Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Reading in last season’s FA Cup semi-final was memorable not only due to a master class from Mesut Özil and Alexis Sánchez, but also because of very poor performances from Kieran Gibbs and Mathieu Debuchy. Many Arsenal fans felt that the two full-backs, who had slipped back in the pecking order to Nacho Monreal and Héctor Bellerín that season, were not good enough to play a role at the club.
Currently, things are not too different for the pair. Both are very much second choice; both are under constant criticism; both have struggled in the few matches which they have started. However, in the recent draw with Spurs at The Emirates Stadium, Debuchy had a less disastrous time at right-back than he has had recently, and Gibbs, after he came on for Joel Campbell, made himself a hero by getting on the end of Özil’s perfect cross to give his side a crucial equaliser against their North London rivals.
Not long ago, Gibbs was playing regular games and was something of an Arsenal hero. Before the resurgence of the now brilliant Nacho Monreal, he had tied down the left-back starting spot and formed a somewhat inconsistent but often solid defensive unit alongside Laurent Koscielny, Per Mertesacker and Bacary Sagna. In the 2013-14 season, he made 41 appearances in total and was a crucial part of Arsenal’s winning the FA Cup and with it the club’s first trophy in nine years.
At that point, Nacho Monreal could only expect to play either in games where Arsène Wenger was rotating the side or coming on as a substitute on the left wing when Arsenal were trying to close out close games. But by the end of the 2014-15 season, he had taken Gibbs’ place in the first team after a string of brilliant performances.
Now, the roles have reversed: Gibbs has only made five appearances in the Premier League this season, all of which have come as a substitute. His only starts have been in games where Wenger has been looking to rotate the team. All of the games he has started, he has struggled for form and has received criticism. However, his substitute appearances have shown signs of promise, and recently his form has improved at a steady rate — perhaps Wenger’s decision to rotate the squad early in the season could pay off as the reserves get sharper and sharper.
Kieran Gibbs’ Arsenal Career: Not Over Yet
Many have been calling for Gibbs and Debuchy to be offloaded in place of full-backs who will give Monreal and Bellerín more competition. However, while the latter’s Arsenal career looks to be coming to an end, the former’s substitute appearances have shown that he is not only ready to fight for his future, but that he could be a strong backup for the future.
Two of his recent appearances from the bench stick out in the memory. In Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Bayern Munich, he came on as a winger with the score at 1-0 to add to his side’s defensive stability. Though he did not have too much to do in the ten minutes he was on the pitch, he worked hard to make sure that that the Bayern right side couldn’t get near the Arsenal penalty area. If the exhausted Alexis had stayed on the pitch instead, perhaps the Gunners would have made harder work of defending their lead.
When Arsenal were 1-0 down at home to Tottenham on Sunday, it was clear that something needed to change. The team were not able to penetrate the Spurs defence effectively, and Joel Campbell was not able to be part of the team’s creative process. Gibbs played on the left wing once again and, as well as working his socks off as always, scored the equaliser. Perhaps this could be a turning point in his career.
As things stand, there is no place for Gibbs in the starting line-up. Nacho Monreal is playing at an elite level and with first choice right winger Aaron Ramsey and backup Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain set to return from injury after the international break it is unlikely that Arsenal will be in any need of wingers. However, he has the chance to prove to Wenger that Monreal can be rested on occasion without Arsenal needing to worry.
He has already proven that he is more than good enough to play as a defensive winger when closing out games. His pace and work rate mean that he can protect the back four as well as get the ball up the other end of the pitch both to waste time and start counter-attacks to kill the game off. But as a left-back, the two main problems at the moment are that he is too error prone defensively and does not contribute enough for the team going forward — too rather important areas.
The former should gradually sort itself out as he plays more; it is difficult for defenders to stay sharp if they aren’t playing regularly. When he was a starter he was not on the level of, for example, Ashley Cole but was not prone to disastrous errors. Though his pace and relatively strong passing ability should combine to make him a potent force going forward, he doesn’t offer a creative option anything like that of Monreal. His short passing is perfectly sound, but his crossing and his ability to create chances and break down opposition teams is not up to standard.
This is what he needs to work on to be trusted as a starter again. It is clear from his performances on the pitch that he has a good work ethic and it is up to him to put the hours in and work on his offensive game. After that, he will have to seize each opportunity he gets to blend into the side and string attacks together.
This will require patience — attacking football is a frustrating animal. Creative passes can take multiple attempts to work and for a clear-cut chance to be created: even Mesut Özil can’t turn every key pass into an assist or chance. Therefore if Gibbs wants to become a regular starter it could take years for him to regain Wenger’s trust. This could be worth the wait, as he is three years younger than Monreal and would have plenty of time to win trophies as a first choice left-back.
The key factor in his getting more game time in his preferred position will be not making any defensive errors. If he can be trusted to go 90 minutes without there being a chance of disaster, he will get more chances. Then, it will be up to him to prove that he can stamp his authority on a match against any team at any level. If he achieves this, he will be able to have a successful career at a top club instead of stepping down a level to get game time.
Even if Arsenal win the Premier League this season, something of a minor overhaul will be needed. Players like Mikel Arteta, Mathieu Flamini, Mathieu Debuchy and Tomas Rosicky are very much at the end of their time at Arsenal, and the likes of Joel Campbell, Yaya Sanogo and Wojciech Szczesny don’t look cut out for the top level. Therefore whilst the first team looks very strong indeed and could be improved further, the reserves desperately need strengthening so that disasters like the results against Dinamo Zagreb, Sheffield Wednesday and Olympiakos can be avoided when the second team features. If Kieran Gibbs wants to avoid being on the receiving end of this revamp, he will have to patiently improve and get back to the level he was at two years ago.
