Arsenal: Sead Kolasinac being offensively good is bad

Sead Kolasinac is one of Arsenal’s best offensive weapons at present. But the fact that he is so dangerous in the final third is actually a bad thing for the team.

Sead Kolasinac cannot defend. I had my suspicions early on. When watching him off the ball, I saw some positional movements and decisions that a smart, aware defender would not make. They had me worried. Later, those flaws became more prominent and this season they have been confirmed and widely accepted by Arsenal fans, pundits and even, judging by his team selections, Unai Emery alike.

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But for all of his defensive vulnerabilities, the Bosnian does provide a unique attacking threat as he bulldozes his way to the byline on the left flank that few others in the squad can replicate.

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In fact, since the turn of the year, his 18 chances created is eight more than any other Arsenal player, Alex Iwobi being the next closest. Kolasinac alone created more than half of the chances the Gunners had versus BATE Borisov on Thursday night, with his staple one-two and burst to the byline with a cutback, chipped or low, driven cross into the box becoming the favourite move of the team.

All season, only Mesut Ozil has created more chances per 90 minutes, and his four assists in the Premier League are bettered by only four other defenders, one of which, incidentally, is Hector Bellerin. For chances created per 90 minutes, only Lucas Digne has a higher rate of defenders in the Premier League. Kolasinac is legitimately one of the best attacking defenders in the Premier League and one of the best attackers period in the Arsenal squad.

But while thay may seem like a good thing, to possess a full-back of such destructive quality in the final third, it is actually a slight on the attacking options that Emery has available to him. Other defenders who rank high for attacking creativity and production are players like Benjamin Mendy, Andrew Robertson and Lucas Digne.

These players, though, are not the best attacking options in their respective teams. Mohamed Salah, Leroy Sane, Richarlison, just to name a few, are all the leading attackers. The full-back, while still offering a wide threat with overlapping runs and dangerous crosses into the box, is a secondary option.

For Kolasinac and Arsenal, however, that is not the case. As proven versus Borisov, the Gunners almost exclusively look for him with every attack. His and Iwobi’s combination play has seemingly been the only source of creativity for months. And on the opposite flank, the same could be said for Bellerin or Ainsley Maitland-Niles. Nacho Monreal, Bellerin and Kolasinac all have more assists than Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Mesut Ozil in Premier League and Europa League competition combined.

Kolasinac is an excellent offensive weapon. And it is his production and threat in the final third that will likely see him stay in north London next season, potentially even as a starting option. But it is also a sign of the depleted creative and attacking options that Arsenal can currently call upon.