Jurrien Timber admitted that it was unusual to be asked to play as a central defender, but he was more than happy to fill in for Arsenal.
Timber was moved to centre-back in Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa, in a bid to cover for the Gunners’ defensive injury crisis.
Mikel Arteta is currently without three of his main centre-backs, with Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba and Cristhian Mosquera all sidelined.
It was a baptism of fire for the Dutch international, who was asked to play in an unfamiliar role for Arsenal, alongside Piero Hincapie.
Jurrien Timber on playing centre-back against Aston Villa
Jurrien Timber has admitted that it felt very different playing at centre-back for Arsenal in such a tough game against Aston Villa.
Timber struggled at centre-back, with the likes of Ollie Watkins causing him problems in the Midlands.
When asked about playing in a new role for Arsenal, Timber told Hayters TV: “It’s a different position and different things are being asked, but you try to stay connected with your teammates.
“We missed some players, but still, we could have done better. We could have won this game.”
How would you sum up Jurrien Timber’s performance at centre-back vs Aston Villa?
The 24-year-old actually plays centre-back for the Dutch national team, but right now, he is being asked to form a makeshift back line by Arteta.
The issue facing Timber and Hincapie is limited time in training to build a connection, with most sessions now centred around recovery.
Arsenal’s hectic winter schedule means that games are now taking place every three to four days; therefore, the former Ajax star has little time to practice playing there.
Fortunately, Saliba should be available soon, allowing Timber to return to right-back and Hincapie to be partnered by a more experienced option.
Mikel Arteta cannot afford to make William Saliba mistake
One thing Arteta cannot afford to do is to rush Saliba back into the team and potentially risk a recurrence of his injury.
The last week has highlighted how important both Saliba and Gabriel are to Arsenal’s title charge, and losing both of them long-term would be a complete nightmare.
Arsenal have already had six different centre-back pairings this season…
We're only 22 games into the season, as well…
If you were Arteta, would rush Saliba back from injury or stick with Timber and Hincapie? Let us know your centre back pairing to face Brugge and Wolves… 🤔
The North London club have already been forced into fielding six different centre-back partnerships this season, and that was evident versus Villa.
Saliba is needed back soon, but rushing him back for Club Brugge and Wolves is a mistake Arteta must look to avoid making.
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