Arsenal: Mathieu Debuchy Can Burst Hector Bellerin’s Bubble

Arsenal is failing on all fronts thanks to the same old crew and it might be time to shake things up. Cue Mathieu Debuchy?

At this point in the season, no one new is coming in to save the day. All Arsenal has at their disposal are all the guys that have gotten them this far. If they want to shake things up, they are going to have to try something mighty creative and Arsene Wenger isn’t exactly known for that.

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But there is one option that should seriously be considered, and that option is giving Mathieu Debuchy a fair chance.

I know, this isn’t a popular thought. And from what I could glean from opinions on social media, anyone who suggested it was torn apart.

However, there was a major problem in all of the arguments I saw against this proposal. These arguments claimed that Debuchy wasn’t good enough. And I’m sorry, but that is highly incorrect.

Debuchy was never not good enough. He lost out on the starting role so quickly because he couldn’t stay healthy. That doesn’t mean he isn’t a solid, reliable right back when on the pitch.

Think back to when we first purchased him. Bacary Sagna had just slithered off and Wenger made a very intelligent move and signed the player who had just claimed the starting role for the French National team over Sagna.

We were rejoicing over it. It was absolutely perfect.

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Just because he got hurt doesn’t negate anything. Santi Cazorla has been hurt for two years now, we don’t look at him like he has suddenly become a lesser player. Quite the contrary.

I’m not saying that Debuchy is a savior, and there may be such a disconnect behind closed doors that this isn’t even possible. But Debuchy is a professional that came to Arsenal for a reason and I can’t imagine that, given the chance to reclaim his role, he wouldn’t leap at the opportunity.

The problem is the same as we have seen all over the pitch. Hector Bellerin is not effective right now but there is nothing we can do about it because no one else is there to challenge him. It’s just like a handful of other guys. A lack of serious threat keeps them lethargic and treading water. They develop this safety bubble where they know they can’t be touched. That bubble needs to be popped.

Bellerin is still 22 years old, that is incredibly young. There has to be some sort of pressure on him or he is going to turn into something we don’t like really quick. I applaud Wenger for sending Alex Iwobi down to the U23s, but that has to only be the start.

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Bellerin is losing his competitive edge and Debuchy has the talent to ignite a serious competition between the two.