Arsenal: 4 talking points from crazy 3-3 draw with West Ham

Calum Chambers Keeping Hector Bellerin Out of the Squad

Flying under the radar somewhat was the omission of Hector Bellerin from the matchday squad. Thoughts that this may have been injury related were shut down, as he was simply left out for tactical reasons.

With almost all of the back four, Arteta can go horses for courses. The centre-backs all boast differing attributes that are useful against certain opposition, while at right-back the three options at his disposal can all come in to suit the tactical needs of the game.

On Sunday it was Chambers’ turn, a move we can dissect as being almost exclusively to match the Hammers’ aerial presence. Then, the option on the bench was Cedric. Arteta sure likes changing things up.

In the opening half and hour, he probably wished he had gone with Bellerin. Chambers was getting blitzed on every West Ham attack. The entire defensive shape of the team was poor, and the Englishman played a big part in it.

Then, it all turned. As Arsenal got better, Chambers did too. And, come the full-time whistle, he was the best player on the park along with Lacazette and Martin Odegaard.

Notable was his excellent deliveries that caused havoc in the Hammers’ area, and his superb engine to continuously bombard up and down the right flank both offensively and defensively. He ended up having a fine outing.

Bellerin won’t suddenly be third choice, and the reasons for his omission will return to the horses for courses mantra, but he could learn a thing or two about crosses from his teammate.