3 things we learnt about Jakub Kiwior against Chelsea

2. He has the pace to play high

Arteta’s reluctance to use Kiwior could have been down to several reasons, from the left-footed factor to his inexperience, but the most likely answer is that he trusts Rob Holding.

That trust has cost Arsenal. The time for change was after West Ham when Holding’s play led to Arsenal playing an extremely deep line, and allowing them back into the game. He wasn’t the only player at fault, but he was a major factor.

With Kiwior in the team, Arsenal had significantly more pace, they had a player who could play and be trusted by his teammates in possession and, most importantly, not force the number six to play as an auxiliary centre-back to cover for a defender who lacks all those traits.

That security at the back is crucial to the way Arsenal play, as much our the team’s ability to play with teams pinned into their defensive third has come from the centre-backs operating inside the opposition half. With Kiwior, Arsenal could do that again.

Continued on the next slide…