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A few weeks ago I wrote a piece about the flexibility of the squad assembled by Edu and Mikel Arteta. In the article, I argued that while the increasing depth of the Arsenal squad has been a welcome, if gradual, development, really it is the flexibility of the players in it that have allowed Arteta to problem solve and to reduce dependency on certain players.
The use of Jorginho has reduced the impact of the frequent absences of Zinchenko and Partey. Is Declan Rice a six or an eight? Both? Neither? Does it really matter? Ben White was purchased as a centre-half and accidentally became one of the best right-backs in Europe. Leandro Trossard can play in five different positions in the current formation, Takehiro Tomiyasu can play all across the back four, while even Bukayo Saka’s trajectory involved him moving from left wing-back to right-winger.
Adaptability and versatility are key tenets of what constitutes an ‘Arteta player.’ The purchase of Kai Havertz last summer, therefore, made sense in one respect due to his adaptability and ability to play in different positions. Though many felt (with some justification) that Arteta might have gone a step too far when he paid big money for the German.
Havertz lost his way at Chelsea because he tipped that precarious balance between versatility and nobody really knowing where he should play. That sense of doubt, of a player lacking a silhouette, permeated the early weeks and months of his Arsenal career. He sort of vaguely meandered between the ‘left eight’ and the number 9 positions without really playing in either position.
He had the look of an introverted mutual friend at a party, quietly cradling a can of Budweiser, occasionally standing on the extremity of a circle and pretending to laugh at a stranger’s anecdote. In recent weeks, however, that lack of definition his crept back onto the right side of the line between adaptability and unknowability.
The absence of Gabriel Jesus in recent weeks has meant…
Source link : https://arseblog.com/2024/03/the-kitchen-sink/
Author : Tim Stillman
Publish date : 2024-03-14 13:00:46
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