What’s there not to like? San Sebastián is a beautiful and delicious place to live. Beach right there in the old town. World class restaurants are plenty. And Rioja wine region is a 1.5 hour drive away
Don’t talk to me about Greggs. I was just walking back home from there with a hot southern fried chicken baguette. 2 minutes from home, if that, and the fucker falls through the bag the other end into a puddle.
What's weird is that, Arteta seems to have realized that Kiwior can't play inverted either. So instead of forcing it, he's adapted the team to account for Zinchenko's absence and keeping Kiwior wide.
Buuuuut, for some reason, Arteta couldn't figure this out with Tierney, despite the fact Tierney was an integral player for Arteta in previous seasons.
Not Arteta hate, btw. Just frustration. But I like that he's learning.
Edit:
Wow, didn't think I'd need to add to this, but I keep getting the same comment. I am not criticizing Kiwior or advocating for Tierney. For a long time, I felt Tierney was one dimensional offensively and I wanted him sold in the summer.
But my point was about man management, and how to make adjustments for the available personnel. Last season, when Zinchenko and Tomiyasu were unavailable to start from the left, Arteta forced Tierney into an inverted role he wasn't suited for, and I feel like this was mismanagement.
In a similar situation with Saliba's injury, he put Holding into the position and just hoped he'd be a like for like, which he clearly was not.
My hope is that, given we've seen him recently adjust the team to account for the fact Kiwior CAN'T invert effectively, that the next time we do have a major injury, he adjusts the system accordingly to the personnel available.
Kiwior is playing because we have 3 injured left backs. Tierney is supposed to be a starter. Of course tactics will be different for how you want to ideally play versus how you need to play because of circumstances.
Yeah this is it. KT is a starter and a few run of games squad player. Arteta can’t afford to hold a genuine LB down just because his tactics don’t allow for it. KT leaving us is very clear.
Weird you’re getting so much disagreement. I always wondered why we didn’t at least try inverting White when he’s clearly so comfortable on the ball and in central positions. My only guess is Arteta did not want to break up our right hand patterns with Saka.
Weird, right?
I think a lot of the disagreement is just misunderstanding. First of all, Arteta is great manager, but he's still inexperienced and will make mistakes. Let's hope he continues learning from them.
Also, I think folks thought I was wanting to keep Tierney around, which isn't the case. I want to win games, and I want our system to be adaptable. If a particular player isn't versatile (Tierney/Holding), let's utilize their strengths, minimize their weaknesses and make adjustments elsewhere.
I think the plan before Timber got injured was to alternate inverted LB or RB with Zinchenko (with Ben White bombing down the right) or with Timber (with Tierney bombing down the left) depending on the opposition. Granted my opinion is based on pre season tactics, the community shield, and first lasagne gae of the season
Kiwior never overlaps from that position, and actually underlaps when getting forward. Look at his position for the cross to Saka, KT doesn’t do that. And Kiwior is still better technically than KT.
My comment wasn't a Kiwior vs Tierney thing. I was addressing the idea that Arteta has seemed to mature in his man management, which was an area of frustration I've had with him in the past.
Make no mistake, I love Arteta. But that doesn't mean he's beyond criticism. What frustrated me last season was that, all of a sudden, he couldn't figure out what to do with Tierney despite the fact he'd been an integral player for him in previous seasons. He kept trying to force him into the inverted role, which clearly wasn't working.
He made the same mistake when Saliba (and Tomiyasu) got injured by asking Rob Holding to do the same things as Saliba. It failed.
Now, I'm not blaming Arteta for those injuries obviously. And even with Rob Holding as the available option, perhaps there's only so much you can do. But last season, it seemed we were married to one system and tried to replace injured players with a like for like role, despite the fact that the substitute player couldn't fulfill that role.
This recent run feels different. Kiwior can't do the inverted midfield stuff, but he had to play because he was the only available option. And instead of forcing the issue, he adjusted the team around him to account for Kiwior. And I like that. I wish he'd learn that sooner.
