Arsenal need to make a tactical decision on Emile Smith Rowe

Coming away from back-to-back Premier League defeats with a 2-1 home loss to Brighton, not one Arsenal player on the pitch could leave feeling they contributed enough from the first minute to the last.

Martin Odegaard improved in the very late stages, Sambi Lokonga looked immediately more comfortable when Granit Xhaka joined him in midfield, and Eddie Nketiah looked engaged when he came on. That was near enough it.

Some of the players didn’t improve as the match wore on, nor did they especially worsen. There were individuals who just had really poor games on the whole, including Emile Smith Rowe.

His form has dipped since the turn of the year on account of him missing out on an extended run in the team – and he needs more time to build up his match sharpness and confidence. Being on the bench over Martinelli has evidently taken a toll, while games against Brentford and Aston Villa nonetheless timely reminders of his ability and that he won’t need too long to be back in the swing of things.

Arsenal need to work out what Emile Smith Rowe’s best positions is after another performance in midfield fails to excite

But in which position?

The Brighton defeat was not the first time that Smith Rowe has struggled in a midfield three with Martin Odegaard. It’s been attempted with Sambi and Thomas Partey now, and on each occasion the Hale Ender has struggled to have anywhere near the impact he can have in a more advanced wide role.

It’s a question of whether he is a forward or a midfielder. Evidence from this Premier League season, and throughout much of his time breaking into the team in the previous campaign, suggests the former.

Capable of operating in the interior and drifting into the half-spaces, two positions he can flirt between either as an inside forward or as a No. 8, the primary difference in playing in midfield is the additional defensive discipline required. Smith Rowe isn’t the strongest defending on inside lanes, whereas in wide areas his positioning as a covering player isn’t as detailed as it is centrally.

He lacks some of these components to his game and while there isn’t a huge sample size of performances from him as a left No. 8, to date here haven’t been any where he’s stolen the show in a positive manner.

In these positions he receives the ball too deep and too often with his back to goal, and it results in him making wall-pass after wall-pass into nonthreatening areas. Smith Rowe is someone who go either side on the half-turn, which is why he needs to be found higher up where he can angle his body and not just be flat facing his own backline. All the punch and bite to his game is lost.

That isn’t to say the position is the sole reason for what was a weak display on top of previously underwhelming outings. But when Arsenal have such talented players as these they need to fielded in their best positions. Smith Rowe out on the left is somewhere he can engage in combination play, burst down the line, tuck inside, and make those late dashes into the box. It suits him.

While there is a future for him centrally, for now it’s not suitable and the coaching staff have to look at what is best tailored for him. Arsenal need all their pieces as they push for European football.