Kieran Gibbs was becoming a bit of a forgotten man at Arsenal, because after spending his entire professional career with the club and becoming a first team regular post Clichy, Gibbs found himself relegated to the bench week in week out when Monreal joined in 2013.
There had been rumours that the English left back had been considering his future at the club this summer, with Liverpool supposedly a side that was interested in signing him. Gibbs however chose to remain at the Emirates and fight for his place in the squad and it seems as if Wenger had confidence in Gibbs to test Monreal for competition. At the start of the season, Gibbs once again found himself as second choice behind Nacho Monreal. The Spaniard had a fantastic past season and has been one of the Premier League’s most consistent defenders of the past few years. However this year he has looked a little off the ball so far, having left the defence vulnerable to attack on a few occasions. As a result, some fans had been calling for him to be dropped from the side and to have Gibbs reinstated. Wenger hadn’t played that card just yet, but he was forced into making the change this weekend against Sunderland, with Monreal currently ruled out with an injury.
Gibbs started the match against Sunderland and was impressive both in defence and attack. He was well focused, strong in the tackle, positioned himself well and even grabbed an assist when pushing up the field to join the attack. He even hit the post late on with a shot that resulted in Alexis scoring his second and Arsenal’s fourth goal of the day. Gibbs was very much praised after the match and as a result I think many fans are now keen for him to keep his place in the side.
Gibbs may not have got his chance this weekend through hard work ahead of Monreal, after all it was only Monreal’s injury that moved Gibbs ahead in the pecking order. As a result it may be quite possibly that on return from injury, Gibbs is dropped and Monreal returns to the starting eleven. However for a player that has been restricted for playing time, Gibbs seems to have remained focused and motivated to make an impression and it really wouldn’t surprise me if he manages to keep his place at left back, even after Monreal returns.
Do you think Gibbs should start against Tottenham?
By AH