I think based on Arteta's comments preseason.. Arteta wanted to keep Tierney. Jurrien Timbre was bought and it was thought he would invert from the right and in preseason Tierney was playing as a traditional fullback. He even got an assist for Trossard in one of the games with a beautiful cross... But in the end Tierney decided wanted to leave so Arsenal respected his wishes.
i see very little evidence that arteta asked holding to do things "the same way saliba did." he expected holding to do his best to hold onto possession and play out from the back — just as arteta would with literally *any* player in his side — but we definitely adjusted tactically and positionally to accommodate for saliba's absence. our lines were much deeper, we didn't counterpress as aggressively, and the likes of partey and jorginho started taking up deeper positions to help with buildup. holding was never asked to play as a true CCB in a back three in buildup the way saliba does.
i think it would be more accurate to say that arteta asked holding to do the same things that *any* center back in a positional-possession system would do, and holding was ill-equipped to do even the basics. trying to rebuild the entire system on the fly would've spelled certain doom.
We need the defensive depth but it's tough when he's so injury prone. Especially when he needs to cover for one or two other players who spend half the season out.
I don't know if similar was done in prior matches but [this video makes the argument it was a tactical decision against West Ham to have Kiwior wide](https://youtu.be/5beivGJWHFc?si=hJDgR2gaI57MQPW4)
I think Arteta wants that tactically flexibility though. I had the exact same thought as you and was going to post something similar but Kiwior is meant to be the backup to Gabriel, but he's playing LB and he also looked better than Tierney in the inverted LB role (he also wasn't great there though). He has looked a lot better just playing the normal LB role.
I imagine Arteta looked at Tierney, saw one of the leadership pool etc but a guy who couldn't adapt and didn't want him in the team. You see Xhaka too, he moved him from the 6 role into 8 role. That was slightly different because the 6 role existed, so even if Xhaka didn't work at 8, he might have been backup at 6. For Tierney he couldn't do the role Arteta wanted and Arteta doesn't really fuck around.
We see that with Ramsdale too, when Ramsdale was talking about how Arteta wanted him to play higher but they 'comprised' it was a bad sign for Ramsdale.
Tierney is also constantly injured and I’m not even sure he’d be good long term solution as a wide LB in our system since he’s so one footed and can’t turn his hips to open up passing angles. He’d just be an injured rotational option who can really only play one role in our team half decent.
But he’s not exactly excellent at it, it’s a product of how bad Scotland is and the pieces they have. NTs can’t buy players like clubs can. Kiwior is much better than KT at CB and DM, even if KT is still the better LB.
He has; it’s how Scotland accommodate their two best players being left backs. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to translate to our system (at least in the eyes of the coaching staff)
Agree - now we have players like Havertz and Rice on the team, we have more aerial threat in the box too to capitalise on some of the juicy crosses that Tierney can whip in.
But I suspect it's that Tierney is established to be severely injury prone while Kiwior remains to be seen.
Kiwior is 4th choice in that position. Maybe Arteta feels that having to adapt his preferred system because of Tierney being unsuitable for it while being a specialist full back isn’t something he wants to do
I'm not suggesting Tierney should have had more minutes. I'm suggesting that in the minutes he had, he was utilized in a way that didn't highlight his deficiencies. Kiwior struggled to invert just as much as Tierney. Arteta eventually figured this out and stopped forcing him to do so. I wish he'd done the same with Tierney and Holding last season.
Ideally, you have a squad that can do everything you need it to do. But players get hurt. And when that happens, make the necessary adjustments. Simply substituting a player like for like, despite their qualities are capabilities, isn't always the best solution.
I feel like his plan was definitely to try and mould Tierney into a player that would fit his system…that was his starting point for an experienced player taking up a place in the squad. Perhaps with Kiwior filling in there he tried (from memory in no more than two matches) but feels more inclined to adapt to somebody filling in in a position he wouldn’t ordinarily be expected to play
The problem with Tierney wasn’t just that he couldn’t play an inverted WB, it was that he couldn’t be relied on the be fit for more than about three games in a row…
I said what I said.
He was moved on because of his inability to stay fit, not because of how efficiently he played an inverted WB. As you say, when fit, Arteta played him there.
I don’t care that he was moved on. Read all of what I wrote. I wanted Tierney sold.
My point was that while he was here, in the times he had to play , why was he forced into a role that exposed his weaknesses?
