Kieran Tierney left-back? | Arseblog … an Arsenal blog

When Takehiro Tomiyasu was chosen to play at left-back in opposition to Liverpool final month, some eyebrows had been raised however conclusions had been shortly arrived at. Tomiyasu is an impressive one-on-one defender. Although he’s pleasingly ambipedal he’s predominantly right-footed and Liverpool’s right-winger Mo Salah could be very left-footed and inclined to chop in and shoot.

Again in December 2017, Arsene Wenger chosen a younger and comparatively inexperienced Ainsley Maitland-Niles at left-back at house to Liverpool for the same cause. An inverted full-back could be effectively matched to tackle an inverted winger, particularly if they’re pretty much as good a stand-up defender as Tomiyasu.

One other of Liverpool’s favoured strikes is the large swap of play from left to proper. Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson usually prefer to rake swooshing, diagonal passes to Salah from the opposite aspect of the sphere to isolate the opposing left-back in opposition to the Egyptian. Tomiyasu is great within the air and his radar was finely tuned that day.

Tomiyasu led Arsenal for tackles (3) and aerial duels received (4) and was second for ball recoveries (6). His choice on the day was justified as Mo Salah was subbed on 68 minutes. Nonetheless, his choice at left-back in opposition to Leeds every week later was met with higher shock. Was Arteta rewarding the Japanese for his efficiency in opposition to Liverpool when, let’s face it, he was extremely unfortunate to seek out himself out of the crew within the first place.

The tactic didn’t appear to work as effectively in opposition to Leeds as Arsenal had been penned again within the second half and doubtless would have been a bit lucky to attract the sport, not to mention win it. Most of us anticipated Tierney to return to the crew for the journey to Southampton however he was duly chosen once more. It was one other efficiency the place Arsenal struggled to supply any attacking impetus within the second half and the Gunners surrendered a lead to attract the sport.

A go to from backside of the desk Nottingham Forest would certainly see the extra enterprising Tierney restored to the beginning line-up however, no, there was Tomiyasu once more, a lot to everybody’s shock. So why is Arteta so intent on choosing Tomi at left-back forward of the extra pure seeming selection of Tierney? And what does it say about Tierney’s place within the squad?

Properly, the primary tick within the Tomiyasu field is his defensive acumen. Tierney is an effective defender, adequate to have performed as an outdoor centre-half in a again three for membership and nation. However Tomiyasu can trump that, commonly enjoying as a centre-half for Japan in a again four- and on the left of the central pairing no much less.

Defensive knowledge is notoriously unsatisfactory as a result of it’s biased in the direction of actions and, usually, good defending is just not quantifiable by tangible motion or participating with an opponent. Nonetheless, Tierney and Tomiyasu’s comparative knowledge nonetheless tells among the story. Little of Tierney’s knowledge right here is regarding and even objectively dangerous (perhaps not profitable a deal with within the attacking third is a wrinkle) it’s simply that Tomiyasu’s knowledge wrecks the curve in most respects.

All knowledge is per 90 and from FBref

In fact, it’s not all in regards to the purely defensive aspect of the place although. The trendy day full-back, we’re informed, is as a lot part of the assault because the defence. Tierney actually has extra affect within the last third than Tomiyasu. He averages 21.6 touches within the attacking third per 90 in comparison with Tomi’s 12.8, whereas he additionally produces 2.11 crosses per 90 to Tomiyasu’s 0.87.

We all know, after all, that Arteta most well-liked Zinchenko to Tierney at left-back earlier within the season due to his means to invert into midfield, a tactical sleight of hand that fits the Ukrainian much more naturally than it does Tierney. This manouevre is about serving to to manage video games by means of possession, even when Zinchenko’s defensive positioning- and instincts- generally make him a defensive legal responsibility.

The difficulty for Tierney, in my opinion, is that Arteta is just not determined for his qualities in an attacking sense. He’s a two-way, overlapping full-back that likes to take the surface lane and assault from the touchline. A number of weeks in the past, I wrote a piece about Gabriel Martinelli and checked out his efficiency knowledge from this season.

What struck me in developing that piece is how a lot wider Martinelli has been this season in comparison with final. Each he and Saka have been requested to remain good and vast to present Arsenal width and depth once they construct play. In reality, they’re harking back to Sterling and Sane at Manchester Metropolis when Arteta was teaching there. On this construction, there’s much less need for an overlapping full-back.

Arteta has his 5 attacking lanes stuffed out by Martinelli (usually Gabriel Jesus will rotate along with his compatriot, transferring from the central lane to the far left), Jesus, Odegaard, Saka and the fifth lane is normally plundered by the late runs of Granit Xhaka (as Lewis Ambrose wrote this week). This season, the full-backs are requested to be defenders and secondary midfielders however probably not secondary attackers, so Tierney’s qualities aren’t as wanted for the coach.

Successfully, when opponents clear the ball from Arsenal assaults and seek for area, Arteta needs his defenders primed to both pounce on clearances and instantly restart one other assault, or else they may want to show the after burners on to recuperate into area and defend. Possibly the pairing with Martinelli on the left is just not splendid for Tierney inside this framework as effectively.

Tierney would most likely mesh extra fluidly with Emile Smith Rowe, whose sport is much less about driving at full-backs a la Martinelli and extra about transferring inside somewhat and mixing with an overlapping full-back. Alas, Smith Rowe has been injured for almost all of the season. Whereas Tierney trumps Tomiyasu in terms of crosses into the world, this too is just not an particularly desired tactic for Arteta- which is among the causes that Cedric Soares has been completely frozen out this season.

Arsenal are fifteenth within the Premier League for crosses tried and for crosses accomplished. It’s a minor, not a serious, a part of their repertoire. Each of the wingers and one of many full-backs are inverted in spite of everything, Odegaard is a lefty who performs over to the fitting. Arsenal’s present setup is about with the ability to exit to in quite than in to out.

Issues can change, after all. Tomiyasu was struggling for begins till the Liverpool sport. Groups evolve and partnerships change, which implies your qualities can come into trend once more shortly. For now, although, it’s simply the case that Tomiyasu’s qualities swimsuit what Arteta needs from his crew. When Arteta informed Tierney that his omission from the Liverpool sport was tactical, he wasn’t speaking about Liverpool, he was speaking about Arsenal.

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