Arsenal: Hector Bellerin or Ainsley Maitland-Niles?

Ainsley Maitland-Niles has grown into the rightback position for Arsenal, so now it’s time to ask: Hector Bellerin or Ainsley Maitland-Niles?

It was only a brief cameo from Ainsley Maitland-Niles against Watford, but in that time his intervention from Andre Gray after he had rounded Bernd Leno and looked likely to equalise was vital and arguably won Arsenal the three points.

It’s a clear sign that Maitland-Niles is adapting to his new defensive responsibilities in what is an unfamiliar position to him and he’s starting to grow into the role with a series of impressive performances.

So you can guarantee that in a few months time, when Hector Bellerin gets back to full fitness, that there will be a clear debate on whether he should take that right wingback/rightback spot back especially if Maitland-Niles continues to perform.

A central midfielder or right-winger by trade, you would have to ask would Maitland-Niles get a game in those positions in what is a very packed midfield for Arsenal. He certainly looks at home at right wingback where he is able to bomb down the flanks and create chances, and he’s also well aware of his responsibilities when tracking back, something you can not always say about Hector Bellerin.

He has divided opinion over the last few years from when he first broke into the side. He looked sensational in the first couple of seasons, then he hit a rough patch and his form dipped where he was frequently caught out of position and looked afraid to tackle. His offensive side suffered too, with his crossing ability poor and his sideways and backwards passing frequently hindering Arsenal’s attacks.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

It took some time for him to improve, but it has to be said that progress has been made under Unai Emery, particularly when you see what he did in November against Bournemouth. He was caught out of position by the attack and instead of chasing back to stop Joshua King from scoring all we got was a leisurely jog into his own half and there seemed to be no commitment.

Things look different now. Much different.

That’s not to say there aren’t still improvements to be made. Against Everton last Sunday, he was poor. But he doesn’t let his head drop and by the next game, he’s ready to go again. An example of this was against Napoli in the next game on Thursday, where he won the ball in his own half and started a great team move which resulted in him assisting Aaron Ramsey for the opening goal.

Both players have similarities to their game, especially from an offensive point of view, and although Hector Bellerin is the quicker of the two, I believe that Ainsley Maitland-Niles offers more to the position and over time can become better.

Unai Emery is a manager who chooses form over reputation and his decision will surely come down to who he thinks is better for the position, so Hector or Ainsley?