Arsenal: Sead Kolasinac opens a brand new door of opportunity

Arsenal’s defense is a problem, but maybe flipping the problem will mitigate it. Sead Kolasinac is the key to doing that.

In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not too pleased by the play of Hector Bellerin thus far into the season. I do not understand how a defender can be so bad at defending and still play consistently with Arsenal as if he is doing everything perfectly well.

It’s because he is a good attacker. He is genuinely a threat going forward and that’s what keeps him in a valuable position. Plus he’s young.

If you look at our fullbacks, you have Bellerin, who attacks well but can’t defend, and we have Nacho Monreal, who is above average at both. That seems like an okay combo that wouldn’t cost a defense too much, but I propose a switch. Granted, a switch that will probably never happen, but a switch nonetheless.

If we swap out both fullbacks for both of their immediate competitors, the defense strengthens. And here’s why. We still have a good attacker in Sead Kolasinac, but he is a better defender. Still volatile, yes, but good. Better than Bellerin.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

If you start Kolasinac and Bellerin, you put way too much risk out there. Way too much.

Then, you swap Stephan Lichtsteiner in for Bellerin. You take a little hit in attacking, but he’s a superb defender and he isn’t exactly inept at attacking either. He’s competent, probably on the same level as Monreal, but a better defender.

If you start Lichtsteiner and Monreal, you lose too much attacking power.

You see what I’m getting at here? When you put the combined skills of Kolasinac and Lichtsteiner together, you get a duo that has more overall ability than Bellerin and Monreal. You get more strength, more intensity, more defending and about the same attacking. it would be an immediate improvement.

Plus, if you want to take this a step forward, Kolasinac’s ability to get forward can spring Aubameyang even more, as we’ve seen Monreal do pretty well with already.

Kolasinac is healthy again, and I still think the world of this guy. He is a fantastic player with the world to gain if he can just stay healthy.

Now, granted, I don’t think this swap will actually happen. Not any time soon, anyway. But it is the best combination to try to solve the problem in the defense that is being caused by wayward fullbacks.