Arsenal: Calum Chambers getting lost in the Mavropanos praise

Arsenal’s defense stood up against the first-choice Manchester United squad, but one man is getting all the credit, and it’s not Calum Chambers.

I’ve been saying it all year. Calum Chambers is ready to be a regular with Arsenal. He has gradually moved up to the pecking order, and yet some people still question if he has the quality to be a Premier League defender week in and week out.

Starting him next to Konstantinos Mavropanos in the Greek’s debut was a bold move against the likes of Manchester United’s first choice squad. Yet Mavropanos did quite well, showcasing superb strength, particularly in dealing with Romelu Lukaku, and came away with massive praise for his efforts.

But what about Chambers? He was right there next to him, doing his part, and as we have come to know so well, defending is all about the pair. It isn’t a solo game.

Chambers was a positive force on the back line all day as well. He totaled nine clearances compared to ten by the rest of his defenders combined. We speak often of his no-nonsense habits, and how he has learned to stop dawdling over the ball and, when in doubt, kick it out.

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That is being put into practice, and we see it more and more each time he takes the pitch.

He led the team in aerial duels as well. Better yet, he led the entire pitch. No one was better in the air, or more efficient, than the often-overlooked young Englishman.

He was likewise tied for the team lead in ball-winning plays.

The only thing that was lacking was his distribution, but we’ve seen such positive distribution from him in the past that I’m not worried about one blip.

And these are just the statistical things. Chambers has to be praised for being the foundation of a new partnership of young defending potential. He had the more experience between the two and, as such, he has to be seen as the leader of the two . Not least of all because he has proven such capacities in prior appearances.

Yet I still read opinions about Chambers needing to be sold, or being tossed aside for Mavropanos. Chambers, for two seasons now, has proven that he is a Premier League quality defender. And before that, it was a matter of him being used as a rightback, when he should have been nowhere near that position.

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Play him at centerback and he performs. There is no reason to overthink this. He is good enough, he’s proven he’s good enough. Don’t fool yourself into thinking otherwise.

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