Arsenal’s defensive woes have continued where they left off at the end of last season.
With a nervy start to the campaign, there is a clear imbalance to the full-back positions at the club, with the team being overloaded with a lack of quality.
Mikel Arteta reiterated his desire to still sell players in this transfer window before the 2-0 defeat to Chelsea, saying: “There’s still [a few] days to go and we’ll still have things to do.”
Considering the Gunners' crisis in the wide defensive positions, it would be a wise move to follow the model of Liverpool’s full-back dealings.
In the last five seasons, Jurgen Klopp has prided his team's attack starting from the full-back positions.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson have arguably been the most crucial players in a team that has won the Premier League and the Champions League in the last three years under Klopp.
Since Alexander-Arnold became a starting right-back for the Reds in 2017, he has contributed to 34 assists and eight goals in the league, whilst Robertson has played his hand in 37 assists and five goals in the league during his time at Liverpool - astronomical numbers for players in full-back positions.
Arsenal have their own version of Robertson in left-back Kieran Tierney, a player with similar traits who likes to bomb forward.
It could be argued that Tierney is even more prolific going forward. In an injury-ridden couple of seasons, the 24-year-old has managed two goals and four assists in a team that has been lacking goals.
The Scotsman had 4.7 xA (expected assists) last season and his xA tally is the second-highest in the North London club's squad, which is a huge feat considering he is a left-back.
Arteta realises how crucial of a player Tierney is. After the defender’s contract renewal, the Spaniard said: "Since his move from Celtic, his work ethic and quality has ensured that he is already one of most exciting players in the Premier League and a hugely important part of our team, both on and off the pitch.”
However, whilst Tierney certainly goes a long way in helping Arsenal formulate the Liverpool full-back model, it is a different story for the right-back position where Arsenal are seriously lacking.
After the signing of Tierney in 2019, Arsenal fans believed there was a perfect partnership between him and Hector Bellerin at right-back, especially considering the two had grown closer after both spending time in the treatment room during the left-back’s early days at the club.
Having said that, the fortunes would be the complete opposite as Bellerin has struggled to find his best form after recovering from an ACL injury suffered against Chelsea in 2019.
He has since then announced his desire to leave the club.
Since 2019, Arsenal have tried many options to emulate what Tierney offers on the left side. Players such as Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Calum Chambers have both featured in that position without sustained success.
The Gunners also announced the signing of Cedric Soares from Southampton on deadline day in January 2020. However, this is another right-back option who lacks the quality to improve Arsenal offensively or defensively.
Such poor decisions have left Arsenal with four right-backs currently at the club who are not at the required level to compete for the best silverware.
With the current crop of full-backs, the Gunners will have to opt with Maitland-Niles for his sheer pace and energy to get beyond the winger, something which Chambers struggles to do.
If the club are able to sell Bellerin, then there have been links to Kieran Trippier who has the exceptional attacking ability and would work a treat with Tierney on the opposite side.
There have also been links to Barcelona's Emerson who is a promising young Brazilian talent, but it would take him some time to adapt to the pace and ferocity of the Premier League.
Liverpool have suitable backup options in Neco Williams and Kostas Tsimikas, who is performing excellently whilst replacing the injured Robertson at the start of this season.
The Gunners simply have too many options in the right-back position which disrupts the morale and consistency of the team.
To reach the efficiency of Liverpool’s full-backs, Arsenal have a long way to go in searching for the suitable right-back, but they are certainly halfway there as the left-side is very promising with Tierney and new signing Nuno Tavares as the back-up option.
