Arsenal Vs Red Star Belgrade: Mohamed Elneny’s utility comes to the fore

Mohamed Elneny is a limited player. He works hard, he is diligent in his duties, and he is committed to the success of the team. But he is a limited player. Against Red Star Belgrade on Thursday, however, his utility is coming to the fore.

In life, some people are better at some things than other people. Talent, like it or not, is not equally shared. God did not use a weighing scales. And, as a result, there are certain people who excel at certain roles, and others who excel at other roles. It is portrayed most clearly in a football team.

Related Story: Arsenal Vs Red Star Belgrade: 3 key Gunners to watch

Take the Arsenal team, for example. Mesut Ozil could not play centre-half. Per Mertesacker would not succeed as a winger. Alexandre Lacazette may not be best served as a full-back. There are certain skills and abilities that tailor themselves to each position and role. The same can be said for the difference between reserve and starting players.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 observations from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park

Starting players usually boast a cutting-edge quality that others cannot match. It may be one particular skill: An especially subtle first touch; a clear and accurate reading of the game; a vicious striking of the ball; a wide range of passing. Or it may, simply, be a greater talent to be able to create individual moments of brilliance. Reserve players, on the other hand, while still extremely valuable over the course of a long and arduous season, must make up for their lack of quality in other ways. They are more industrious. They are smarter and more intelligent. They are versatile, able to fill in at several different positions.

Although these players may not have been blessed with the same talent as others, that does not make them useless. Simply, their utility comes in other ways. In the Arsenal squad, there is not a player that this delineates more than Mohamed Elneny.

The Egyptian midfielder is inherently limited. He is safe and solid in everything that he does. His passing is accurate, but not spectacular. His touch is adequate, but lacks the skill and smoothness to caress the ball in tight final thirds. He works hard defensively, but sometimes fails to sense danger before it develops.

But while he may be restricted, he is the perfect squad player. He is versatile, able to play all across the midfield, and even played at centre-half during the preseason, he has a great appetite to work hard for the team, and he understands his limitations, diligently and dutifully undertaking what Arsene Wenger asks of him. No more; no less.

And against Red Star Belgrade on Thursday night, his utility as a squad player is coming to the fore. There are reports that Wenger may shift Elneny into the back three as injuries have struck Calum Chambers, Shkodran Mustafi, and Laurent Koscielny. But even if he played in his more natural position in central midfield, his calming, experienced influence would still be invaluable on a young, exuberant side.

Next: Arsenal Vs Red Star Belgrade: Predicted starting XI

Elneny was criticised for his performance against Watford on Saturday. And rightly so. But that is not the type of game that he is in the squad for. The trip to Belgrade is why he is in the squad, and he is absolutely perfect for it.