It’s easy to overlook the fact when the team is winning, and without question the team has made progress in the last couple of years, but there still seems to be individual talent that Mikel Arteta treats in a certain manner if you don’t quite suit his ethos.
Ultimately that has, and will, continue to cost him success, as you need to be able to trust your fringe players. Men who didn’t start every week, but who when called upon have enough trust to do a job.
One of them is Jakub Kiwior who doesn’t need to be told he’s quite low in the pecking order at the moment. It took a Timber injury and Saliba red card for him to get minutes on Saturday.
Yet, immediately after his back pass gifted Bournemouth a penalty the sub was substituted, seen as often one of the biggest embarrassments in the sport.
Now it’s worth stressing that at 2-0 we were forced to make attacking changes, but at that point could not any other defender have been sacrificed.
Ben White for instance was on a yellow and surely long term it was worth protecting the youngster’s confidence.
Only our manager knows if he was making an example out of the 23-year-old. I didn’t hear anyone ask about the situation during the pre-match CL press conference which may have been requested to the media?
There are those who have worked with the Spaniard who will tell you he has that streak in him to act this way.
Rumours suggested the Pole’s agent was already in talks with Italian sides concerning a January move, this despite his boss always maintaining the center back was being developed for the long term.
Where his development would be prioritized by some this week, I don’t think it will be.
Without taking Donetsk lightly, you can play any senior back 4 Tuesday and get 3 points. Longer term some man management is needed, a start like an arm round the shoulder. Some coaches would think that way.
The irony being that in 2003-04 Edu was one of those individuals, who when a Vieira or Gilberto was injured or suspended, came in and the level never dropped.
Yet, along with the Kroenke Family, he’s allowed an employee to believe giving up on so many assets are standard practice, instead of getting the best out of the resources he’s inherited.
Will or should Kiwior start tonight? The quicker he gets the error out of his system the better.
Dan
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