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Horse Racing Arsenal must ensure they retain Kieran Tierney claims Silvestre
Whilst the end of the season saw Arsenal trophyless, it’s certainly been a remarkable time for the Gunners and their fans. Having pushed the reigning champions City to the final month of the season, Mikel Arteta and his men will be looking to assess and push on next season.
We caught up with former Arsenal defender Mikael Silvestre to analyse the current playing squad ahead of next season.
In this article:
- Keeping Tierney is vital for squad depth
- Villa and Newcastle’s interest in Tierney no surprise
- Martinelli needs to add more goals and assists to his game
- Zinchenko’s importance goes beyond how many assists he can make
- Saliba need to improve concentration to be the best defender in the league
Keeping Tierney is vital for squad depth
The signing of Oleksandr Zinchenko last summer completely transformed the playing style and tactical approach of Mikel Arteta’s side. Zinchenko’s ability to slot into a midfield role alongside Thomas Partey helped Arsenal to create overloads in midfield.
However, for much of the season defender Kieran Tierney found himself sidelined due to him being more of a traditional left back. Reports suggest he is set for a move away from The Emirates with Newcastle said to be interested. However, Silvestre claims it’s vital that Arsenal find a way to keep Tierney due to the importance of squad depth in the quest for trophies.
“I think it’s important that Arsenal find a way to retain Kieran Tierney.”
“Fighting for the title, playing in the Champions League again, you need two international level players in almost every position.”
“So, they need to find a way to convince him that he’s part of the plan for next season.”
Villa and Newcastle’s interest in Tierney no surprise
Tierney has been linked to the likes of Aston Villa and Newcastle which comes as no surprise to Silvestre due to the quality that Tierney possesses. Especially considering the lack of quality left backs on the market today.
“He should have a lot of clubs looking for him because it’s hard to find a player to play left-back these days.”
“The Premier League, he has the attribute to play for any team and it makes sense for Villa and Newcastle to be chasing him.”
Martinelli needs to add more goals and assists to his game
One of the key players in Arsenal’s title aspirations this season was Gabriel Martinelli who was able to establish himself as a first team member. Silvestre was full of praise for Martinelli but highlighted the importance of him adding more goals and assists to his game if Arsenal are to continue to improve next season.
“Martinelli had a tremendous season. What’s important for him and players like him is to increase the number of goals, chances they create for their teammates.”
“For young players, it’s always to learn about the game and play together with your teammates that are close to you, the ones you link up with.”
“Gaining more and more experience, so that you can improve in all aspects.”
“This year was a big step up for Martinelli. It was nice to see him play.”
Zinchenko’s importance goes beyond how many assists he can make
Zinchenko was a summer signing of Arteta who largely impressed in his inverted midfield role. However, questions were raised regarding the number of assists he was able to contribute.
Silvestre view Zinchenko’s contribution differently by highlighting his ability to link play and retain possession which are known to be key factors within Arteta’s approach when setting up his side.
“I don’t think assists are a worry for Zinchenko because he brought so much with the link-up plays, his possession, his decision-making.”
“Little bit like Luke Shaw at United, he played with a lot of composure and intelligence. He made the team play better.”
“That impact was as important as the assists or the goals. He’s a key player for Arsenal and after a few months you could really see the impact.”
Gabriel Magalhaes was someone within the Arsenal squad that massively impressed SIlvestre throughout the season. Gabriel has become well renowned for his all action and physical approach to defending which at times saw him caught out during the early stages of the season.
The Brazilian stabilised during the season and is now considered one of the league’s best defenders on his day. Silvestre remains confident that Gabriel can cut out the rash aspects of his game and compares the Brazilian to former Premier League defender Antonio Rudiger.
“He was aggressive. That’s one thing you like about him.”
“It’s very difficult to play against him one-vs-one, winning a lot of challenges, defending crosses is very good, blocks as well as tackles.”
“So, I wouldn’t say he’s old school but his determination to win every single ball is a bit like Rudiger.”
“His body language is also inspiring the other defenders. When you have somebody acting like this, it inspires the entire team and not just the defenders.”
“He should keep on building on that.”
“Again, he’s made some rash decisions in the box, cost some goals but if you don’t do this, you don’t have the other part of your game. I’m sure he’s conscious of that. He can eradicate his rash decision making.”
“His positioning sometimes cost him because he’s recovering from that initial positioning mistake and goes into a challenge where he’s late, which clever strikers capitalise on.”
Saliba need to improve concentration to be the best defender in the league
Gabriel’s main centre back partner William Saliba returned from his loan spells at Saint-Étienne, Nice and Marseille to establish himself as one of the league’s most impressive young defenders.
Silvestre is now looking for his fellow Frenchmen Saliba to cut out the rare instances of him losing concentration if he is to be deemed the league’s best defender.
“Saliba had a very, very good season.”
“There were a few instances where he was out of position, due to a lack of concentration. Very rare occasions he made some mistakes but we all make mistakes.”
“To reach the top level, to be the best defender in the league like van Dijk was at some point, and Vidic and Ferdinand, John Terry and Sol Campbell, you have to have perfect seasons.”
“That’s what he should be aiming for. He has the capacity. He’s a young player so that’s a work in progress.”
