---
title: "Wenger: ‘Chambers to play central’"
canonical: "https://readarsenal.com/2015/05/11/wenger-chambers-to-play-central/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Adam Hamdani"
section: "Arsenal News"
published: "2015-05-11T10:56:43Z"
modified: "2015-05-11T10:56:43Z"
---

# Wenger: ‘Chambers to play central’

With vast amounts of competition for the right back position, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has already reduced the competition by one, stating that former Southampton man Calum Chambers will play centrally due to his stature and natural gravitation towards the middle of the field.

“First, his stature \[suits that position\],” he said. “The fact he is intelligent and reads the game well, the fact that he’s more at ease in the middle.

“On the flank, today you need more pace, more change of direction, more agility. He has the stamina, the power and the quality to be a central midfielder or a central defender.”

Despite featuring on 28 occasions this season in all competitions, the central defensive role is new to Chambers and with the Premier League in ‘crunch season’, he is behind the likes of Laurent Koscielny, Gabriel Paulista and Per Mertesacker, but the boss puts that down to levels of experience.

“He’s pretty much there. At the moment I have players who have more experience than he has \[at centre back\], but in pre-season I will play him there.”

With a lack of pace, Chambers struggled to deal with the skilful, troubling and very pacey Jefferson Montero when Arsenal last face Swansea, but in similar fashion to Bellerin’s UEFA Champions League struggles against Borussia Dortmund, Wenger believes it is nothing but a learning process for the 20 year-old.

“He has had some difficult games, but that’s part of gaining experience and the learning process,” the manager said.

“It did teach him, he’s an intelligent boy, he thinks about his game after – how he could have blocked him \[Montero\] better, how he could have stopped the crosses and to read the game of your opponent is an important part for a defender.”