Arsenal: Calum Chambers walking the defensive tightrope

Freddie Ljungberg finally made some changes to the Arsenal defense, and it paid off, with Calum Chambers showcasing top-tier defending.

Arsenal‘s defense has been terrible this season. So in case you haven’t been following my weekly rants about David Luiz and Sokratis, let me just say that seeing Freddie Ljungberg revert to the last effective defensive pairing we’ve seen this season was refreshing, to say the last. Every week I’m crying out for Calum Chambers, Rob Holding, Dinos Mavropanos, or I don’t know, anyone not named David Luiz or Sokratis.

Ljungberg finally answered. He proved the point we’ve made time and time again—that apart from each other, Luiz and Sokratis can still be effective.

Calum Chambers changed everything by showing us what we really need in a defender. And he did so by walking the fine line that Sokratis continues to trip over. That fine line being the difference between brave defending and reckless defending.

It can all be summarized when Calum Chambers threw his body and head at the ball to block off an attack, leaving him curled up on the ground holding his head where he weathered a knee to the dome.

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That was bravery. It wasn’t reckless. You may see Sokratis try to do the same thing, but he’ll pair it with clattering through the opposing attacker, wrestling him to the ground, and then trying to claim it was actually he who was fouled.

All match long Chambers was making brave, but intelligent decisions. He wasn’t throwing himself into attackers. He was reading play. If he saw a window of opportunity, he went for it. If he didn’t, he prepared his defense.

Meanwhile, I can still see Sokratis running all over the midfield, chasing the ball in about the 80th minute while we were up 3-1. All the while I’m thinking, “Calum Chambers would never do that.” Because he wouldn’t. He’s brave, not reckless.

Yet again we learned that Chambers should be playing centerback. I don’t know why we can’t just remember.

All that said, Sokratis was better than usual in this one, and I think it’s down to the fact that he did have a partner next to him that is a much more competent defender than Luiz. So his ridiculous runs across the world didn’t leave the defense so stranded because Chambers is brave, not reckless.

Unai Emery didn’t learn from the last time this pair was used together against Newcastle. I hope that Freddie Ljungberg can.