Should Arteta try using Kolasinac on the left wing?

Would we benefit from Kolasinac being deployed on the wing? (opinion)

A feature of a lot of our players, especially the defenders is that they like to run forward and try to get the ball in to the box as much as they can.

One of those players is one of our current left backs Sead Kolasinac. It can also be argued that he plays better as a winger then he does as a defender, as has been mentioned many times by our readers!).

Cast your minds back to when he first joined us, where he was an absolute beast on the left-hand side with both his defending and forward running ability. The crosses he used to put into the box were at times sublime, and he also used to score the odd goal every now and then adding something more to the team. But fast forward to now and there is no denying that at times he seems to struggle with his defending, like everyone does, he is human at the end of the day, but would it be worth giving him a new position to play in?

I personally think he would benefit being deployed on the wing, just in front of Tierney and we know both players like to run forward but I think for Kolasinac, knowing he would have Tierney behind him to defend if the ball was lost and the opponent was counter attacking, would make him play so much freer and better.

As Arteta likes to play his players both in and out of position I don’t see why he can’t take the risk and play Kolasinac on the wing. If he doesn’t try, he won’t know if it works but he would always have the back up of Tierney on the left if things weren’t working out.

And who knows if he did that, we may even get more goals coming from crosses, again giving the team yet another option when it comes to chances. Gooners?

Shenel Osman

Tags Sead Kolasinac

25 Comments

    1. Must be joking. This player is not up to the standard. We are already too negatively set up so please don’t give Arteta more ideas. I don’t see what Kolasinac could bring. Speed,great crosses,wonderful defensive positioning?Can’t see any of that. In fact he defines how low our stocks have sunk.

  1. Please, Kolastinac should not play today. He slows down counter attacks with his habit of retreating with back passes to team mates.
    He is so fond of it and this kills momentum and counter attacksHe is an initial spot

  2. Are there no better materials for the position?
    Whoever is not good should be shown the way out just like Ozil.

  3. ???????????????????? Are you talking about Sead Kolasinac….our Kolasinac or a different one. Our Kolasinac is not good enough to play for a top side. If there’s another Kolasinac you’ve seen, who is a really good footballer write to Arteta. Our Kolasinac has no end result and forgets where he is.

  4. That’s right let’s fill the gap with a slow club footed defender with no positional sense and limited crossing ability …that should work out ok!! Next suggestion?

  5. Shenel, I think you’ve made a solid case that might work concerning Sead Kolasinac if Arteta plays him as a true and out left winger in games for Arsenal in the PL.

    But as for the possibility of trying him in that role against Leicester in Arsenal home match today in the PL, the experiment may have to wait if Arteta will accept to use him as you have opined.

    For, this is because the idea will first needs to be tried in training sessions to perfect it before deploying him in the role in a competitive match. Maybe after trying him in practice sessions in the training ground and if it worked, then the gaffer may play him as a winger behind Tierney or Saka at left full back in a flat-four defence as a starter of start him from the bench in Arsenal next away match to Man Utd in the PL next weekend.

  6. Kolasinac on the left wing? No!
    He can’t beat anyone (unless it’s an armed robber of course), he can’t cross the ball and when he does get forward usually passes backwards. If we are not playing Saka on the left, or Auba, then try Pepe there but Kolasinac! No, No, No.

  7. I haven’t been impressed with this recent form, but against Rapid that second half was like a switch being flipped and the old tank reappeared. He was bombing forward and causing them all sorts of problems. Am I the only person who noticed that? For the last ten minutes he played alongside KT and they had some interesting interchanges. We have the guy until January at least, so we might as well use him for what he’s good at, which is not defending. I don’t want to see Saka wasted in defence so we have KT, AMN and SK to cover LB and LWB. We have a lot of games coming up and we will need to rotate.

  8. I’d say this article is born of a lack of understanding of our offensive shape. When we are in attack, the left CB becomes a left back and gets forward. Unless we shift to a different formation, he should continue to deputize for Tierney.
    Let’s talk about the back passing that everyone keeps crying about. Are we going to claim no one has seen Kolasinac carry the ball out of defense at foot? How come passing backwards is not an issue when one of the preferred ones like Tierney or Saka does it? Kola isn’t as good a defender as Tierney, but make better analysis of a game than reciting lines you saw on TV .

  9. Wenger was not good at sporting defenders. Kolasinac is a defence accident waiting to happen. Hope Germans/Italians take him off our hands even sending him for free should be considered coz you are saving 100k per week. He has absolutely no idea what he is doing. Unlike the Scot he has no instinct for dangers.

  10. No way! He is bad in passing and I don’t know what happens to him, I mean decisively he has become weaker, and then starts to attack it seems that he can’t play a decent pass as he used to do. Lack of confidence ?!

  11. Given time he would succeed. He probably wont have the same impact that Gareth Bale had when he transitioned from left back to left winger, but he certainly has the attributes. It is something that I thought Emery should have experimented with when he had Monreal at left back. With many wingers now in the team it is unlikely that we will ever see this experiment. But surely Kolasinac would add to the chaos factor in the box.

  12. No he should stay on bench unless no other left back.
    Ship him out in Jan, failed to adapt Arsenal and PL.

  13. We have other options ABBA, Saka, Niles, Nelson. Let the young players get game time and develop. I like Kola but the truth is he’s past his best. He is on the “Declining Road”!!!
    Everyone goes down it eventually…

    After these comments please Shenel do a follow up or comment you thoughts.

    Cheers

  14. The Guy Was Great When He First Join

    But The Tides Really Turned Quick

    It Happened & Worked With Bale Cos There Was An Hunger The Manager Noticed

    Our SB That Can Achieve Reasonable Success With A Switch Like That Is Bellerin – He Has More Assists Than Many Of Our Midfielder & U Can See Him Scoring & Trying To Cause Many Dangers When We’re Attacking

    Kolasinac’s Attacking Is Better Than His Defending, Yet Unlike Bellerin, His Attacking Still Doesn’t Yield Much To The Team

  15. If i had enough cash i would buy out his contract&save the fans from his various shortcomings…i hate watching arsenal whenever he is in the starting line up because he is not always focused

  16. NO!
    16 misplaced passes last game and no ability to move the ball forward.
    Back passes all the time, might as well be playing with 10 players.

    AMN in for sure!

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