Arsenal: Tony Adams has it all wrong about Rob Holding

Arsenal do have Rob Holding waiting in the ranks for defensive help, but throwing him in the mix doesn’t change the overlying problems.

Tony Adams has done so many wonderful things with and for Arsenal that I often find it difficult to criticize something he says, but sometimes it’s even more difficult not to criticize, because it can often be so off the wall that it needs to be said.

This time around, Adams has come out with what he sees as the defensive solution for the Gunners, the one-step, fix-it-now glue to make all of our troubles on the defensive side of things go away. And boy, are there plenty of problems to focus in on.

It isn’t going to be an easy fix, but according to Tony Adams, there is one quick-fix swap that will change things. So what have you to say, Tony?

"“If I was a new coach coming in, I would have made us tougher and hard to beat. I like Holding. He has got talent and potential. Stick him in and work with him.”More from Pain in the Arsenal3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victoryArsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison ParkMikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win"

First of all, that’s not a productive idea. “Stick him in and work with him,” sounds like a move of pure desperation and there is no need for that right now. He’s right, Rob Holding has a lot to be excited about, but right now there’s no need to go throwing things around to see how it works before truly fleshing out the plan that’s already in place.

Second of all, the centerbacks are not the problem. Not even close. As I’ve pointed out time and again, and as can be seen in any given match, the centerback pairing has been pretty damn solid. It has been a bit of a combination of what’s going on around them – the fullbacks, the midfielders, etc. – that’s leaving them high and dry with nowhere to turn.

You can’t ask your two centerbacks to stop everything when they are the only defense-first players on the pitch. Which, currently, they are.

The solution here is to stick it out and potentially move some things around these two centerbacks because they’ve actually been pretty positive. Personnel is not the issue here, same as it wasn’t last season.

Adams did go on to say that Lichtsteiner could be part of the solution too, though, and I believe in that much. So maybe it isn’t totally “crazy” it’s just unnecessarily desperate. There’s no reason to hit any panic buttons.