Despite the doubts – Backup players like Rob Holding are crucial to Arsenal’s success

Admin Pat

1 year ago

Some Say Rob Holding Can’t Be Trusted, But Hasn’t He Delivered What Was Asked of Him?

If there’s one thing that could stop Arsenal from winning the Premier League, as per former West Ham star Michael Dawson, it’s the fact that Rob Holding is not as good as William Saliba is whenever covering Arsenal’s central defence. Dawson had a pretty decent argument about why, with Rob Holding in defence, Arsenal are at risk of bottling the PL title race.

“The way they play and the way William Saliba covers the ground in a one-versus-one, the passage of play at times,” Dawson said on Soccer Saturday. “When I was playing, I never wanted to be exposed one-versus-one. I look at Rob Holding; he’s done a good job, but he’s not Saliba.

“Saliba is great in both boxes, and that’s a big concern for them and how long he’s going to be out.

“They’ve missed him in recent weeks. I think last week they were probably fortunate in the end, and I think it’s a good point.

“If they get him back, I think they will be stronger than they already are.

“I feel like we’re probably giving Rob Holding a little bit of a disservice here; you have a squad, and Saliba wasn’t one of the players we’d be talking about at the start of the season, but he is now.”

Many people, including Dawson, have doubts about Rob Holding, but let us give him credit where credit is due. The Englishman has done what he was intended to accomplish in the last few weeks. Comparing Saliba to Holding is simply unfair; we already know that Saliba is world-class.

Holding isn’t as good as the Frenchman, but he does an excellent job of covering for him. When Arsenal ultimately wins the league, it will be thanks to players like Holding, who stood up when needed and helped the team retain its momentum.

Sam P

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