Arsenal: Where Pablo Mari ranks in immediate defensive hierarchy

Arsenal’s defense got a fresh injection of newness with the arrival of Pablo Mari. But where does the new boy stack up in the defensive hierarchy?

Arsenal‘s defense is a rotating carousel of injuries, suspensions and inconsistency. Which makes things constantly interesting and keeps us on our toes every single match. With our best defender, Calum Chambers, out for the year (yes, best defender) and the future of this defense, William Saliba, not arriving until the summer, the Gunners have opted for a bit of help—from Pablo Mari.

Pablo Mari arrives as the first left-footed centerback we’ve had since… ever? Give or take? And he is immediately vaulted into the turmoil of this defensive set up. He becomes the sixth healthy centerback in the fold.

And the question now is where he ranks in the immediate hierarchy of the defense. Is he solely a stopgap option or does he start at the top of the pile until proven otherwise?

The answer is somewhere in between. Almost exactly in the middle. Despite the inconsistencies of this defense, David Luiz still has the credentials and the recent history to rank at the top of the pile. Mikel Arteta has seemingly given him new life and it makes me think that this is the new Luiz, despite the red card against Chelsea.

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Luiz and Mari would prove an immediately interesting connection, given the Brazilian link, but second in the hierarchy still has to go to Sokratis. The objective of this defense is to see us through to the end of the year, so it’s smart to stick with the guys who have been doing exactly that, if and when it’s possible.

But that’s where Pablo Mari slides in—No. 3. Pablo Mari is a great big unknown, but that makes him more appealing than Shkodran Mustafi, the great big inconsistency, and Rob Holding, the great future (we hope).

Honestly, that’s a testament to the defense. The fact that our new defender slides right into the middle, underneath the veterans and above the wild cards, shows me that this defense isn’t nearly in as bad a spot as it may seem. And with William Saliba and Calum Chambers due to arrive (or return) next season, if Mari can prove a little somethin’ something’, we can really start to hack away at that dead weight this summer.

Good times ahead for this defense, and I haven’t been able to say that confidently for awhile.