The new Arsenal signing Stephan Lichtsteiner came to Arsenal this summe with an amazing record of seven wins in a row in Serie A, and performed excellently as captain of the Switzerland side at the World Cup, but despite that, he has only appeared once for the Gunners when Maitland-Niles went off injured.
No wonder he is at a bit of a loss as to why he has not been in the starting line-up yet. He said: “I could have changed to five other clubs in the summer, knowing that I would certainly play 47 out of 50 serious matches,” Lichtsteiner told Swiss publication Sportal.
“It doesn’t irritate me, as in 2011, when I moved to Juventus, I wanted to join a big club.
“I was looking for a demanding challenge in a new league.
“That’s why I knew from the very beginning at Arsenal that I had to fight for the regular spot against Hector Bellerin.
“For me, stepping down has never been up for debate.
“If I have to admit that I can not keep the level of the last few years, then it is time.
“But then I will not only resign from the Swiss national team, but finish my career.
“Based purely on performance data I have the physicality of a 28-year-old.
“It is quite unusual for me to be a substitute. Three games in a row [on the bench], that’s never happened to me.
“If you have achieved a lot in your career, you have high expectations of yourself and want to play.
“But I also know that I will get the chance to play games.”
Well I think that he should be playing right now. Hector Bellerin has hardly been overly impressive and his defending leaves a lot to be desired. In fact he seems to spend more time doing fashoin shoots and giving interviews than he does playing football. It’s time he was brought down a peg or two and I believe that Lichtsteiner will easily prove he is the better player, especially defensively. The current back line is obviously not working very well!
Darren N
Then it would be good to unleash Lichtsteiner at Saint James Park
He would want to impress and Arsenal need a more reliable right back. Bellerin could be the right winger to add extra protection
Agreed . If Bellerin plays anywhere, it must only be as a winger where he has looked dangerous and made assists this season. As a defender, frankly, he is a novice! LICHT IS TOP CLASS AND PROVEN QUALITY AND TOUGH AS OLD BOOTS TOO, THANK GOD.
Bellerin started as a winger and I think should be tried back there because his defending leaves a lot to be desired. Thing is, he also needs to learn how to cross a ball but I have to admit he’s been better of late.
TALK ABOUT MASSIVE UNDERSTATEMENT IN “LEAVES A LOT TO BE DESIRED.” As a defender he is possibly the very worst regular first choice fullback I have seen in 60 years. The lamentable Santos,( remember him? As if we could ever forget!) is about the only full back I could say was even worse than Bellerin. Either try him as a winger, as we don’t have any other one, OR sell him ASAP.
Jon, on a previous post you ask me for my best ever Arsenal team. Sorry I never answered, just read that post. I remember back in ’96 there was an article in the Arsenal programme to send in your best ever Arsenal XI. I sent in a team and to my surprise they used my article in the Manchester United programme. Remember, this is ’96 and the Invincibles we’re yet to arrive. My team that day was Kelsey, Storey McClintock, Adams and Sansom at the back. Armstrong Eastham and Brady in the middle with the newly arrived Bergkamp behind Wright and Baker up front. Then Arsene Wenger became manager and I know even you’ll agree those first ten years was some of the best football ever seen at Highbury. From then on Henry, Vieira, Pires have to be added to my all time greats. And Ken, I remember Peter Marinello arriving from Scottish club Hibs in a blaze of publicity, our first £100,000 player, Arsenal’s answer to United’s George Best, and would you believe it, his first game, away to United. I was at Old Trafford that day and Marinello was getting terrible abuse from the United crowd when after about 15 minutes, if I remember correctly, he picked up the ball on the edge of the box, fainted past a United defender and drilled a beautiful shot into the bottom right hand corner of the net. You could hear a pin dropped in the Stretford End, Absolute silence. To this day, I’ve never witnessed a better example of ramming abuse back down the abusers throat as I did that day. Unfortunately that’s about all Marinello ever done for Arsenal. In his defence too much was expected of him and he couldn’t handle the pressure.
Kenny-I Too was at OT that day
My point today is how could you have possibly left David Hillier out of that team you submitted?JF is not a fan either so he informed on a previous article.No wonder we have such a divided fanbase.I fully expect next to hear that Igor Steponov should not be in any future “Best Ever” side.
You must have been young then Phil, I was only about 19, with a little North Bank firm, tried to get into the Stretford End but got tumbled, ended up being moved to the old Scoreboard End. Cozzers said “for you’re own safety”. To be honest , made them right.
It was our clobber that gave us away, we all had the fiorucci jeans on they had cheap suits with baggy trouser. Took ’em years to catch up.
