Arsenal: What the hell is going on with Nacho Monreal?

Arsenal’s defense has been a major sore spot that should be getting fixed soon, but in the mean time, what the hell is going on with Nacho Monreal?

In case you’ve been living under a rock in the bottom of a well in the middle of a desert on a planet in a galaxy far far away, Arsenal’s defense has not been something to brag about. And people have been losing their minds about how it’s the same old, same old.

Which, up until the loss to Stoke, was easy to disprove.

Even now, it’s pretty easy to write off as a matter of missing personnel. With Laurent Koscielny just now clearing his suspension, Shkodran Mustafi just now returning from a long summer, Gabriel Paulista sold away and Per Mertesacker recovering from injury (recovered, I should say), there has been little to choose from.

But even with all but Koscielny (and obviously Gabriel) to choose from against Stoke, Arsene Wenger went ahead and started Nacho Monreal at the center of the defense. The exact same thing he chose to do in the catastrophic defensive meltdown against Leicester City.

So many people out there are saying something along the lines of “if you keep doing the same thing, you will not change” and for the most part, I think they are wrong, because this transfer window should have shored up the few problems on paper that the Gunner have.

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However, this “doing the same thing and not changing” absolutely applies to Nacho Monreal. Who is absolutely not equipped to play the center-most defensive line position (yet it is the only position he has played). He is the smallest guy on the back line, he is a natural left back who has spent over a decade playing that one position.

And, to make it even more befuddling, Per Mertesacker was on the bench – the prototype for that position – and Mustafi was on the right hand side when he has shown tremendous potential at that central defender position in his limited opportunities there. Plus, he is by nature a centerback. As is Mertesacker.

As is Calum Chambers, for that matter.

But now, we are using Monreal for the role when it is completely counter-intuitive to this defensive set up. When so many better options are available, and with Monreal clearly better suited to playing the left-sided centerback position (move Sead Kolasinac to the left wingback slot, damnit), this makes no sense.

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It just looks like another example of Wenger trying to play all of his favorite players wherever he can fit them rather than making a hard decision, playing his best players at their best positions, and putting someone on the bench that just doesn’t fit.

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