Mikel Arteta may have ensured that Kieran Tierney has a future at Arsenal. Over the last few months, Tierney has been heavily linked with an exit from Arsenal. The 26-year-old was not to leave because he wasn’t quality, but because Arteta’s tactics last season saw Arsenal overdepend on Zinchenko playing from the left back.
This situation saw him struggle to break into the team, as he couldn’t offer what the Ukrainian offered.
Zinchenko would be deployed at left back, but whenever he was in possession, he would drift to midfield, giving Granit Xhaka the licence to join the attack and thus outnumber the other team once the ball was supplied to Arsenal attackers.
While Zinchenko temporarily moved to the midfield, the other defenders had to hold the fort, which meant Ben White at right back had to be attentive to support the defence. Arsenal depended on this play, but Arteta wants to change that with Jurrien Timber.
With the arrival of Jurrien Timber, who’s undoubtedly technically gifted, Arteta seeks to have the Dutch do a “Zincheko” from right back, which may necessitate a defensive-minded left back, which we know Zinchenko isn’t, hence Tierney gets to feature at left back.
There’s a future for Tierney at left-back. Over the past few months, when there’s been talk about his exit, one thing that has yet to be denied is that he is a quality left-back.
With many of his suitors not yet bold enough to approach Arsenal for a deal, let’s hope Arteta convinces the Sottish International he can still stay at Arsenal and establish himself as the legend we always knew he would one day be.
Daniel O
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I totally agree with you and hope it plays out that way.
I don’t buy into the idea that timber’s playing style is so different to White’s that it will enable us to play Tierney in his standard LB style. I think it’s far more likely that tierney’s been learning to adapt to play more like Zinchenko, white and potentially timber in those more central (half space) areas.
I don’t recall white charging forwards in wide right positions all the time last season – occasionally, but to my mind he was playing the same way as zinchenko, moving into half space positions and picking passes. It seemed to me that him and zinchenko would move further forwards depending on where the play was happening, and the other would cover – naturally, sometimes the best move for white would be to pull wide, and sometimes to stay more central, depending largely on what Saka was doing, I suppose.
Kieran will be vital to our all out charge next season, some PL and CL appearances as well a fully dedicated FA and league cup games should make him happy especially if we end up doing the double.
Yes the addition of Timber could help secure Tierney game.
Timber allow for more tactical switches at the back, he could bumps forward while Tierney stays and assist Magalhaes with the defending.
Tomiyasu picked ahead of Tierney for the friendly tonight. Looking ominous for him.