Arsenal: Ainsley Maitland-Niles not a right-back

Arsenal’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles has the tough task of filling in for the injured Spanish right-back Hector Bellerin. But he is not a right-back. And it shows.

A talented young player, Ainsley Maitland-Niles has risen up the ranks of the Arsenal youth team and broken into the first-team squad. Naturally a midfielder, the young Englishman has been deployed in many positions throughout his time with the senior team, most notably, down the flanks.

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Constantly filling in as a left and right back, he has put in some stellar performances and it is clear to see he has real talent. Although not a starter, Maitland-Niles has seen his fair share of first-team football this season by playing several reserve roles. And this time, it’s Hector Bellerin’s role he has to play.

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Just when Bellerin had returned to form and started playing his best football again, injury has ruled him out for the rest of the season, leaving the team without a first-choice right -back.

It’s evident to see that Stephan Lichtsteiner is not the answer to the Gunners’ defensive fragility, having been responsible for many of the goals conceded due to his lack of awareness and athleticism. His acquisition has not had the desired impact.

So this has seen Maitland-Niles play as a right0back again, most recently against Manchester United, in a 3-1 home defeat. Whilst his game received mixed reviews, it was noticeable that he was being beaten down the flank on many occasions and was giving the ball away too often.

The question be asked, however, what do can be expected from a midfielder playing as a right-back? Yes, he has played there before, but what would the reaction be if Mohamed Elneny or Lucas Torriera or Granit Xhaka played at right-back? None of them would be expected to do a phenomenal job, so why is it suddenly Maitland-Niles responsibility to replace Bellerin?

The more the England U20 World Cup winner plays out of position, the less he will start caring. Not playing him in his preferred position may result in him wanting regular first-team action elsewhere, in which he is able to play where he has been nurtured to play for most of his career. Along with this risk, is the risk of his attitude and confidence deteriorating, resulting in many downhearted performances.

It seems there are two logical options here. The first is to dip into the transfer market during the current window for a capable right-back. That doesn’t look likely to happen considering the ridiculous no money situation. So it leaves logical option number two, which is to play out-of-favour Carl Jenkinson.

Jenkinson has been a right-back most of his career. He knows the position better than Maitland-Niles. Giving him game time may see him become the player many had hoped he’d be when he signed many years almost eight years ago. He can’t be more of a risk than playing a 21-year-old midfielder out of position.

Given Maitland-Niles’ talents, it’d be a shame to see him constantly play out of position and start to lose his confidence and search for game time elsewhere. Right-back is definitely not his position, and the longer he is played there, neither will midfield.