Arsenal: Ainsley Maitland-Niles and snapping out of it

Ainsley Maitland-Niles is a wonderfully composed and poised player. But sometimes that composure slips into complacency. The Arsenal youngster needs to snap out of it.

Arsenal had to battle their way past Burnley at Saturday lunchtime. This was not an easy, typical, top team versus bottom team type fixture where an early goal sets the rhythm for the remainder of the match. The Gunners got on top early, but Burnley were determined to make this a fight.

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That meant there were many 50:50 challenges throughout the match. Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood were more than happy to put themselves about up front, the Burnley midfield were industrious and scrappy, the defence hardened and committed to their tackles.

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For Ainsley Maitland-Niles, a young 21-year-old filling in at an unfamiliar position, this was a tough, trying contest:

"“I found the game very tough. Every game is tough, it’s just about the mindset, the manager has always urged us to press and I think we carried that out pretty well today. I was just trying to encourage the boys as I go on and I’m just grateful to be out there.”"

And Maitland-Niles’ performance was a little odd at times. His talent was quite clear. He skipped forward with great bounce and vivacity. His delivery was smart and accurate, he was neatly involved in play throughout, linking up with Mesut Ozil and Alexandre Lacazette, and he was calm and composed on the ball, a characteristic that he is very quickly becoming renowned for.

But this composure, at times, would spill into complacency. It sometimes looked like indecision and hesitation, as if he was not sure what he should be doing at that particular moment. But it wasn’t. Instead, it was a surefire and misplaced confidence in his ability to win the ball or play the correct and accurate pass or beat the defender in front of him.

Maitland-Niles is exceptionally quick. He knows it. This knowledge of his speed is sometimes his downfall. He plays as if he knows he can get to the loose ball first and thereby does not fully commit to a sprint. Only, in his lack of commitment, the opposition nicks in front of him and steals the ball away.

It happened on several occasions against Burnley. He was the favourite to get to a ball or win a tackle. But then he didn’t win it, and it was because he was not fully trying to win the ball, not because he is lazy or uncommitted, but because he underestimated the effort he needed to put in to win the ball or tackle.

This is complacency. It is not due to a lack of ability or effort. It is a mental shortcoming that can quite easily be fixed. He simply needs to be more attentive, aware and focused. That, hopefully, will come with age. It is time for Maitland-Niles to snap out of his complacency. He has the ability. Now he needs to pair that with the right mentality.