Kenny -I was around 12 at the time.My Uncle Tom me to every game he went to which was basically all Highbury games and maybe 50% of away games some even on Schoolnights I remember.
Just another trip down memory lane at OT but not quite as far back was the debut of Gus Caesar.I think Don Howe was manager as I know GG inherited him.Anyway he played right back and was up against Jesper Olsen who in sure you remember being a good tricky pacy winger.Straight from Kick Off the ball went to Olsen wide left and Gus hit him before he knew what was happening.The game was probably 15 seconds old.The player was down and treated for what seemed an hour but was probably 4-5 minutes and the whole time Olsen was down the Ref was giving Caesar a serious talking to.Today it would have been a straight Red but unbelievably he didn’t even get booked.So the game restarted and about5 minutes later Gus goes and does it again-straight through him.Manc players going mad Manc fans going mad Arsenal fans laughing heads off thinking who the hell is this nutter.Anyway incredibly Gus only got a booking but a “LEGEND”was born that afternoon but NOT in the way Legends are normally remembered.Somehow we won 1-0 with Charlie Nicholas scoring.
Says everything that Gus Caesar is immortalised in Fever Pitch with a whole chapter named after him.
Memories mate -don’t you just love them
You’re like me Phil. Old memories are more vivid in the imagination when you’re around the age of 10 to 12.But obviously Uncle Tom instilled the travelling bug in you. You’re a great supporter Phil and a true Gooner.
Also WE were wearing shoes. Northerners had never heard of them at that time!
Phil, To be very honest , Hillier would be close to my WORST EVER Arsenal team. He was that hopeless, with zero creativity and slow and cumbersome too. I realise Stepanov was an ironic commenrt but he was far closer to Hillier standard than Hillier was to best ever standard. I would seriously love to know exactly WHAT you liked in him.
Agreed. And Torreira should be starting too.
Bellerin will keep his place against Newcastle as I believe Emery will try to encourage continuity across the back four for as long as necessary.Licstiener will get game time in the upcoming Cup matches and then I believe it will be game on between the pair of them.Bellerin will offer more in attack (even though he is still reluctant to take on his man like he used to) while Licstiener will surely offer more defensively.I just can’t see anyone ever making Bellerin learn how to defend to any sort of acceptable standard.Both Citeh goals came from his side.Chelski’s first and third the same.West Ham ditto.And the first Cardiff goal as well.I accept he needs the players in front of him to do their job but it highlights the weakness on the Right and teams know to exploit this area.
But it’s his overall defending that has never improved.How many times against Cardiff did he allow crosses to come into our box because he wasn’t tight to the player?He never gets tight.And for someone with his pace he gets beaten far too easily.
It would be a big statement from Emery to drop Bellerin but he seems to be giving him too much of an opportunity to improve defensively.The problem is the boy just can’t seem to defend.
Phil, You rightly slaughter his total incompetance and then YOU say it is game on between him and the teak tough and defensively sound Lichtsteiner. It is NOT! Surprised how you can try defending the indefensible. But I’ll say this; as a “defender” you are far better than Bellerin. He is a dreadfully weak link and always will be unless moved to winger or sold. I don’t see how you can conceive of him staying as a full back, I just don’t!
JF-I didn’t really word that too well.I meant that as soon as Licstiener gets games under his belt Bellerin will have his performances judged against his rival.I know Licstiener will play against a Brentford side (who will be right up foe a fight) and a third tier pub team from somewhere in Europe that we’ve never heard of but he will still show Bellerin how a Right Back should perform.
I feel scolded as I used to by my English teacher 50 years ago for bad grammar and shoddy writing.Im now giving myself 1000 lines
I must concentrate on ………………x1000
Phil, playing Bellerin at RB instead of Lichtsteiner and not starting Torreira at DM are the two biggest errors of judgement Emery has so far made. If he continues down this track, I can only see Arsenal dropping points unnecessarily.
Darren N in his article has incapsulated one of the biggest issues with Hector Bellerin; his inability to concentrate on his duties as a professional footballer, particularly defending due to being constantly distracted by social media. Lichtsteiner on the other hand has been a committed professional, whereever he had played.
No argument from me OG.I just don’t believe Bellerin will be dropped be Emery at this point.Lets face it Lichtsteiner could play tomorrow in a 442 352 5311 prcwhayever And with his experience would perform better defensively than Bellerin.As Jon says even “I” could probably defend better than Bellerin.
Emery made a huge statement in his interview and after being appointed that he wanted to work with the players and introduce them to his system.Well he is certainly doing this as thevperformances are dis jointed at the back without doubt,But if Emery has decided Bellerin can improve with time and be effective in the system Emery wants to play then I agree with this.Lichtstiener would improve us defensively now.Bellerrin could improve is defensively for years.
