3 reasons why Arsenal fans should be excited about Fabio Vieira’s arrival

2. Flexibility

Fabio Vieira’s technical proficiency, production, and leadership qualities undoubtedly intrigued Mikel Arteta, but it’s arguably his flexibility that’ll have the Arsenal boss most excited.

Porto boss Sergio Conceição is a 4-4-2 man who plays a direct and physical brand of football. However, when Fabio Vieira entered the fray, Conceição often shifted his system to facilitate the sumptuous playmaker.

According to transfermarkt.com, Fabio Vieira was used in six different positions last season, including left-back. Primarily, though, he operated as an attacking midfielder with Conceição’s rigid 4-4-2 morphing into a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-1-1. The 22-year-old excels in the central zone, but he also enjoys creating off the right flank.

Passing angles are aplenty for a left-footed playmaker in the right half-space, and Fabio Vieira doesn’t mind wandering into that zone from time to time.

Overall, Fabio Vieira’s technical mastery, space interpretation and astuteness allow him to perform several functions to a high level. He’s a jack-of-all-trades playmaker, and I’m sure Arteta will have a lot of fun with him. The 22-year-old could feasibly play as both a left- and right-sided #8, a #10 in a 4-2-3-1, a false nine or an inverted right-winger.

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