So after months of waiting, we’re finally back to our full compliment of left-backs. I think having natural full-backs in the team makes all the difference to our attack, giving the opposition defence that extra man to worry about. The difference that it has made to our team has been blatant. Unbeaten in seven, our attack looks like it can penetrate any team in the league at the moment, and a large amount of this is down to our full-backs.
On our right side, the chemistry between Bacary Sagna and Theo Walcott is improving with each passing game. Bacary never seems to run out of steam and his crossing has markedly improved during the last few seasons, giving our attack another dimension. Likewise, Theo seems to be benefiting from Bacary’s new found ability to win every single header from Wojciech Szczesny’s (occasionally erratic) kicks. Think back to the Newcastle game. I would say that 75% of our attack that match came from the right flank, with Theo having arguably his best game of the season, apart from perhaps the Blackburn game at The Emirates.
But this article is about the other side of our team, and more specifically, our two senior left-backs – Andre Santos, signed from Fenerbahce in the summer, and Kieran Gibbs, from our very own left-back production line.
We have not yet seen the development of any particular relationship on the left flank of our team for various reasons. These being:
1) Our two current left wingers, Gervinho and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, were not with us last season and so haven’t had much time to gel with their respective full-back.
2) Gibbs was the understudy to Gael Clichy last season and as a result, this is his first full season as a first-team regular.
3) Even though Gibbs is our first choice left-back, the England international is notoriously injury-prone and finds it difficult to put a string of games together.
4) Santos has been sidelined by a long-term injury, picked up in the Olympiakos game, from which he has only recently recovered.
So there are a number of reasons why we have less of a relationship on the left flank, but whilst some may see this as a bad thing, you could view it as an opportunity.
We’ve had almost a full season to judge the different permutations, so picking the best one should be easy, right? Not quite. You see, both of the left-backs have some seriously different qualities that could potentially decide the fate of a game. So let’s compare the two.
For me a santos is best choice ass r persie said santos have the some abity of roberto carlos
Santos is a better leftback to me than Gibbs. Santos has good freekick ability and good at scoring goals than Gibbs.
Defending first idiot. He can’t defend to save his life
Jon, Goon, Sean… you have a serious identity crisis. You must be one of them sexual harassment victims…..
….who finds an outlet in abusing people. Find yourself a good nutfarm and go into rehabilitation
you most have a bad background,where did u keep ur manners..u aint suppose to be a human,ur kind are animals living in bush.go find ur brothers
Santos, although right now I wouldn’t break up a winning back 4 combination. But Gibbs is all over the place positionally, every opposition attack comes down our left, and Gibbs is nowhere to be found.
Agreed Santos had a slightly shaky start and gave the ball away with his first touch on Sat, but once he had a run of games his tackle win percentage was the highest in the team. He is actually very good defensively and clever with it. Sees danger early and intercepts and then bombs forward. Attack wise I agree Gibbs is the better crosser but Santos adds far more. He is almost impossible to track because he pops up in unusual places and knows when to get forward and when to stay back. He times his appearance in attack in a way that makes him difficult to pick up. Gibbs just literally sprints forward into the opposition box the second we have the ball and then can be regularly found chasing back as we lose it.
yep you have it spot on santos allday for
me,gibbs needs to be a understudy for a year or so. when santos is match fit he is class very smart and he has allright speed
I think Gibbs has really come of age over the last few weeks. I’ve really been impressed with him. Based on form I’d play him ahead of Santos at the moment. I think we need to rotate both of them to avoid injuries.
i agree with u
I could not agree more, Santos is a highly skillful and clever player. He can read the game and anticipates the attackers’ moves. When he is fit and ready, he could stop any player, coming back from injury, he is not there yet but I am confident he will be an asset for Arsenal. Gibbs has shown marked improvement in his game and I am happy for him that he back to full confidence to press forward and score his first goal, he is a promising young prospect and if he continues with the current pace he will be unstoppable.
There has been some absolute nonsense in some if the comments. Disco Stu sums it up perfectly. Gibbs is a defensive liability. He doesn’t read the game and his positional sense is appalling. He either gets drawn into the middle leaving the left exposed or he gets caught up field leaving us susceptible to the counter attack. Santos has his limitations but he is aware of them and manages them better leaving less exposed. Santos is the lesser of two evils. Bottom-line is we need a quality left back!!!
Arsenal Full backs are not conventional full backs but are more wing backs. When you are a wing back you are bound to be caught out of position occasionally. That is the price we pay for asking width of our FB’s. When Vermaelen played at LB he was positionally sound by the width offered was nil. Arsenal were terrible ineffective and narrow when we had CB’s playing in FB positions.
This is all very true. Well said.
Gibbs was a born left winger. Wenger’s choice to use him as a left back isn’t in Gibbs’ favour but its Wenger’s tactics to have the left side as the attacking outlet. Just remember a few seasons back when we had Cole and Pires on the left, that is where most of our attacks came from. But if i was to choose between Gibbs and Santos, id choose Gibbs because he has a better all round game, Santos has the brazilian flair in attack but Gibbs’ attack is just as good since he’s a winger.
another pointless topic. you should be happy we will start the season with 2 good leftback. team like arsenal should have 2 good players in every positions because we participate in 4 competitions ever season and when wenger learn how to rotate the team we will have less injuries instead of playing the same players till they have deadlegs.
pointless topic because when a wing back surges forward there is always someone to cover his position. please try to watch football before you make your point.
pointless again even embarrassing to compare, andre santos is better considering his first season in english football next season he’s gonna follow koscielny footstep and perform for us. gibbs is still a work in progress,it will be nice to see him keeps his form and fitness and help us challenge for trophies next season.
Santos is my choice
All i can say is that gibbs is english…and as we all know once youre english (phil jones and henderson, are gud examples)…ah ! c’mon the guy is from england so lets rate him outrageously high!!
Santos all the way baby!!.
All i can say is that gibbs is english…and as we all know once youre english (phil jones and henderson, are gud examples)…ah ! c’mon the guy is from england so lets rate him outrageously high!!
Santos all the way.
We have two quality left backs, but Gibbs is the best no doubt about it.