Arsenal: Ainsley Maitland-Niles at forefront of Gunners revolution

Arsenal have caught fire this past week. And the leader of this timely and slightly unexpected revolution? One Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

Utility is advantageous in everything one does. Arsenal academy man Ainsley Maitland-Niles has demonstrated this for his club all year. When his number has been called, his response has always been electric, whatever his position. In the last two games in particular, this has taken on new meaning.

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Against Manchester United, the quality of Maitland-Niles was fully displayed in the second half. For a young player, growing pains will happen, as proven during the first 45 minutes. Playing in the right wing-back position, his game showed great promise despite it all. Being beaten by Luke Shaw over and over again to start, he tidied up his side of the pitch and looked both comfortable on the ball, as well as fluid in the game itself by the second half.

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His defense improved markedly between the first and second periods, further displaying his ability to regroup and learn during the break. That Arsenal played him speaks to both to the faith Unai Emery has in him and the injuries that have plagued the team all year. A must-win game was met by a performance that matched that intensity, and Maitland-Niles was a vital piece in that puzzle.

Having bounced back from the tough first-leg loss to Rennes the Thursday prior, the victory against Man. Utd gave confidence for the second leg. What would the following result be in the Europa League? Dominance.

Against Rennes in the second leg, Arsenal rode Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang and Maitland-Niles through to the quarter-finals. Again playing at right wing-back, any questions of form were answered after just five minutes when the 21-year-old moved the ball to Aaron Ramsey who duly found Aubameyang for the opening score.

Aubameyang continued his class with his cross just ten minutes later to Maitland-Niles, drawing the aggregate to 3-3 with the advantage going to Arsenal on away goals. A beautiful header, Rennes were caught off-guard under the assumption that the play was dead because of Sead Kolasinac’s offside position. Aubameyang sprinted as the ball neared the goal-line and lifted it to a streaking Maitland-Niles at the far post for the headed finish.

In the 72nd minute, Aubameyang would again tear Rennes to pieces with pace reminiscent of how Rennes tore Arsenal apart just a week ago. It appeared as though Aubamayang imagined he was back at St. Etienne, blazing past Frenchmen with utter disregard for any sort of attempted defense. The 4-3 aggregate victory was in little doubt once the Arsenal of last Sunday was understood to be the same one on the pitch today. Sheer aggression and pace, creativity and expression turned the tie in the Gunners’ favour.

And this added focus and intensity was led by Maitland-Niles. Passing, possesion, pressing and pace all showed themselves in his performance and his diversity as a player means only that he can be featured in more combinations with other players and in differing shapes moving forward.

The victory against Rennes to move on to the next round of the Europa League was brilliant. Bouncing back to take two out of three games in seven days is even more promising. But seeing the youth and expression of Maitland-Niles, continuing to mature at a greater rate, is the most important takeaway for the future.