Left back at Left-back

When Arsene Wenger took over the reins in 1996, Arsenal had a reputation for a strong defense. The back four were THE back four in the Premier League, and ‘Highbury the library’ was a popular chant, given the defensive form of football the Gunners reveled in. ‘1-0 to the Arsenal’ was another popular one, again attributed to the steely defense, over a quiet attack.

Arsene Wenger brought in a different way of doing things, including a new diet, which has been celebrated as one of the many reasons which extended the years of the aging defense, all over 30 at that point. His time in Japan helped him fine tune his approach, and ensure his takeover was more a chapter in history, rather than a passing mention.

In the light of the facts above, all of which are corroborated with glories and tangible silverware, we come to the present day problem of the Arsenal left-back. Now clearly the problem we talk about presently is more a problem of choice rather than a problem of inconsistency. Inconsistency is the problem of the entire team at the moment, having just crashed out the FA Cup to a lower ranked Blackburn, after having lost to Bradford City in the Carling Cup, effectively ending any realistic chances of silverware this season.

Going in to the transfer window, Arsenal were in dire need of a defensive midfielder, a target man and according to some people, a goalkeeper. None of the above materialized, and the window called for reinforcing rather than expanding.

Kieran Gibbs, all of 23, made the position of left-back his after playing second-fiddle to Gael Clichy for a few years. Clichy was pacy, quick on the draw and consistent, but picked up criticism for his inability to find a groove in the defense. He was never a bad player, but Wenger couldn’t fit a square peg in a round hole. When Gibbs stepped in, it just felt right. Young, quick and more attacking than Clichy, Gibbs supplied those delicious crosses day in day out. Gibbs, whose worth was ratified by the then England manager, Fabio Capello, was recently called up again in October by the current man at the helm, Roy Hodgson. This move adds to his resume, given the fact that he replaces Ashley Cole, arguably the best left-back in the world. Clichy always played in the French team in the shadow of Patrice Evra, but Gibbs is just in time to replace the waning Cole.

When Gibbs picked up a knock against Liverpool in the last days of the January transfer window, it sent the scouts in to a tizzy, andWenger had to move quickly. Gibbs’ thigh injury ruled him out for a good six weeks, and that included Champions League games. Wenger had completely ruled out the option of Andre Santos, whose move in the summer turned sour after his inability to literally keep pace with the rest. Thankfully, he completed a last-ditch loan move to Gremio, and will look to make a permanent deal in the summer. Moving towards the Emirates though, was Nacho Monreal (also spelled Natxo), a Spanish left-back who was then representing Malaga. At break-neck speed, papers changed hands to make the move happen on the 31^st of January. Monreal joined Arsenal in a long-term move to help cope up with the rigours that Arsenal were up against.

Nacho Monreal made his way through the youth ranks at Osasuna, finally making his debut against Valencia in 2006. In the next year, he consolidated his position at left back, and continued doing so over the following four years. In the summer of 2011, he moved to Malaga, who were looking to add to their ranks a defender who was agile and dependable, conditions which Monreal satisfied. Here he played alongside the current Arsenal midfielder, Santi Cazorla and former Gunner Julio Baptista. Malaga showed promise, ensuring a place in the Champions League with a forth place finish, for the very first time.

In the coming days, Malaga met with financial problems, leading to the sale of choice players, including Cazorla. Monreal followed suit eventually, a good six months later. His debut showed promise, after Arsenal took home all three points, in the Premier League against Stoke City. Hopefully in the coming days, he will be able to add fire to the upcoming fights against Gibbs for first place. Maybe that is exactly what this current crop needs.