to make a similar transition to secure his future with the club.

Failure to progress from where he is now puts him in a precarious position. He is currently not a first team starter, and there will become a point over the next 12-18 months when the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Gedion Zelalem start increasing the pressure on him even more.

A failure to perform this season might result in Wenger considering selling him. With the likes of Zelalem and Dan Crowley now 17, there will become a time where it would make sense to cash in on Wilshere and give one of them a chance.

Wilshere is on the verge of falling into the same trap as Joe Cole. Continually being considered has having potential without fully fulfilling it. On the other hand, he is also on the verge of greatness. If he makes the same stride forward as Ramsey, he could become an Arsenal legend.

2014/15 is the season Jack Wilshere needs to step up and begin to fulfil his potential.

Mikel Arteta

Mikel Arteta is 32 and entering the last year of his contract. Last season he showed signs of slowing down. A true professional, he would not have been happy with his performances. You get the feeling that his Arsenal career is coming to an end. That if his contract ran out this summer, it would probably not be renewed.

He was still a key member of the Arsenal side last year, playing 43 games. This was more games then he had ever played in a single season for any club. He is our current vice-captain, and works hard with yougnsters at the training ground, providing them with a great role model.

By the end of the season, he will be 33. With Arsenal being linked this season with every half-decent defensive midfielder throughout Europe, it is likely he will not be first choice next season.

He is fighting for a new contract. In the games he plays next season, he needs top performances. He can not look of the pace, he can not look old. He needs to show that a combination of his experience, professionalism and ability means that he is worth keeping around, even on a year by year basis.

If at any point he looks slow, looks off the pace, it will become clear he is not part of Arsenal’s bright future, and he will be told next July that he can seek pastures new elsewhere.

2014/15 is an important season for Mikel Arteta, it could be his last at Arsenal.

Keenos