Unai Emery may have to adapt Arsenal’s entire philosophy if Kieran Tierney isn’t up to the task…
‘Arsenal’ and ‘defensively solid’ are two terms which have never quite gone into the same sentence since the Invincibles era. Their defence is their major downfall and a large reason as to why they have not won the Premier League since last decade.
They have made many signings during this time to try and make up for it but none have worked out. For example, Laurent Koscielny recently fled the scene after trying for many seasons to be the leader at the back.
Kieran Tierney was brought in during the summer transfer window. There was a lot of hype surrounding his name, given the Gunners have been linked with him for some time now. However, he is yet to make an appearance under Unai Emery so nobody can judge whether he is the right fit yet.
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Arsenal have a clear full-back structure and in fact, it’s one thing which does amaze me about their tactics. They like to use their full-backs as their main source of creativity, especially down the left-hand side. Since this is the side which Tierney is likely to adopt, he is going to have to work hard in training.
Sead Kolasinac has this role nailed. While he often has his critics over his defensive abilities, nobody can fault him of his ability to beat his man out wide and supply the ball into the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
This style of play was shown against Newcastle, when it was Nacho Monreal who was asked to attack down the left-hand side. Since the Spaniard has left, this leaves one less player for Tierney to compete with for places.
Emery is a stubborn manager so when something works, he doesn’t like to change it. That said, Tierney will need to prove his creative worth if he is to be a first-team regular for Arsenal. I mean, he had no problems doing this for club and country in Scotland.
Do you think Kieran Tierney can become a crucial player for Arsenal?