Arsenal Vs Southampton: Patience and practice key for Reiss Nelson

Reiss Nelson made his Premier League debut on Sunday afternoon against Southampton. Unfortunately, it did not quite go to plan. For the young attacker, patience and practice are key.

Arsene Wenger is clearly angling his resources towards the Europa League. That much is undoubtedly clear. Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Alexandre Lacazette, Nacho Monreal and Laurent Koscielny all didn’t start at the weekend with Arsenal’s trip to CSKA Moscow on the horizon. Wenger’s priorities are clear as day.

Catch the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal podcast right here

And that leads to opportunities. Alex Iwobi started in the much-coveted number 10 position. Danny Welbeck heavily featured, as did Calum Chambers, Mohamed Elneny and Sead Kolasinac, all of whom would not usually be considered as 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

No player was afforded a bigger chance, though, than Reiss Nelson. Prior to Sunday, Nelson had only played 18 minutes of Premier League football in one substitute appearance and had seen most of his playing time come in lesser competitions at right wing-back, a position far from his most natural. Not this time. The 18-year-old made his first senior league start of his career, played 64 minutes in total, all at right wing. The stage was set.

And Nelson was delighted with the chance, something that he has been baying for for some time:

"“I’m just delighted, I’m really happy – all the hard work is paying off so I’m really happy and excited to push on even further.”"

Unfortunately, however, this was not a performance that went to plan. He lacked the drive and directness of his youthful displays. He wandered positionally at times, forced the play at others, and failed to have the impact that he would have been dreaming of when the team sheet was announced.

That said, he has still only played 82 minutes of Premier League football. This was only his seventh senior start for the club in all competitions. While his talent is extraordinary and expectations are sky-high, an element of realism and patience is required.

For that, Nelson requires practice. He cannot be given spot-starts here and there. He now needs a run of games in the starting XI to further acclimatise to being a regular, senior player. He needs to get used to away trips at the challenging stadiums in England. He needs to settle in at the Emirates. He needs to better understand the greater pace and physicality of the senior game in comparison to his extensive youth experience.

Next: Arsenal Vs Southampton: 5 things we learned

Thankfully, he has two very clear things going for him: Wenger is a patient manager; Nelson is a confident player. That means that chances will continue to come and that Nelson will not slump if they are again missed. Development takes time and this was the first step of many. There is a long way to go.