Arsenal: Rob Holding gives us something to look forward to

Arsenal’s defense is really struggling to find itself, but on the bright side, we have something to look forward to when Rob Holding finally clicks.

This season is a bit rough. The senior players aren’t doing enough to inspire confidence and while the young players give us a lot to be excited about, they aren’t ready to commandeer the club right this very moment. So Arsenal need some in between guys to step up and give us something to look forward to.

There are a lot of in between guys, but many of them have already landed and aren’t enough to uplift the club on their own.

Calum Chambers for instance, has been a tremendous asset to the club this year and has helped introduce stability in his own right, as has Kieran Tierney, who just needs more time on the pitch, which is a good place to be.

The same goes with Hector Bellerin. We know what he gives us, we know what to expect, it’s just getting him onto the pitch. And it’s not like we’ve been that worse off with Chambers or Ainsley Maitland-Niles over there.

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Then there’s Rob Holding, who, while we know what he brings, he is bringing it to a position that has been devoid of confidence.

Holding got his first start in a back three against Leicester City alongside David Luiz and Calum Chambers. Honestly, I was a fan of that personnel choice, and think that Unai Emery did the right thing. That’s a step in the right direction.

The problem is that Holding wasn’t at his best. And he hasn’t been in recent matches. Which just leaves room for him to grow into as he seeks to find his footing. Footing that we know he can find, since he found it before getting hurt last year.

And that gives us something to look forward to. Something that gives hope that this defense will be able to grow into something functional that isn’t filled with stopgap defenders just meant to hold down the fort until someone real takes over.

Holding is that someone real, and he has the potential to click very, very soon and very, very effectively. Maybe that will be the final step in fixing a broken defense. If not, at least it’s a step in the right direction.

Which is the second time I’ve said that in one article. Just another step in the right direction.