Norman Smith
The win over Spurs in the Capital One Cup was probably most notable for the rarity of Mathieu Flamini scoring twice in a game, but the match also offered an illustration of how quickly things can change in football. It demonstrated the rise to prominence of one Arsenal player over the past 12 months and the fall of another as Mathieu Debuchy’s performance at right-back proved how quickly and almost effortlessly Hector Bellerin has established himself as first choice.
It is a scenario that not many people would have predicted when Arsenal signed Debuchy from Newcastle for around £12million in the summer of 2014. In his 18 months at St James’ Park, Debuchy had proved to be one of the most consistent and reliable full-backs in the Premier League. He was a solid defender and offered a threat going forward. Following the departure of his fellow France international, Bacary Sagna, it appeared Arsenal had made an astute signing in bringing in Debuchy.
But misfortune has conspired against Debuchy and he is now in the position where he is facing a fight for his place in the France squad for next summer’s European Championship and also his Arsenal career. He had made a steady start to his Arsenal career and showed the potential to make the step up from Newcastle. A simple comparison showed that his pass completion rate went up from 72.8 per cent at Newcastle to 79.7 per cent at Arsenal last season.
But he then suffered an ankle injury against Manchester City just over 12 months ago which ruled him out of action for three months. He returned to action in December and scored his first goal for the club in the 2-2 draw at Liverpool, only for injury to strike again just as Debuchy was hitting full pelt again after a month in the team.
Debuchy dislocated his shoulder in the 3-0 home win over Stoke in January and, subsequently, made one further appearance last season when starting the FA Cup semi-final success over Reading at Wembley.
Back to fitness this season, Debuchy has had an unfortunate time of things in his opening three appearances of the campaign. He started the 2-0 defeat at home by West Ham in the first Premier League game, began the 2-1 defeat at Dinamo Zagreb in the opening Champions League group game and was then selected to face Spurs. By Arsenal’s standards, it was a strong line-up for a Capital One Cup tie, which is natural given the opposition, but Wenger still made multiple changes from the 2-0 defeat at Chelsea. The fact Debuchy was in the team was a clear sign of how he is now the second choice right-back at the club. And he didn’t exactly help his chances of pushing his way back ahead of Bellerin in Wenger’s thinking. Time and time again, he struggled with the threat Spurs posed down their left-hand side and he was unable to contain the twin danger of Danny Rose and Nacer Chadli. He was booked in the first half and then failed to cut out Chadli’s cross which led to Spurs’ equaliser.
Given the torrid time Debuchy was having in the first half, it was surprising that Wenger kept him on for the full game, especially considering he was on a yellow card and Bellerin was on the bench to be a direct replacement if required. After the defeat at Chelsea, bluesq pointed to a naivety about Arsenal and it could be argued that there was a certain naivety from Wenger in keeping Debuchy on the pitch. It would not have taken much for Debuchy to pick up a second yellow card given how he was being targeted by Spurs down the left.
From a certain point you can understand Wenger’s reluctance to withdraw Debuchy. There was clearly the potential to damage the player’s confidence by taking him off when it was clear he was having a below-par game, but it could easily have cost Arsenal the game on another night. At 30, Debuchy is old enough and has sufficient experience to understand such a decision, had it been taken. He fortunately got through the game, but he now seems further away than ever from ousting Bellerin from the team.
Debuchy’s plight is certainly a stark contrast to the rapid progression of Bellerin in the past 12 months. This time last year, Bellerin was making just his third appearance for Arsenal in the Capital One Cup defeat by Southampton. His second game had come just the week before against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League and his debut had been two years ago against West Brom in the League Cup. Bellerin made his Premier League debut in the 2-2 home draw with Hull City in October last year and, following the second injury suffered by Debuchy, he made the right-back spot his own.
As a product of Barcelona’s academy, Bellerin is a strong technical footballer and his passing accuracy percentage last season was almost four per cent better than Debuchy’s. He also scored in home wins over Aston Villa and Liverpool. The Spaniard’s pace down the right-hand side provided Arsenal with an even greater attacking threat, and it also helped in his ability to recover defensively – an asset which used to serve Ashley Cole particularly well. It was no surprise that Bellerin was rewarded with a new long-term contract in the summer and he has continued to progress this season.
The new campaign may only be a few games old, but Bellerin has already improved his passing percentage. He is also making more tackles, clearances, interceptions and blocks per game than last season, and has reduced the number of fouls he commits per game on average as well. It is probably little wonder there have been whispers of interest from Barcelona, especially as he could be viewed as a long-term replacement for Dani Alves, but Bellerin has been quick to state his happiness at Arsenal. There is every reason for him to be happy given the way he is now an integral member of the team.
As is often the case in football, one player’s misfortune is another player’s good fortune and that’s how it’s worked out for Bellerin.
