Arsenal: Calum Chambers professionalism worthy of recognition

Arsenal’s loss to Manchester City was shocking, but there were actually some positives to pluck from it, and Calum Chambers was one. Don’t forget it.

I’m trying this thing where I jump onto the positives after the match rather than moan and groan with the negatives. The problem was, this is my second post-match article and I’ll officially be out of positives after this article because, let’s face it, Arsenal didn’t give us much to be happy about.

In case you missed my Granit Xhaka praise rant, that was the first positive, and my ensuing Calum Chambers praise rant will be the second.

This was a defensive horror show for Arsenal, and Chambers made a mistake too. He didn’t stick to David Silva’s hip like very few defenders in the world of football can actually do. He did force SIlva to take a shot from a tough angle and it ended up going in for the third goal.

Bummer.

But on either side of that goal, Chambers was the only defender who did a damn thing about the constant attack. He led the team in every defensive category, winning the ball back eight times and clearing it six times. No one else was even close to that. His two centerback mates combined for three ball-winning plays and six clearances.

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People were harsh on Chambers after his performance against Ostersunds FK, taking a small sample size to judge his entire career, as fickle fans are prone to do. It was such a pleasant surprise to see Arsene Wenger hand him a chance to make amends.

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I know it’s not about individual performances when you’re battered 3-0, but Chambers made amends and then some. He stoned Sane twice in one-on-one situations, something Hector Bellerin didn’t do a single time. Bellerin was sent wherever Sane wanted him to go, but Chambers stayed rooted.

He was positionally brilliant all match, always ready to cover for Bellerin when he was inevitably slipped, but also ready to slide into the center and help out. In one such occasion, he found himself facing down Sergio Aguero one-on-one and he stoned the Argentine just the same as he did Sane.

Professionals learn from their mistakes. They take a poor performance and they grow from it. Chambers clearly did that against City, stepping up from a mistake-ridden match and asserting himself against one of the best teams in the world.

Next: 5 Things Learned Against Manchester City

For what it’s worth, that deserves some recognition. Well done, young man.

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