Arsenal’s battle down the left continues. Nacho Monreal and Kieran Gibbs have locked horns this season, and it’s no surprise that the Spaniard has emerged the one superior, in all aspects.
Full backs are essential in the modern game and that’s no exception in the Arsenal team, where the importance of full backs are emphasised to stretch play and join the attack as our wingers tend to drift inwards and this creates space for the full backs to roam forward and make an impact offensively.
Nacho Monreal has indisputably been the better left back than Gibbs this season. It seemed as if his temporary berth at the heart of the defence has helped him to develop and appreciate the physicality and fight of the English game, improving his tenacity, speed and interceptions, which all come with a better understanding of the game. Monreal thinks like a midfielder, and the way he contributes to the team is magnificent. The link up play with Mesut Ozil in the goal against Man Utd last March in particular was impressive, as he showed great intelligence and awareness to create space and play Ozil in.
Monreal has great awareness and understanding, such that he creates overlaps and his positivity in the passes contributes greatly to the team, but the Spaniard isn’t one to neglect defensive duties and bombard forward in Andre-Santos-style. His greater positioning also allows him to do that and it’s no surprise as to why he has improved so much.
Monreal’s passes are always looking forward, and this is the main reason why Gibbs have frustrated many this season. The game against Reading on the semi-final of the FA Cup, Gibbs was guilty of playing many backwards passes and shy of driving forward with his pace to cause problems and stretch the play to accommodate the inwards-roaming Alexis Sanchez. The fact that Gibbs is so defensive, or rather the fact that he is not confident of contributing to the attack, meant that Arsenal’s attack was severely hampered, as the full backs did not contribute at all to the play, which is extremely vital to our passing game, as evident against Liverpool with Bellerin. Gibbs’ backward passes also meant that we had to restart attacks, making life easier for the Reading players to press us and remain compact. That was why they were able to keep their organised shape and frustrate us with little space to create.
This caused huge frustration among supporters, with Gibbs’ steady decline worrying, as he looked solid and confident last season. Monreal has come back stronger, more determined and with more fight in his eyes. Contributing more to attacks and defending better this season, he has ultimately proven to be the superior of the two this season, being one of Arsenal’s most improved, and certainly one of the unsung heroes in the team.
In the modern game, where the importance of full backs are greatly emphasised, the need for a complete full back able to defend and attack is imperative, Monreal’s qualities have outshone Gibbs’, and the Englishman’s recent performance have denoted his resignation from the boxing match.
Follow me on twitter @tikitekkers
