Arsenal Vs Bournemouth: Sead Kolasinac proves Arsene Wenger stupid

Sead Kolasinac was played out of position against Leicester City and Stoke. He was dropped for Liverpool’s battering of Arsenal. He then started at left wing-back against Bournemouth and proved Arsene Wenger stupid with a powerfully efficient display.

Sead Kolasinac was excellent for Arsenal on Saturday. Playing in his more natural left wing-back role, Kolasinac was at his marauding, surging best in a wonderfully powerful and effective display, integral to the Gunners’ success as the dispatched Bournemouth to the tune of three well-worked goals.

It was Kolasinac who was the provider for the first goal, driving to the byline after being smartly released down the flank by Aaron Ramsey, before clipping an accurate cross that Danny Welbeck diverted goalwards with a slightly awkward header, and he continued to be the primary outlet in wide areas, linking up well with Ramsey and Welbeck especially potently.

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More than his attacking exploits, though, Kolasinac was also sound defensively. Given his prior experience as a more traditional left-back and centre-half, he has the positional understanding and awareness to work well as a part of a cohesive and connected unit. He and Nacho Monreal are both extremely intelligent players in their defending, reading the game well, making interceptions and committing to tackles only when necessary.

Kolasinac’s athletic gifts — his physical power, his stature, his strength and his deceptive speed — culminate in a player that can dominate a flank. He has excellent stamina as he bombs up and down, and can achieve success by simply overawing his opposite number.

And yet, despite a promising start to the season, most particularly against Leicester City on the opening night of the year, Arsene Wenger, maddeningly, decided to drop Kolasinac for the vital trip to Anfield just before the international break such that he could crowbar Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Hector Bellerin into the team, with the latter switching to the far less comfortable left side.

That was a huge mistake. Arsenal lacked balance and shape against Liverpool, with their midfield exploited by the vibrant Merseysiders, and were exploited in wide areas by the pace of Mohamed Salah and Saido Mane, with the centre-halves dragged into spaces they did not want to go with the wing-backs too high up the pitch.

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Now, simply introducing Kolasinac does not solve that issue singlehandedly. There were far more issues that contributed to the battering. But against Bournemouth, Kolasinac proved that he would have most certainly helped, even though Wenger clearly thought otherwise. Let’s hope, now that Chamberlain has departed, the same mistake will not be made again.

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