I stand corrected, I though it was Watford. I never saw enough of him to rate him before this season.
I also hope AW continues to use him. He looks solid defending.
Quite early in the first half he went across and wiped some player out, but fairly. It's a tackle you would see Kompany, or Matic, or Gilberto do. It was completely fair, an excellent tackle, low to the ground infront of the player, took all the ball and the player went over his outstretched legs. It was just powerful, direct and what was needed, stopped an attack but it's the kind of physical tackle that Arsenal lack. The kind of tackle that would make opposition players who run with the ball a little afraid, intimidated. Spend to long on the ball and you'll be put on your ass and lose your team the ball.
Honestly that tackle summed up what Arsenal haven't had in almost a decade since Gilberto and what he could provide us. I'm not certain he's good enough, he's maybe a tad small, if he played 40 games in a season like that would he end up a perma crock, who knows. I have wanted for at least 3 years to see him given a run in the team because he's showed a LOT of potential.
He's also pretty versatile, he's looked more than competent covering both left and right back and he can now and then get forward from central midfield. A little like Matic in that if the opportunity is there he doesn't look horrific running 20 yards forward into space, again something Gilberto could offer alongside the defending.
He was on loan in Germany was it last year, but the morons were basically awful and using him as a winger and he wasn't particularly impressive. Was a case of a bad loan and more about getting rid of him than trying to develop him.
When we loaned him out it was nuts, this was November, we had left back, right back, CB and DM problems in injury terms. He could cover 3 of those positions so we loaned him out, played injury prone players even more often then had to cancel his loan.
