Arsecast host Andrew Mangan has now named one Arsenal player who he feels is unlikely to keep his place in the starting XI for the rest of the season.
Jakub Kiwior has enjoyed a run in the Arsenal team in recent weeks.
The injuries sustained by Oleksandr Zinchenko and Takehiro Tomiyasu, on top of the long-term absence of Jurrien Timber, have opened the door for Kiwior to lay down a marker at the Emirates Stadium.
The Polish defender has started the Gunners’ last three Premier League matches. In the past, when the 24-year-old has been asked to fill-in at left-back, he has struggled to replicate Zinchenko’s tactical function as an inverted full-back. Kiwior is a centre-back by trade, and was clearly uncomfortable when being asked to drift into the midfield zone.
In the last few matches, Mikel Arteta has addressed this concern. Right-back Ben White has now taken on the responsibility of bolstering the midfield contingent, and to great effect. This has allowed Kiwior to perform his own left-back role in a far more orthodox manner, which has brought the best out of him.
Kiwior has impressed to such an extent that there is now a debate as to whether Zinchenko should be immediately reinstated into the starting XI once he is back to full fitness. The Ukrainian can certainly perform the aforementioned inverted role, but he is not as strong defensively as Kiwior, and has been labelled something of a liability at the back in the past. Zinchenko may well be fit to feature against Sheffield United on Monday, and it will be fascinating to see if Arteta takes the opportunity to reshuffle his defensive pack if that is the case.
Mikel Arteta faces Jakub Kiwior v Oleksandr Zinchenko selection dilemma
However, Arsecast Extra podcast host Andrew Mangan is less convinced that any one player will hold down the left-back berth on a full-time basis between now and the end of the season, despite both Kiwior’s impressive form and Zinchenko’s impending return.
He said, “it is working…certainly, this is a team that is playing with a lot of confidence…Zinchenko is going to play games between now and the end of the season. Tomiyasu, I hope, is going to play games between now and the season. Kiwior will play games and play minutes…maybe, the selection decision at left-back is tied into other things.”
There are certain opposition teams that Zinchenko is better suited to playing against than others. The same can be said of Kiwior. If both are fit and available, Arteta will have the freedom to select his starting left-back on a game-by-game basis. In instances where Arsenal are expecting to dominate territory and possession, the Ukrainian has more to offer. If an opposition winger has been singled out as a danger man, then Kiwior may be better equipped to deal with that threat.
On the subject of the former Spezia man’s recent showings, Mangan continued, “I really like what he’s [Kiwior] done, I’m delighted that he is has settled in really well, and looks very much an Arsenal player right now, but let’s just enjoy it for what it is.”
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