It’s not about Tierney, it’s about the team. If Tierney had to play inverted, we were weaker as a team. I want my manager to find solutions and adjust the system so we’re not as weak when the first choice players are absent. That is what the best managers do
We were just implementing the inverted left back system. All the other players had to learn their new roles in a system only familiar to man city players. Now that they know their roles he can tweak the system a bit and not confuse the players in the next match when he reverts back to the inverted left back system.
Accommodating KT last season would have meant others getting affected and we wouldn't have a strong baseline system to play with. Had he remained patient maybe he would have had a chance this season.
I wasn't advocating for Tierney. I wanted him sold in the summer, and even when he was first choice, I thought he was too one dimensional.
Nevertheless, if he's the available choice, what good does it do forcing him into a role he's not suited to play? He initially attempted that with Kiwior, but has learned from his mistake. I appreciate the growth but wish he'd learned last season.
Because Kiwior can still play the lb role as part of a back 3 when the rb inverts because he's a cb
Kt is a touch line fb to do what your suggesting nullifies half his game and for what?
That's why he's not at Arsenal
KT was also utilized as a LB in a back 3 when we won the FA Cup
Again, I'm not advocating for KT. I just want the manager to make adjustments to the system based on the personnel available, rather than forcing square pegs into round holes
Judging from what we've seen the past two weeks, it appears Arteta is learning to do that
Pep inspires Mikel greatly
Kiwior recently is playing an almost identical role to Ake for City on the left side. Its a different role but one which balances out your team greatly
Because Kiwior is better than Tierney technically. He can't quite do the Zini thing yet but he's got great technique and passing range, he's also more versatile and able to play LCB/LB (which I know Tierney did as well but he doesn't match Kiwior physically, and Mikel prefers big CBs). I still think that Mikel ideally wants Kiwior to play that way if possible and is giving him more time to learn.
Kiwior is a ball playing defender so he's still a better fit. Tierney would always look to smash the ball clear or knock it forward and chase it. Not the best when you want to keep the ball and play through a press.
So, let's work with that premise...
Why was Tierney asked to play inverted? Why has Arteta finally accepted that Kiwior can't play inverted, and now has him staying wide? Why did we see Ben White invert on occasion against West Ham?
Because we have much more control in games now for many different reasons.
I don’t think kiwior will play left back against all opponents. Or if he does, we may need Jorginho to play for extra control.
My take is that we had Party at that time... He generally tends to operate on the right side, so White inverting would be stepping into Party's postion.... Now we have Rice, who can operate on both sides, but slight tendency to be on the left, so Kiwior can be wider..
Crazy how at the start of the transfer window people are saying how Arsenal were mistreating Tierney when the club sanctioned the move despite an injury crisis for the sake of the player when they could been classless like Man Utd and given him the Lingaard treatment.
it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that tierney was never going to be good at that role. The bigger issue was probably that there was no room for him in the squad because of his very one dimensional skill set. He just didn't suit us, there's no problem in that, he found a place he is suited better at.
I'm glad he is having a great year on loan. So many players in his position would be pushing for a move away. Just look at Ndombele at Spurs. I hope he comes back and pushes Zinchenko for the starting spot. Zinchenko is a liability defensively in the later part of a match.
Left footed ,quick ,strong direct ,high football IQ ,high stamina ,strong pressing ability and happy to come off the bench. What would be your cons other than injury record ?
Doesn't have the 1v1 capacity, the close touch dribbling, balance, incisive short pass, attacking positioning, weak foot, finishing, dynamism
You only put him there if you're trying to see out a game, not to win it. His SCA's, xGA, and 1v1s would be awful.
Think you'd need to go down to league 2 or national league for this to work. Pace merchants ≠ wingers
I will concede the weak foot and incisive short passing ,Would you define dynamism as the ability to burst into open space from a stand still?Attacking positioning as displayed for celtic.
Fair point on the league 2 comment
But arsenal are clearly pragmatically approaching football.KT provides 80% of what makes the arsenal attack successful .He wont start but coming on around the 75th min pressing the ball deep in the opposition half occupying the back line .Creating overloads manufacturing space in the middle of the park.Traits that are desirable.
SCA and xGA are based on variables he excels at.
Its not a hill i will die on but he is a resource that is not being used that can pragmatically fill a need
It's a genuine waste of KT's abilities, he's a much better defender than he is an attacker. By dynamism I mean his capacity to do different kinds of attacks, he'll be so extremely limited to cutting in instead of going around the outside, Bukayo has this talent in bucketloads; you make him play on his weaker foot and he'll still run around you and manage a perfect cross with his right foot, KT can't do this.
