Arsenal: Has Hector Bellerin become unwittingly entitled?

Arsenal have been clinging to Hector Bellerin like the holy grail due to his outstanding potential, but as he hasn’t improved, should we start to ask questions?

Arsenal‘s new era is going to have a lot of moving pieces, even if they have only just started moving. Unai Emery has his work cut out threading together his men and Arsene Wenger’s men, mainly because of the safety and security that Wenger instilled in some of these players.

Arsene Wenger was renowned for his endless line of faith. You had to work really, really hard to lose the trust of Le Prof (or just smoke a cigarette in the shower). Hector Bellerin is probably the token example of someone who could do no wrong. Ever since he broke into the first team as a youthful teenager, he simply hasn’t been able to find much improvement, particularly on the defensive side.

It must be said that he is still very effective going forward, and continues to shine in that theater. But as a defender, it’s getting a bit precarious.

Barcelona were once perched outside his door, trying to lure him with illustrious financial packages that would make lesser men swoon, but Bellerin hung tight, and as he hung tight, he flat-lined.

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So my question, as posed in the title, is whether or not Bellerin hasn’t accidentally become entitled to his role? I’m not saying that he is willfully strutting about, refusing to improve. That’s silly. Bellerin is a professional.

But when you are infused into a role from a young age, and you are never, never, never, threatened in that role, eventually you are going to start subconsciously feeling like you can’t be touched. And, in turn, you lose that base desire to improve. It’s inevitable, and can only be prevented by utilizing that useful tool that Wenger wasn’t all that fond of – internal competition.

Bellerin needs to be jaunted. He needs to be knocked off his horse so he can be forced to saddle back up and start over again. He needs to understand that right now, it isn’t good enough. And the “he’s still young” argument doesn’t work anymore. It’s been years since he first broke through. You can be as young as you want, there still needs to be improvement.

There is still so much talent in Bellerin but handing him the role with free reign has done him no favors. It’s time to change things up and sit him down. Demote the guy to make him see that there are consequences. It’s not even Bellerin’s fault anymore, it’s the system that is failing him. He needs to be shaken up.

Stephan Lichtsteiner is just the guy to do that. I won’t hold my breath, though.