It was a bit of a surprise to most Arsenal fans to see the way the Gunners lined up in the away game at Liverpool on Sunday. We already knew that Arsene Wenger would not be able to call on the best defender at the club, Laurent Koscielny, and that turned out to be just as damaging as we feared.
We also knew that Wenger has played both left and right backs as covering central defenders this season, with varied results, but with the young and versatile Calum Chambers available again after a Premier League suspension the previous week, most of us expected the former Saint to line up alongside Per Mertesacker at the back.
I am not having a go at Debuchy here, because the French international full back did as well as we could expect and probably outperformed the big German at Anfield, but it seems to me that Chambers is the more natural centre back and Debuchy would offer more on the right.
Wenger suggested that this was done to counter the pace and trickery of Raheem Sterling, which is understandable, but against QPR I expect Chambers and Debuchy to swap places. The QPR striker Charlie Austin is on fire but he does not have the pace and quick feet of Sterling and Chambers has the strength and extra defensive solidity to cope with his threat better than our French full back.
Wenger has admitted to overplaying the 19-year old but having no choice. But I bet Chambers has loved it really and he has, largely, coped well and took everything in his stride. Another clean sheet as a central defender will do him and the club a world of good.
So Gooners, is Chambers the man to get the Gunners defending properly again?