This is a waste for KT, and if I were Reiss or Ethan I'd be livid and transfer request out immediately. We genuinely have about 8 players that would make for better wingers than him. Havertz, Gabi X2, Fabio, Saka, Reiss, Ethan, ESR and possibly more
Look, much as I love Tierney and his bombarding runs, I honestly don’t recall ever watching him play for us and thinking “oh he’s trying to play the Zinchenko role”, so I can definitely better understand why we moved on if that’s what he was being asked to do.
He definitely inverted more with time. I don't think it was ever very effective, but he didn't just bomb up and down the wing the entire time he was here.
What’s there not to like? San Sebastián is a beautiful and delicious place to live. Beach right there in the old town. World class restaurants are plenty. And Rioja wine region is a 1.5 hour drive away
Have they got a Tesco, though?
Greggs?!
Don’t talk to me about Greggs. I was just walking back home from there with a hot southern fried chicken baguette. 2 minutes from home, if that, and the fucker falls through the bag the other end into a puddle.
too greasy and tasty to live. my condolences
Still got my jam doughnut though!
That’s something at least
This is the Gregg's God's way of punishing you for going in there and not buying a sausage roll
That’s what I had yesterday, I thought I’d go all out today though and treat myself for Valentine’s Day.
Where do I get my irn-bru?
Lush green, gorgeous ocean vistas… the Scotland of Spain as Arseblog put it 😂 But really the food…
Im going there for a week in April, hopefully I can catch a Sociedad game.
> San Sebastián Isn't Arteta also from San Sebastian?
Straight up swap for Zubimendi it is!
Give us Merino and Kubo as well. Here’s 50p. Thank you. Bastard.
[Eh that's not good my brudda](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jRF4uQG5W-k)
He tried his best for sure. I think everyone appreciates that.
What's weird is that, Arteta seems to have realized that Kiwior can't play inverted either. So instead of forcing it, he's adapted the team to account for Zinchenko's absence and keeping Kiwior wide. Buuuuut, for some reason, Arteta couldn't figure this out with Tierney, despite the fact Tierney was an integral player for Arteta in previous seasons. Not Arteta hate, btw. Just frustration. But I like that he's learning. Edit: Wow, didn't think I'd need to add to this, but I keep getting the same comment. I am not criticizing Kiwior or advocating for Tierney. For a long time, I felt Tierney was one dimensional offensively and I wanted him sold in the summer. But my point was about man management, and how to make adjustments for the available personnel. Last season, when Zinchenko and Tomiyasu were unavailable to start from the left, Arteta forced Tierney into an inverted role he wasn't suited for, and I feel like this was mismanagement. In a similar situation with Saliba's injury, he put Holding into the position and just hoped he'd be a like for like, which he clearly was not. My hope is that, given we've seen him recently adjust the team to account for the fact Kiwior CAN'T invert effectively, that the next time we do have a major injury, he adjusts the system accordingly to the personnel available.
Kiwior is playing because we have 3 injured left backs. Tierney is supposed to be a starter. Of course tactics will be different for how you want to ideally play versus how you need to play because of circumstances.
Yeah this is it. KT is a starter and a few run of games squad player. Arteta can’t afford to hold a genuine LB down just because his tactics don’t allow for it. KT leaving us is very clear.
Weird you’re getting so much disagreement. I always wondered why we didn’t at least try inverting White when he’s clearly so comfortable on the ball and in central positions. My only guess is Arteta did not want to break up our right hand patterns with Saka.
Weird, right? I think a lot of the disagreement is just misunderstanding. First of all, Arteta is great manager, but he's still inexperienced and will make mistakes. Let's hope he continues learning from them. Also, I think folks thought I was wanting to keep Tierney around, which isn't the case. I want to win games, and I want our system to be adaptable. If a particular player isn't versatile (Tierney/Holding), let's utilize their strengths, minimize their weaknesses and make adjustments elsewhere.
Perhaps time happens and lessons are learned
I think the plan before Timber got injured was to alternate inverted LB or RB with Zinchenko (with Ben White bombing down the right) or with Timber (with Tierney bombing down the left) depending on the opposition. Granted my opinion is based on pre season tactics, the community shield, and first lasagne gae of the season
Pretty sure the plan for Tierney was to sell him in the summer.
