Arsenal: Hector Bellerin making his Plan B look like Plan A

Arsenal rely on their attack to pump home the goals, but when the chances aren’t there, it falls on Hector Bellerin. Is he our best attacking option, though?

I spent a lot of time earlier this year complaining about Hector Bellerin and begging for Unai Emery to start Stephan Lichsteiner ahead of him. My logic was that Arsenal needed defense more than they needed more attack, and Lichtsteiner is certainly the better defender of the two.

But then we started to see more and more matches where the attack, while still potent, wasn’t able to provide for themselves. Ozil, Iwobi, Aubameyang and Lacazette play in their theatre and intermingle with each other, and it’s a potent force. But even still, they hit walls at times.

There has to be a Plan B, and that Plan B is coming from Bellerin, who is utilizing his speed and ability out wide to add a new angle of threat to the attack.

Rather than coming straight at the defense, as Ozil and the crew do, Bellerin is coming from the outside, something that the the Gunners, with their tragic lack of wingers, don’t get a lot of if Bellerin isn’t doing it.

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Bellerin currently leads the club in assists with four. He is getting into a grove on that right hand side, finding space and working the ball into dangerous areas. Sometimes he’ll take it all the way to the goal line, sometimes he will cut in early and work a ball in from there, but whatever the case, it’s becoming a rousing success.

So much so that this “Plan B” is looking like more of a Plan A. Coming from wide angles provides a team like Arsenal with a much greater threat, given the style of their attacking players. Aubameyang makes those late runs in from the left wing and Lacazette’s suave first touch gives him tons of options when fielding a ball, then you have Ozil always popping up in space, ready to create for himself.

All that is happening while defending eyes are focused on one side of the pitch – Bellerin’s side.

That all comes about because of successful wide play. Coming through the center, the options are completely different. Aubameyang is an option, but only to keep the ball wide. Lacazette is an option, but with his back to goal. It’s a completely different set-up.

Belllerin is showing us what it could be like if we develop a serious wide attacking threat in the coming months. That means with actual wingers.