Arsenal: Where Kieran Tierney and Hector Bellerin can really make a difference

Kieran Tierney and Hector Bellerin returned to first-team training this week. Where the Arsenal full-back pair can really enact change is in the team’s ability to beat the press.

Last season, Arsenal head coach Unai Emery was forced to adapt his tactics quite drastically because of a lack of full-back options.

Find the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal Podcast here — The summer transfer window review

At left-back, Sead Kolasinac could not be trusted defensively, his positioning and agility causing problems against slighter, well-balanced wide attackers, while Nacho Monreal’s athleticism was ever decreasing, meaning he was more settled at centre-back rather than left-back; at right-back, Hector Bellerin missed much of the season through injury and Ainsley Maitland-Niles suffered from the same defensive vulnerabilities as Kolasinac.

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

In the summer, then, and moving into Emery’s second year, there was a clear focus to address these problems. Kieran Tierney arrived in a £25 million deal at left-back, while Bellerin continued his recovery on the opposite flank, Maitland-Niles only filling in as his back-up. This was clearly in an attempt to provide greater defensive balance and security, especially against the counter-attack.

Neither have played yet this season, Tierney arriving having undergone surgery for a sports hernia in the summer. But this week, the pair made their return to first-team training, their rehabilitation nearing its end. They will not be ready for Sunday’s match against Watford, but over the next few weeks, both will be eased into the starting XI, likely through the Europa League initially. Given Arsenal’s defensive vulnerabilities so far this season, their introduction is most welcome. But there is another, crucial impact that their return will provide: an escape against the high press.

Two summers ago, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola spent almost £150 million on full-backs. He was largely criticised for the move, people questioning the importance of the position to spend such lavish amounts at, but as the following season progressed, it was clear what Guardiola intended in investing so heavily in new full-backs: an outlet against the high press.

While Benjamin Mendy has struggled with injuries during his time at City, when both he and Kyle Walker have started, City’s performances have improved drastically, with the pair providing athletic drive, with and without the ball, to progress the play into advanced areas of the pitch. Both are exceptionally quick, they possess terrific power and physicality, with great stamina, allowing them to bound up and down the flank. Tierney and Bellerin can have the same impact for Arsenal.

Although their greater defensive security will be of keen importance for a team that has lacked any semblance of security and structure this season, it is their energy and athleticism that will be critical to Arsenal’s play in possession, especially against the high press, which is something that they have struggled have greatly in recent seasons.

Locking down the full-back positions for the best part of a decade is one of the brightest spots of a tremendously positive summer. And the reasons extend beyond defensive security. Both Bellerin and Tierney will be as vital in possession as they are out of it, and that is very encouraging indeed.