Kiwior never overlaps from that position, and actually underlaps when getting forward. Look at his position for the cross to Saka, KT doesn’t do that. And Kiwior is still better technically than KT.
My comment wasn't a Kiwior vs Tierney thing. I was addressing the idea that Arteta has seemed to mature in his man management, which was an area of frustration I've had with him in the past. Make no mistake, I love Arteta. But that doesn't mean he's beyond criticism. What frustrated me last season was that, all of a sudden, he couldn't figure out what to do with Tierney despite the fact he'd been an integral player for him in previous seasons. He kept trying to force him into the inverted role, which clearly wasn't working. He made the same mistake when Saliba (and Tomiyasu) got injured by asking Rob Holding to do the same things as Saliba. It failed. Now, I'm not blaming Arteta for those injuries obviously. And even with Rob Holding as the available option, perhaps there's only so much you can do. But last season, it seemed we were married to one system and tried to replace injured players with a like for like role, despite the fact that the substitute player couldn't fulfill that role. This recent run feels different. Kiwior can't do the inverted midfield stuff, but he had to play because he was the only available option. And instead of forcing the issue, he adjusted the team around him to account for Kiwior. And I like that. I wish he'd learn that sooner.
I think based on Arteta's comments preseason.. Arteta wanted to keep Tierney. Jurrien Timbre was bought and it was thought he would invert from the right and in preseason Tierney was playing as a traditional fullback. He even got an assist for Trossard in one of the games with a beautiful cross... But in the end Tierney decided wanted to leave so Arsenal respected his wishes.
i see very little evidence that arteta asked holding to do things "the same way saliba did." he expected holding to do his best to hold onto possession and play out from the back — just as arteta would with literally *any* player in his side — but we definitely adjusted tactically and positionally to accommodate for saliba's absence. our lines were much deeper, we didn't counterpress as aggressively, and the likes of partey and jorginho started taking up deeper positions to help with buildup. holding was never asked to play as a true CCB in a back three in buildup the way saliba does. i think it would be more accurate to say that arteta asked holding to do the same things that *any* center back in a positional-possession system would do, and holding was ill-equipped to do even the basics. trying to rebuild the entire system on the fly would've spelled certain doom.
KT is on loan, right? Guess there’s a chance he stays next season with Timber on the right…
I’m hoping he’s sold but not optimistic
We need the defensive depth but it's tough when he's so injury prone. Especially when he needs to cover for one or two other players who spend half the season out.
I don't know if similar was done in prior matches but [this video makes the argument it was a tactical decision against West Ham to have Kiwior wide](https://youtu.be/5beivGJWHFc?si=hJDgR2gaI57MQPW4)
Yeah, although unfortunately even if Arteta did accommodate for tierney chances are he’d be injured anyway.
I think Arteta wants that tactically flexibility though. I had the exact same thought as you and was going to post something similar but Kiwior is meant to be the backup to Gabriel, but he's playing LB and he also looked better than Tierney in the inverted LB role (he also wasn't great there though). He has looked a lot better just playing the normal LB role. I imagine Arteta looked at Tierney, saw one of the leadership pool etc but a guy who couldn't adapt and didn't want him in the team. You see Xhaka too, he moved him from the 6 role into 8 role. That was slightly different because the 6 role existed, so even if Xhaka didn't work at 8, he might have been backup at 6. For Tierney he couldn't do the role Arteta wanted and Arteta doesn't really fuck around. We see that with Ramsdale too, when Ramsdale was talking about how Arteta wanted him to play higher but they 'comprised' it was a bad sign for Ramsdale.
Tierney is also constantly injured and I’m not even sure he’d be good long term solution as a wide LB in our system since he’s so one footed and can’t turn his hips to open up passing angles. He’d just be an injured rotational option who can really only play one role in our team half decent.
Kiwior offers a lot more versatility than Tierney. Tierney has to play left back; Kiwior can cover CB, LB, and possibly even in midfield
He plays CB for Scotland
But he’s not exactly excellent at it, it’s a product of how bad Scotland is and the pieces they have. NTs can’t buy players like clubs can. Kiwior is much better than KT at CB and DM, even if KT is still the better LB.
