Arsenal: Lichtsteiner “and” Bellerin still includes Lichtsteiner “or” Bellerin

Stephan Lichtsteiner is being a real trooper at Arsenal early on, and his logic is sound and team-spirited, but let’s be honest, it does have to start with a winner and a loser.

Arsenal are blessed with their rightback situation. A 23-year old in Hector Bellerin with all the potential in the world and a 34-year-old in Stephan Lichtsteiner with all the experience in the world. They compliment each other damn near to perfection and it’s a shame that it might only last for a year, because the benefits of this kind of setup are limitless.

Thus far into the season it has been all Bellerin in the starting role, despite calls for Lichtsteiner to replace the Spaniard following some lackluster defensive performances. Lichtsteiner has spoken very openly about his rivalry with Bellerin and the ongoing competition between them.

And he has spoken again, in the wake of what figures to be Lichtsteiner’s first start for the club against FC Vorskla. This time, the Swiss captain wanted to point out that there is no “or” in the battle between the two rightbacks. “It’s not Lichtsteiner or Bellerin,” he said. “It’s Lichtsteiner and Bellerin.”

I love this mentality, and I think it is what makes any internal competition special. There has to be a shared vision, a shared purpose between the two beyond their own individual aspirations. That’s a wonderful thing and it’s great to know that it’s working here at rightback as well.

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That said, for as wonderful as this mentality is, there has to be an “Or” aspect to their relationship, and it arguably has to start there, because if not, then what’s the point? They can’t both play the position. They can’t both be perfect. It’s one or the other in the starting role and they can root for and cheer the other on as much as they want, but at some point, you have to have a cutthroat mentality of ‘alright, if he starts, I don’t, and I want to start.”

Again, not in any sort of malicious way. In training, in the locker room, you want a cohesive team unit where you need that “and” mentality, but underneath every bit of “and,” there has to be an ‘or.’ Look at the Lacazette and Aubameyang dual. Those two are as pro-each other as they can possibly be, but as soon as Lacazette took the pitch in his first start, you could see it in his play. He understood that it was him or Aubameyang. If he didn’t perform, Aubameyang would get the spot back.

Maybe I’m just arguing semantics here for the sake of getting my point across (that Lichtsteiner should start). But still, I hold to what I’ve said. Yes, you want to be all about the successes of the team and whoever can help the team succeed the most. But you also have to believe that that person is you.

Not that Lichtsteiner doesn’t. Surely he does. He’s just focused on the pleasant part of the internal competition, and not the actual competitive part of it. So in that regard, yes, I am only arguing semantics.