Mikel Arteta admits that he has made life at Arsenal ‘difficult’ for Jakub Kiwior but he is pleased with how the defender has responded as his game gets ‘better and better’.
The Gunners signed Kiwior from Spezia in January 2023 to strengthen Arteta’s backline. But it took the 24-year-old time to establish his importance with the centre-back only recording his Arsenal debut in March. He did not start a single Premier League match until May, either.
A route into the starting XI at Emirates Stadium further only fell at Kiwior’s feet after William Saliba sustained a season-ending back injury. The 22-year-old’s return this season dropped Kiwior back to Arteta’s bench. Instead, his significance has come as a makeshift left-back.
Injuries have forced Arsenal to rely on Jakub Kiwior at left-back
Arteta has awarded Kiwior all but one of his seven starts through 14 Premier League outings this season at left-back. The Poland international has also started each of the Gunners’ last three matches in the role since replacing Oleksandr Zinchenko at half-time against Liverpool.
Zinchenko’s problems with injuries, plus the further absences of Jurrien Timber and Takehiro Tomiyasu, have forced Arteta to rely on Kiwior to play outside his natural position. But it has not always paid off, with Fulham running the Tychy native ragged to win on New Year’s Eve.
Jakub Kiwior is delighting Mikel Arteta with his left-back displays
Kiwior has delighted Arteta with his more recent efforts, though, having risen to the Arsenal coach’s challenge of playing at left-back. The Spaniard says he made Kiwior’s life ‘difficult’ by asking him to play out of position, having also not offered him many minutes previously.
Arteta explained, via quotes by football.london: “We have made it difficult for him for two reasons. One, because he hasn’t played that many minutes. And the second one, because we asked him to play in a position that he’s never played in before.
“So, it’s like putting William Saliba as a full-back and saying, ‘There we go tomorrow, go and perform and do what we have to do!’ And I think he’s adapted really well.
“I think he’s playing better and better. You can tell that he’s earning the confidence and physically, he’s better. He understands the role much better and he’s been really good.”
Jakub Kiwior is now impacting Arsenal’s matches at either end
Arteta, albeit through a lack of alternatives, continuing to rely on Kiwior has started to yield results more recently. The 19-cap defender came off the bench against Liverpool to pen his maiden Premier League assist. He gave Leandro Trossard the ball to secure a crucial 3-1 win.
Kiwior also added another assist as Kai Havertz rounded off Arsenal’s 5-0 win at Burnley. He even got on the scoresheet for the first time since the final day of last term as the Gunners beat Newcastle United 4-1. Kiwior headed home Declan Rice’s corner to go into a 4-0 lead.
Arsenal academy graduate Joe Willock scoring Newcastle’s consolation effort was even the first goal the Gunners conceded in the Premier League since Kiwior came off the bench for Zinchenko against Liverpool. Arsenal had gone more than 300 minutes without conceding.
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