Torreira I want in the team-full stop.I feel when he plays it will be in place of Guendonzi and not Xhaka and I sort of understand this one too.im not Xhaka’s biggest fan but he is not playing that badly this season and is another I believe Emery wants as a mainstay in the side.
As much as I can see the points everyone is raising regarding Xhaka and Bellerin being replaced by Torreira and Lichtstiener I just do not see Emery changing things at this point.And I sort of agree with his thinking.The team needs game time together and they won’t get this be constantly changing players.I believe it will be at least another 12 games or so before Emery even thinks about changing his Starting Team as he will want time to work with them as a unit.
I’m probably alone in this thinking-I’m feeling like David Hillierc
Phil, I’m with you on Xhaka; playing him with Torreira will allow Xhaka to play the role of deep lying playmaker as he does for Switzerland. He is not a DM. Guendouzi’s time will come with games in the cups and Europa League.
Ozzie, Could not agree more. Spot on . How Lichsteiner AND Torreira don’t start is a total mystery to me. Why buy them if he doesn’t want them? Mysterious, to say the least!
Sure thing. Might also prove a point many fans like to make. Main focus of a defender is to detend. In case he does better Bellerin needs to see the door so others can come and do better.
See Gundazi. He makes the likes of Xhaka irrevelant. Ramsey and Ozil can be replaced as well.
Really I cannot imagine why Lichsteiner is not starting ahead of Bellerin week in week out. He is by far a better defender . Emery need to stop selection based on sentiments .So also Bernd Leno should be starting ahead of Cech.If we want to move forward, radical changes are needed in the starting eleven.
Surely wer’e not already accusing Emery of having favourite players?
I too fail to understand why he has not played one game out of the four, but having favourites?
That speaks of high treason as the least of his crimes!
Then of course there’s Xacs, is he another favourite?
Playing these two shows he has no idea of defensive play and they are obviously getting no coaching whatesover as they haven’t improved one little bit.
Time for action from the fans in protest marches and black bin liners?
Come on guys, get a grip. It sounds just like the same old retoric being used again.
Emery’s had four, yes FOUR, premier league games.
Where’s the rallying cry gone about “giving the manager time”?
If our own fans are getting on his back, what chance has he got?
It would be interesting to see Lich and Bell playing together down that right flank and in order to accomodate that, I would drop Ramsey from the squad.
How much longer is this contract saga going on for?
What on earth is Huss doing with Ramsey’s advisors.
I actually like the guy and think he can bring something to the team, but this is making the club a laughing stock in my opinion.
Any concrete news on MN anyone?
I could conceive of Bellerin playing as right winger, ONLY, with the solid, tough and reliable Lichtsteiner in his rightful place as RB. Bellerin should never ever again be played in defence. He is to defence what Frank Bruno is to ballet dancing. Sorry for the unintended insult Frank!
well 35yo Leic ….fans will not be too happy…considering he was one of the bottom few in the team pace list…
John, unfortunately straight line speed “pace” is one factor; but also speed of thought and reaction are also important. For leadership ability, tactical awareness, strength in the tackle, defensive discipline and winning mentality, Lichtsteiner leaves Bellerin for dead.
Ken, no one here is saying that Emery “has no idea of defensive play”. I and others are bemused by how long Emery is taking to select Lichtsteiner and Torreira to bolster the defense, which is still leaking goals and perservering with Belletin, who is a defensive liability at RB.
I also believe that Xhaka will perform well in midfield, if played slightly ahead of Torteira.
Off topic:please admin where is chiza,I miss him already
Do you, really!
What the hell is there to miss???????????
Yeah I miss him as well
He has some attitude/ character, but he is very responsive with his replies
Nowadays people rarely reply on Just Arsenal. Please come back Chiza
We need the thumbs/like button back to increase foot traffic
You are right thumbs
would get more finger traffic
but would dumb down comments
because people will just write
what they think will get ticks
not what they really think.
barryglik, I concur; you can still use thumbs up and down ??
But many of these near morons can ONLY contribute thumbs up or down and NO actual thoughts of their own. Thumbs are for dullards who hate others posts but don’t or can’t post their own thoughts, since many can’t write and can’t think properly either. The standard of debate is far better sin ce thumbs went.
Please don’t be ridiculous. The religion mad kid from Nigeria and his mad posts have NO PLACE on an Arsenal only – as in “Just Arsenal”, remember, site. If you crave religion then please go to a religious site instead and leave this site to Arsenal fans. He fully deserved to be banned and I suggest to you most of us on here are mighty glad he is banned. Some of us think it SHOULD have been done long ago. He was making the Admins job impossible with his childish and pathetic religious rants.