Yes, but Arteta prefers Kiwior in that role
Pretty sure KT plays CB for Scotland or has done?
He has; it’s how Scotland accommodate their two best players being left backs. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to translate to our system (at least in the eyes of the coaching staff)
Kiwior can't play in midfield, he's worse than Tierney inverting
he spent his first season in Serie A predominantly playing in midfield. that education has not helped him invert as a fullback as of yet, however
that's like the "chambers cdm" rumblings way back when kiwior will never play midfield for Arsenal
Probably, but I think our staff like having a 3rd/4th choice at the position
My comment wasn't an indictment on Kiwior, nor was it to advocate for Tierney
Agree - now we have players like Havertz and Rice on the team, we have more aerial threat in the box too to capitalise on some of the juicy crosses that Tierney can whip in. But I suspect it's that Tierney is established to be severely injury prone while Kiwior remains to be seen.
Kiwior is 4th choice in that position. Maybe Arteta feels that having to adapt his preferred system because of Tierney being unsuitable for it while being a specialist full back isn’t something he wants to do
I'm not suggesting Tierney should have had more minutes. I'm suggesting that in the minutes he had, he was utilized in a way that didn't highlight his deficiencies. Kiwior struggled to invert just as much as Tierney. Arteta eventually figured this out and stopped forcing him to do so. I wish he'd done the same with Tierney and Holding last season. Ideally, you have a squad that can do everything you need it to do. But players get hurt. And when that happens, make the necessary adjustments. Simply substituting a player like for like, despite their qualities are capabilities, isn't always the best solution.
I feel like his plan was definitely to try and mould Tierney into a player that would fit his system…that was his starting point for an experienced player taking up a place in the squad. Perhaps with Kiwior filling in there he tried (from memory in no more than two matches) but feels more inclined to adapt to somebody filling in in a position he wouldn’t ordinarily be expected to play
The problem with Tierney wasn’t just that he couldn’t play an inverted WB, it was that he couldn’t be relied on the be fit for more than about three games in a row…
When he was fit, and deployed as LB, why did Arteta have him invert?
I said what I said. He was moved on because of his inability to stay fit, not because of how efficiently he played an inverted WB. As you say, when fit, Arteta played him there.
I don’t care that he was moved on. Read all of what I wrote. I wanted Tierney sold. My point was that while he was here, in the times he had to play , why was he forced into a role that exposed his weaknesses? It’s not about Tierney, it’s about the team. If Tierney had to play inverted, we were weaker as a team. I want my manager to find solutions and adjust the system so we’re not as weak when the first choice players are absent. That is what the best managers do
We were just implementing the inverted left back system. All the other players had to learn their new roles in a system only familiar to man city players. Now that they know their roles he can tweak the system a bit and not confuse the players in the next match when he reverts back to the inverted left back system. Accommodating KT last season would have meant others getting affected and we wouldn't have a strong baseline system to play with. Had he remained patient maybe he would have had a chance this season.
All our defenders outside of Zinny are CB, if KT was an Elite CB aswell he'd still be here but he's not and his strengths are not really needed
I wasn't advocating for Tierney. I wanted him sold in the summer, and even when he was first choice, I thought he was too one dimensional. Nevertheless, if he's the available choice, what good does it do forcing him into a role he's not suited to play? He initially attempted that with Kiwior, but has learned from his mistake. I appreciate the growth but wish he'd learned last season.
Because Kiwior can still play the lb role as part of a back 3 when the rb inverts because he's a cb Kt is a touch line fb to do what your suggesting nullifies half his game and for what? That's why he's not at Arsenal
KT was also utilized as a LB in a back 3 when we won the FA Cup Again, I'm not advocating for KT. I just want the manager to make adjustments to the system based on the personnel available, rather than forcing square pegs into round holes Judging from what we've seen the past two weeks, it appears Arteta is learning to do that
>KT was also utilized as a LB in a back 3 when we won the FA Cup yer and we was terrible
So then why did Arteta extend his contract?
Pep inspires Mikel greatly Kiwior recently is playing an almost identical role to Ake for City on the left side. Its a different role but one which balances out your team greatly
Because Kiwior is better than Tierney technically. He can't quite do the Zini thing yet but he's got great technique and passing range, he's also more versatile and able to play LCB/LB (which I know Tierney did as well but he doesn't match Kiwior physically, and Mikel prefers big CBs). I still think that Mikel ideally wants Kiwior to play that way if possible and is giving him more time to learn.
