Unai Emery will be delighted with the return of Rob Holding, Kieran Tierney and Hector Bellerin as Arsenal racked up an easy 5-0 win against Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday. The trio of players were in action for the first time this season and they all impressed on their return, with Rob Holding getting his name on the score-sheet and Hector Bellerin grabbing an assist few minutes after coming on as a substitute. But what could all this mean for Ainsley Maitland-Niles?
The 22-year-old has deputised at right-back this season as Hector Bellerin was on the sidelines recovering from knee surgery after suffering a cruciate ligament injury in January. The return of the Spaniard now leaves Emery with a potential dilemma or rather a tough decision to make – Arsenal are about to start a crucial run of matches and their loyal Norweigan followers will be hoping to see progress made towards getting back into the top four. To get the best Norweigan prices on Arsenal qualifying for the Champions League next season, head over to the online casino where you will find them at around 6/1.
Maitland-Niles is easily one of the lovable guys in the Arsenal squad. Calm, reserved, always giving his best and has been a loyal servant so far. One thing we have come to realize though is that the 22-year-old has been played out of position for so long and his comments of late will be leaving Emery and co with proper food for thought.
Maitland-Niles has already provided two assists from the right flank this term (via Whoscored) but has been widely criticised by fans for his defending.
In his defence, he has now openly said he’s a natural midfielder, despite starting all of Arsenal’s games at right-back this season. It’s worth noting that this won’t be the first time the England-born has made such comments.
Speaking to Sky Sports some days ago, the 22-year-old was quoted as saying:
“If I was a defender as a kid, and my defending was poor, I would understand where the criticism is coming from, but I’m trying my best for the team.”
When asked about Bellerin’s return to action, the England U21 international told Sky Sports:
“Only time will tell and of course I want to play as many games as I can.
“I want to stay in the team, but if the manager chooses to pick him over me, that’s something I will have to live with. I’ll just have to keep training and working hard so that I get picked instead.
“I’m a midfielder by trade, either central or on the wing, it’s all the same to me. I’m not a defender so I do get a lot of stick about my defending being poor, but it’s something I’m learning and have been learning for a couple of years now.
Verdict
The return of Hector Bellerin suddenly screams less game time for Maitland-Niles and the 22-year-old has admitted it himself. However, considering Bellerin might not be in 100% fitness yet, as quoted by Emery after his side’s Carabao Cup win, it’s safe to say Maitland-Niles would still get one or two more matches on the right flank.
His importance to the Arsenal team has been greatly underrated as he has been a decent backup so far and his attitude has been positive. If Arsenal had more versatile players, they would be shorter odds within the casinos to qualify for the Champions League next season. Although you can get some great deals in the Norwegian casinos, the British online casinos are more sceptical about Arsenal’s chances.
The only way Emery can repay his faith now is to give him a few runs in his favoured centre midfield role or risk having a sulking and angry player on the bench. It brings back similar memories of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain during his time at the club. The England midfielder was played on the right flank and even as right-wing back on couple occasions, despite stating that he was a natural midfielder. In the end he didn’t get enough game time and ultimately left to Liverpool.
You have to sympathize with Maitland-Niles because the Arsenal midfield spots are crowded now more than ever as even the likes of Ozil and Torreira are battling for starting berths as well. That speaks volumes. So of course, Emery will not want to take the expensive decision of putting Maitland-Niles in such a position when experienced players with a track record in those positions are on the bench.
But Arsenal have the Europa League as well as the Carabao Cup which they played on Tuesday. The idea is that the Gunners will naturally have more favourable opponents compared to the Premier League and Emery can give Maitland-Niles one or two games in midfield to show his worth. Whether Emery will ever consider this remains to be seen.
The same goes for Kieran Tierney who was widely chased by Arsenal over the summer. He is expected to easily replace Sead Kolasinac on the left flank but another tough decision for Emery is that of Rob Holding.
David Luiz and Sokratis at the back have looked as shaky as the wind and the return of Holding will surely tempt Emery to go for a younger, more stable defender in the heart of defence. Arsenal have excelled upfront so far and anything as much as a slightly better defensive solidity could be a massive turnaround for Arsenal’s fortunes.
Emery has a lot to do in terms of picking his best team but in plain terms, Ainsley Maitland-Niles deserves to get his chance in midfield.
