Arsenal: 3 areas for Nuno Tavares to improve

2. The Simple Aspects

Watching him charge up and down the left flank with unstoppable energy, his carries with possession are the kind that get supporters up off their seats.

Two-touching his way around a marker and bursting into space as he does, with power in his strides and neat control, are not elements that can necessarily be taught. Improved, yes, but not taught. So much of it is his natural strength and physicality.

It’s also a hard skill to pull off. Which is why it’s interesting to see how Nuno can sometimes be found lacking in what would otherwise be known as ‘the simple things’.

These aren’t big criticisms of him. Almost everyone at 21 years old with just 50 first team appearances under his belt is going to be far from the finished article. In Nuno’s case, it’s an area of his game to improve, not lambaste.

But he is guilty of doing some of the easier aspects a bit…sluggishly. There are five yard passes he sometimes takes too lackadaisically, either falling short of finding their man or being overhit.

Perhaps these small errors in possession are the byproduct of being so vibrant and bursting with life all the time. Going 100 miles an hour across the grass could make its way into his actions and he might just need to slow down a touch.