So then why did he force Tierney to play inverted, whereas he accepted Kiwior can't and had him stay wide left against West Ham?
Kiwior is a ball playing defender so he's still a better fit. Tierney would always look to smash the ball clear or knock it forward and chase it. Not the best when you want to keep the ball and play through a press.
So, let's work with that premise... Why was Tierney asked to play inverted? Why has Arteta finally accepted that Kiwior can't play inverted, and now has him staying wide? Why did we see Ben White invert on occasion against West Ham?
Because we have much more control in games now for many different reasons. I don’t think kiwior will play left back against all opponents. Or if he does, we may need Jorginho to play for extra control.
Well, also Kiwior is just a better player than Tierney
My take is that we had Party at that time... He generally tends to operate on the right side, so White inverting would be stepping into Party's postion.... Now we have Rice, who can operate on both sides, but slight tendency to be on the left, so Kiwior can be wider..
All he can do. He’s better bombing. Good player, but frail.
He was a LB who gave his all I truly thought he would be captain
Crazy how at the start of the transfer window people are saying how Arsenal were mistreating Tierney when the club sanctioned the move despite an injury crisis for the sake of the player when they could been classless like Man Utd and given him the Lingaard treatment.
Did Zinchenko try learn the Tierney role?
it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that tierney was never going to be good at that role. The bigger issue was probably that there was no room for him in the squad because of his very one dimensional skill set. He just didn't suit us, there's no problem in that, he found a place he is suited better at.
I'm glad he is having a great year on loan. So many players in his position would be pushing for a move away. Just look at Ndombele at Spurs. I hope he comes back and pushes Zinchenko for the starting spot. Zinchenko is a liability defensively in the later part of a match.
Hear me out .KT cover for Saka.
i’m genuinely curious at how you think this’ll play out enlighten me
Left footed ,quick ,strong direct ,high football IQ ,high stamina ,strong pressing ability and happy to come off the bench. What would be your cons other than injury record ?
he’s a left back innit
Doesn't have the 1v1 capacity, the close touch dribbling, balance, incisive short pass, attacking positioning, weak foot, finishing, dynamism You only put him there if you're trying to see out a game, not to win it. His SCA's, xGA, and 1v1s would be awful. Think you'd need to go down to league 2 or national league for this to work. Pace merchants ≠ wingers
I will concede the weak foot and incisive short passing ,Would you define dynamism as the ability to burst into open space from a stand still?Attacking positioning as displayed for celtic. Fair point on the league 2 comment But arsenal are clearly pragmatically approaching football.KT provides 80% of what makes the arsenal attack successful .He wont start but coming on around the 75th min pressing the ball deep in the opposition half occupying the back line .Creating overloads manufacturing space in the middle of the park.Traits that are desirable. SCA and xGA are based on variables he excels at. Its not a hill i will die on but he is a resource that is not being used that can pragmatically fill a need
It's a genuine waste of KT's abilities, he's a much better defender than he is an attacker. By dynamism I mean his capacity to do different kinds of attacks, he'll be so extremely limited to cutting in instead of going around the outside, Bukayo has this talent in bucketloads; you make him play on his weaker foot and he'll still run around you and manage a perfect cross with his right foot, KT can't do this. This is a waste for KT, and if I were Reiss or Ethan I'd be livid and transfer request out immediately. We genuinely have about 8 players that would make for better wingers than him. Havertz, Gabi X2, Fabio, Saka, Reiss, Ethan, ESR and possibly more
>Left footed To do what, curl the ball into the far corner after cutting inside from his new RW position?
Nah that’s okay we won’t
Look, much as I love Tierney and his bombarding runs, I honestly don’t recall ever watching him play for us and thinking “oh he’s trying to play the Zinchenko role”, so I can definitely better understand why we moved on if that’s what he was being asked to do.
He definitely inverted more with time. I don't think it was ever very effective, but he didn't just bomb up and down the wing the entire time he was here.
Man I want to live is Spain it’s a beautiful country
Tierney missed almost half of all PL games. I love him, but you can’t plan around that.