12 Feb 2020 00:16:56
Well, I saw no hate for my last post (as there's no thumbs down any more! ) , so I'll do another one.
(and apologies to Ed001 for doing a poor take on the player profiles - although mine is purely a layperson's perspective looking at our team and going back over some of the views that others have posted here) :)

So. Hector Bellerin
(who for 62's information is Vegan, but probably doesn't buy them at Aldi) :

He'll turn 25 next month, having been with us approaching 9 year ago from Barcelona and contracted to 2022. His competitive debut was coming on for Mikel Arteta in 2013! 😊

A few years back the extent of his pace was highlighted by an article comparing him to Usain Bolt when he broke the 100m world record, saying Hector was actually quicker over 40m and would've been 2m ahead of Bolt! 😊 Even if not completely accurate, he's fast. His pace and endurance is a real asset and he's also done an awful lot of running for the team - often supporting the attack then running back at full pace. In past seasons he's clearly been trying to cover when others (e. g. Ramsey) lost possession in the opposition box and we were caught on the counter, and has been blamed for being out of position - but I'm not sure how much of it was actually his fault, others, or team tactics/ discipline generally. His pace has certainly got us out of trouble a lot of times though, and when he's had adequate cover behind him, going forward he can really put pressure on opposition defenders too. So there's a big question mark - has his pace not been utilised properly in the past? and can it be?

He seems to have changed how he plays in attack over the past couple of seasons, stopping/ slowing the game to bring others in to it, or cutting in on his left foot to shoot or try a little through-ball whereas in the past I'm sure he used to try getting towards the byline and putting in crosses more often. His passing seems more varied than it used to, with more subtle passes or crosses from infield, but I guess with Lacazette leading the line, it makes less sense attempting as many crosses from out wide, but it does seem pretty rare that he tries to beat defenders and put many in. I don't think he's particularly good at crossing though, so perhaps it's a combination of that and Laca (or just not having Giroud) that has seen the change in his play?

His tackling has noticeably improved, as he seems to be winning more important tackles in his RB position, and on the right side of our goal than he used to - especially critical last-ditch ones. He's clearly better positionally too, although that's presumably a combination of both his improvement and the team structure, but he's still a far cry from his polar-opposite, Mertesacker, who used to make me pull my hair out when he got caught on the halfway line with no pace at all to get back, but really did have great positioning to stop players when they were in front of him.

His commitment to the team on and off the field, and his passion is obvious. He always puts in 100% and even when he went through a rough patch under Wenger, getting (unfairly) scapegoated, he kept his head and just kept working away. I think that's was really impressive.

Compared to other RBs in the top teams, Liverpool's Trent AA who already seems like the complete package and Chelsea's Azpilicueta are both a lot more rounded and better overall. Ed001 did a profile about Man U's Wan-Bissaka a while back which praised him highly, and if he's not already better the Hector, it seems like only a matter of a time. City's Cancelo, Wolves' Doherty, Everton's Sidibe, City's Perreira and our own Soares I've not watched enough to feel confident commenting in detail, but all look generally very good. Would be interesting to know how other's think they compare? I'd have Hector over Spurs' Aurier, City's Walker (who has strength to go with his pace, although defensively doesn't seem any better than Hector and maybe even worse) and Coleman too who I was in awe of at his peak. Saying it like that though, we don't seem that strong at RB compared to other teams!

I really like Hector, and I'm very happy to keep him - but I'm more interested in passionate play and occasional brilliance than winning titles lol If Mikel can get the team to utilise his strengths, stretching the opposition, making crosses, or perhaps as a wingback, then he may still really show how good he can be. Ultimately though, if we're not going to utilise Bellerin's pace fully, then it does make me fear for his future at Arsenal. Until I started writing this, I didn't think Hector's place was in any doubt, but now I'm not quite as confident about his place in the starting 11. Was Soares coming in just for cover, or has Mikel got a change in mind for our starting RB for next season, or even the rest of this? Interested to hear what others think.

1.) 12 Feb 2020
12 Feb 2020 08:18:33
Another brilliant post and very good assessment Jim lad.
I rate Hector very highly and never quite understood how he became a target for the boo boys when the team were going through one of our many struggling periods he seemed to cope the flack for some unknown reason.
Soares is has been brought in to cover Hector's injury absences and of course put pressure on him as both will now have to compete for the right back slot which I think will do Belerin loads of good.
In my opinion he's well under rated by many fans simply because of how poor the team have been and once he's fully fit again well see he's just a big Mac and a meat feast pizza away from attracting the interests of other top clubs again as he has in the past.

Thanks for taking the time to do this individual break down of the team Jim, excellent work mate and look forward to either Kol or Tierney when you get chance mate.

2.) 12 Feb 2020
12 Feb 2020 15:27:57
Glad he’s cut his hair - start on the positives 😂😂

I like him but if we got 40m for him I wouldn’t cry about him leaving as he seems to have more pace than defensive capabilities or end product. Not a great defender and needs pace to recover - is he still as quick? Not sure he thinks like a defender otherwise why would he get caught out do much. He doesn’t seem to have it in him to beat the last man and whip a decent cross into the box for no one to run onto. I don’t think he’s the best passer or dribbler either. He doesn’t have a cool head in front of goal but neither did Lee or Nigel yet part of a great back 4. To be fair to Lee he scored at least 2 great own goals 😂😂
Question is - can he benefit from a better defence and training? He’s young enough and seems passionate about our club. We don’t have forwards running in for headers so crossing hasn’t been important while some of his cut backs are effective. With the attack minded left back from Scotland in the team - is he tempted to cash in on Bellerin and get a slightly more defence minded right back and reinvest the large transfer fee into the rest of the team. To rebuild - we need money and so selling him may be a good option. Pace alone isn’t enough.

3.) 12 Feb 2020
12 Feb 2020 17:15:34
Oh my God! What's going on?

I agree with sy4

Quick get the bong and the Valium.