Arsenal, Nacho Monreal and Stephan Lichtsteiner: Fitness or fit?

With Sead Kolasinac and Ainsley Maitland-Niles out injured, Unai Emery has to choose between Stephan Lichtsteiner and Nacho Monreal for the starting left-back position in his Arsenal team against Chelsea on Saturday. It is a simple question of fitness or fit.

The Premier League season is well and truly underway. That means that the games come rolling around the corner thick and fast from now until May, bar those dastardly international breaks! For Arsenal, things don’t get much easier. After hosting the champions last weekend, they now travel to the 2016/17 champions, Chelsea, for the Saturday evening kick-off.

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And Unai Emery has some decisions to make. Who does he play in net? Does he introduce Lucas Torreira to the midfield? What about Alexandre Lacazette? But one selection dilemma that I am sure he is muddling over between now and kick-off is who to play at left back.

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Before I give my opinion on what I think will and should happen, here is Emery outlining the landscape of the decision that he has to make in Thursday’s pre-match press conference:

"“The first injury with Kolasinac was important because I think he was playing well in pre-season <…> After this injury [Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ injury], I tried with Lichtsteiner, who is a player with experience. He can play at left back but his position in the team is more at right back. This week Nacho Monreal is working every day, training every day with us. The two options we have now are Nacho Monreal and Lichtsteiner to continue in this position.”"

As Emery states, two injuries to Sead Kolasinac and Ainsley Maitland-Niles mean that this decision is a straight contest between Nacho Monreal and Stephan Lichtsteiner. Or, another way to think about it, is fit or fitness.

Monreal only returned to full training this week. He has not played a single minute of football since last season. Although he may be fit and healthy, it is a little naive to expect him to be anywhere near to his full match sharpness. If he is set to come up against a Willian, Pedro or Eden Hazard, that is a little concerning.

The problem is that Monreal is the only healthy natural left back in the squad. The only other option is Lichtsteiner, an experienced and capable defender who has the nous and know-how to adapt his game to the position but is a right back by trade and has never played left back regularly in his career.

Lichtsteiner did replace Maitland-Niles last weekend and acquitted himself against Riyad Mahrez, one of the sharper wingers in the Premier League. So there is some comfort to be taken from that performance. But it would still be quite the task for him to play out of position against one of the best teams in a league that he has only played 55 minutes in.

It is not an easy decision to make. Which is why I believe it is down to the fitness of Monreal and the fit of Lichtsteiner. Will Emery be willing to sacrifice fitness in favour of a better fit, or would he rather a fully sharp player in a less natural position? I think he will take the former. And I think, hesitantly, I agree, just.