Arsenal: Hector Bellerin significance unveiled in absence

Stephan Lichtsteiner started in Hector Bellerin’s place in Arsenal’s 1-0 win against Sporting CP on Thursday. It was in his absence that the Spaniard’s significance was unveiled.

It was a boring game. It almost always is when Arsenal play at 17:55 on a Thursday. And this, a hard-fought 1-0 win over Sporting CP thanks to a somewhat fortunate but well-taken Danny Welbeck goal late in the second half, was like every other: difficult to watch.

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But if you did spend the poor time to watch, then you may have noticed some extremely conspicuous in its absence: width.

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Unai Emery set his Arsenal team up in the usual manner, a 4-2-3-1-type shape with two holding midfielders, two wide players and one central attacking player floating in behind a centre-forward, and the instructions in style, approach and philosophy all seemed to be similar to many of the previous matches this season. The problem was not the system; the problem was the personnel and its inability to execute the system. Namely, Stephan Lichtsteiner, not Hector Bellerin, at right back.

This is meant as no slight to Lichtsteiner. He is a 34-year-old defender who only arrived at the club this summer. He is no longer expected to bound up and down the flank like a gazelle. That’s not his job anymore. He is a leader, a great dressing room character, an organiser and a solid reserve. He is no gazelle. But the man he was replacing, Bellerin, is one of the best gazelles in the Premier League, and the energy, athleticism and speedy outlet that he provides was sorely missed.

It has been a strange ride for Bellerin. He burst onto the scene with blistering pace and stamina for days. He hurtled up and down the right wing to brilliant effect, scoring goals, creating chances from wide and getting in behind the opposing defence, all the while not negating his own defensive duties at the other end.

But since that wonderful first season, he has failed to live up to expectation. Injury, a loss of confidence, a growing friction between him and the fans. It has undoubtedly been a turbulent time. In recent weeks, though, Bellerin has shown signs that he is beginning to retread his steps, rediscover his unique style and offer that scampering outlet up and down the wing.

It was this that Lichtsteiner could not provide on Thursday. And it made a difference. Arsenal were slow in their passing; they lacked creativity in the final third and struggled to break a rather unenthused Sporting press. There was no width on either flank, with Granit Xhaka filling in at left back, and passing options were limited in attacking areas. Obviously, not all of this is the fault of Bellerin’s absence. But it does help illustrate his significance.

Some of the best players in world football are most noticed when they’re not there. It’s always been the case with the scrappy midfielder, the hard-nosed, lung-screaming centre-half, the tried and tested, industrious, diligent wide player. And it might just be so with Hector Bellerin also.