Amen to that Jon.
fully agree, chiza is our world class number ten. we need him to keep the ball moving, come on back bro.
Lichtsteiner should be given a chance
Bellerin may be abetter winger than defender
I’d like to see our Full-backs as Lichtsteiner and Monreal
Wellbeck to score 7 goals in
this mornings training
session at the King Power.
What if Emery sees this performance against England and decides to keep him on the bench…
Wasn’t particularly impressive was he.
Didn’t watch Stubill-have no interest watching England.How did Licstiener Xhaka and Welbeck perform?
I wasn’t glued to the screen, but from what I saw, I think disappointing sums it up for all of them.
Welbeck didn’t get a lot of service, so it’s difficult to slate him too much, Xhaka was well, Xhaka, and Lichsteiner looked like a walking yellow card at times.
Our of 10, I’d give them all a 5 or 6.
As I said, I wasn’t glued to the screen, so maybe I’m being too harsh on them.
Switzerland tried to play out from the back and were duly closed down forcing Lichtsteiner to pick up a yellow card to bail out his team from needless pressure. This nonsense of playing out from the back fails more often than it works and simply serves to unsettle everyone. It can only work against weak opponents who sit back deep and only try to defend. It would appear Cech may not be the problem afterall seeing that a lot of keepers struggle with tgis tactic. Anyways, it’s incredible Johan Djorou can still get a game for his national side leave alone start one! Djorou….lol.
QD, I thought the dreadful Djourou was bound to be in a care home by now. One of the very few Arsenal CB’s to be even worse than Mustafi. Others were Senderos , Schillachi. I DISCOUNT STEPANOVS, WHO WAS NEVER A REGULAR FIRST CHOICE Cygan was about the same awful Mustafi standard, slow and ponderous. Let us be frank in saying Wenger never bought a single top class CB, other than Koscielny. Campbell was great but on a “free”, Gallas and Toure way overrated by some , but not by me. Merts ? Ok, if you like dead slow for a defender. I don’t. If you judge all Wengers defensive buys after Grahams defence retired, they don’t add up to much. His best and only real top class outfield defenders were Campbell, on a free, and Cole who was at the club already. Koscielny WAS still very good but, lets be honest, not remotely in Campbells class. Lauren was decent but far from great too. And that is about it. Not much since Grahams men retired is it! I never bought into the over hype about SAGNA AND LAUGHED LIKE A DRAIN WHEN CITY PAID US £7 MILLION FOR Calamity Clichy. Sagna was adequate, Cole was great, though also a litle s..t!
Lichtsteiner only played a game for arsenal yet some fans has already believed he d better likewise Leno who hasn’t kept a game, some believe he is better than Czech. They maybe right or wrong , we have a manager who train with these players everyday let’s allow him to do his job.
he is better than Bellerin. over 250 appearances and 14 trophies with Juventus
Most recently excellent performance at the World Cup
Bags of experience which counts for a lot
He is better than Bellerin n terms of strength and has an excellent tactical mind. he is also quite fast. He is more hardworking too
ALSO Bellerin has been quite poor defensively
Innit, great synopsis. Also as QD stated Lichtsteiner took a yellow for the team against England. Arsenal needs more mongrel, so in my view another plus.
Obviously Emery sees things we don’t and he will rise or fall on the performances of the players he selects.
SO TRUE AND EVEN HIS HAIR IS BETTER THAN BELLERINS. HE IS LESS UGLY TOO. I completely fail to understand what ANYONE sees in the dreadful Bellerin as a FB.
England’s top player last night Danny Rose? Immediate opponent Lich.Discuss?
It’s only a matter of time before he gets the nod ahead of bellerin especially with the cup games coming up giving him the opportunity to get some run of games…
OT: Mr fox feeling entitled again..well I guess it comes with the old age…many more years to come.
Admin bring back Chiza he only got carried away with his emotions…no doubting his love for arsenal.
Too much hate on Bellerin.
People forgetting he is only 23?
Forgetting that he has had many years of Wenger teaching him how to defend?
Forgot that when he came into the 1st team and replaced Debuchy, he was doing a lot better in all areas of his game?
Fail to consider how Wenger could have made him worse than he should be but with different coaching he may fulfill the promise initially shown?
Bahh, winds me up, bandwagon fools.
Remind me WHEN Wenger ever STARTED “teaching Bellerin or any other player how to defend? I saw no evidence of ANY defensive coaching at all for his last decade, at least. I remember the 2-0 win at City when the players got together and ignored his nonsense and played on the break and defended properly. For ONCE!!!! To list all the away thrashings would take all night!