Rafael van der Vaart suggests Mikel Arteta isn’t using one of his Arsenal players in the right position

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Former Tottenham player Rafael van der Vaart has been speaking about Jurrien Timber.

Timber is one of several Arsenal players on international duty in November, representing the Netherlands in their push towards the World Cup.

The October break was a time to remember for the Dutchman, as Timber became a starter for his country at long last, but not in a role many at the Emirates would expect. 

Ronald Koeman has found joy when partnering the Arsenal star with Virgil van Dijk in central defence, moving him away from his duty at right-back at club level.

• READ MORE: Ignore Timber and Calafiori, Mikel Arteta has just told us who Arsenal’s most underrated player is

Rafael van der Vaart thinks Jurrien Timber is better at centre-back

Van Dijk enjoys partnering Timber at centre-back for the Dutch national team, and Rafael van der Vaart thinks the 24-year-old’s role in Koeman’s squad should stay the same.

Such might surprise Arsenal fans, as Timber is one of the best fullbacks in the world, but in Van Der Vaart’s eyes, the Dutchman is best suited centrally.

“In the Dutch defence, Jurrien Timber, who has impressed again at Arsenal this season, could easily slot alongside Van Dijk,” Van Der Vaart wrote in his column for De Telegraaf. 

He added, “he plays right-back at Arsenal, but I prefer him in centre-back.” 

Van Der Vaart is a fan of Timber, but considers the Arsenal star as a central defender, which is not how he’s utilised by Mikel Arteta at the Emirates.

In the Premier League, the 2023 signing is, without a doubt, the Gunners’ best right-back, but to others, he’s still regarded as a centre-back, the position he played at Ajax.

Why Mikel Arteta won’t listen to Van Der Vaart

Arteta changed Timber’s position as soon as he joined Arsenal, and it’s fair to say the boss hasn’t looked back since.

Van Der Vaart and Koeman may see Timber as a central defender, but that won’t make the Arsenal manager think twice about how he deploys his star fullback.

As the numbers above show, Timber is one of the best-performing fullbacks in Europe’s top five leagues.

By being able to get forward in the role Arteta demands of him, the Dutchman is able to showcase his array of skills, including creating in the final third, tackling in advanced positions and playing progressively.

Added to that is the fact that all parties can agree with, Timber is a top defender, maintaining one of the lowest per 90 averages of challenges lost.

Given that Van Der Vaart thinks Timber is best at centre-back, it’s all the more impressive that he’s such a high performer on the right flank.