When Arsene Wenger dropped summer signing Sead Kolasinac following an impressive start to his Arsenal career in favour of academy product Ainsley Maitland-Niles, the decision certainly raised some eyebrows.
We’ve seen this kind of thing before from the Gunners gaffer – unexpectedly axing a senior player enjoying good form to make room for a younger alternative – with incredibly mixed results.
Manchester United legend Gary Neville was one of the first to raise concerns after Maitland-Niles, a midfielder first and foremost, struggled at left-back in a 3-3 draw with Liverpool a fortnight ago. As quoted by The Express, he said during the clash at the Emirates Stadium…
“Maitland-Niles, I always say that when the ball’s on your side it’s fine, but when you have to start searching for people you get drawn into a position you should never be. You can talk about not being targeted, but he has been targeted at that back post.
“It’s been a real problem for him and there’s been big, big chances for Liverpool. Again, look at the back post, ball-watching, not knowing the position. It’s tough on the kid, I’m not sure why you would put him in this game. When I look at that first half, he has struggled for me.”
But there are few greater endorsements for a young and promising 20-year-old in the Premier League than making such a reputed pundit completely change his tune after just two more starts and 13 days, which is exactly what Maitland-Niles did last night as Arsenal duked out a thrilling 2-2 draw with Chelsea.
While the Gunners struggled defensively and although Maitland-Niles wasn’t directly involved in either of his side’s goals, it was an incredibly composed and promising performance from the England U21.
Indeed, the youngster actually finished up with the most successful dribbles – most notably a darting run inside the box that almost drew a penalty – and the most tackles to his name of any Arsenal player -including a clean challenge to nick the ball from Eden Hazard, something even the best defenders in the world struggle with.
On top of that, Maitland-Niles whipped three crosses into the box, created one chance, completed 88% of his passes and had the most touches of any Arsenal player not playing in midfield.
Accordingly, Neville’s assessment of the versatile 5 foot 10 hotshot was markedly different last night, even describing him as ‘absolutely fantastic’.
“He looks absolutely fantastic. It’s so early in his Arsenal career and to play in huge matches out of position… to show that quality and confidence – it’s great to see.”
Clearly Neville thinks Maitland-Niles has a great future and early performances back up that evaluation. But lacking vital experience and playing out of position, should he be Arsenal’s first-choice left-back at this moment in time?
