Arsenal: Nacho Monreal return shouldn’t change anything

Nacho Monreal looks set to return for Arsenal against Chelsea, but is he really their best option at left back? Methinks not.

Arsenal‘s leftback situation became a bit of a late stress factor as the preseason wound down to a close. Sead Kolasinac went down for eight-to-ten weeks and Nacho Monreal was lacking in match fitness as well.

This stress magnified when, in the first match, young phenom Ainsley Maitland-Niles went down with an injury. He has been a solid fill-in at fullback and was one of the better performers against Manchester City before he was unable to continue due to what has since been revealed as a leg fracture.

Meaning that it’s Monreal’s position to lose, now that he is healthy, right?

Wrong.

Stephan Lichtsteiner was the emergency leftback in the wake of Maitland-Niles’ injury and overall, he was an absolute stalwart. So much so that I still believe what I said earlier in the week – start him no matter what. Find a way to get him into the starting XI, because that is exactly where he belongs.

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Lichtsteiner’s primary purpose was seen as a sort of bullheaded leader, capable of whipping an often soft Arsenal core into shape so that they could be like Lichtsteiner is – no nonsense and, well, mean. Many questioned his age, and his viability on the pitch, but the leadership factor alone made him an astute signing.

And then we saw the 34-year-old in action and I, among many others, was left salivating. He is the kind of player that you just don’t mess with. He will come after you. He will hunt you down. And when he finds you, he will do what is necessary but never overstep his bounds. Or not that often, rather.

That is better than what Monreal brings. Monreal tuckered out after his bizarre burst of immortality, showing that he was indeed slowing down with age.

Lichtsteiner hasn’t showed that yet. Sure, it’s only been an hour of actual game play, but this has been the case for his entire career. He hasn’t slowed down. And if he can bring that same intensity to a consistent role at leftback, then why would we alter it? Let the man that has proven himself get the starting job over a question mark.

Plus, I just want to see Lichtsteiner subtly shoving more people.