So after Sunday’s shock win over Leicester City (I mean who saw that coming), there are some things that raised a few eyebrows.
If you’ve been following content across the site, you’ll know that Hector Bellerin has endured what can only be described as an up and down season.
If you’ve been following the Gunners’ season, you’ll know just what sort of year Hector Bellerin has been enduring. From getting called up by the Spain national team to failing to take throw-in correctly, the former Barcelona man has experienced his fair share of ups and downs this campaign.
Should Arsenal sell Hector Bellerin?
Yes
No
However, his recent performances have been a real cause for concern in all honesty with his ball control a particular worry. For someone who used to play for the Catalan giants, you’d think the ace would be able to look far more comfortable on the ball than he has recently.
As a result, some fans have called for the introduction of Cedric Soares in the right-back starting berth in place of the 25-year-old, who has been attracting interest from Paris Saint Germain if you believe what you read online.
So, analysing the two players, who is the better option on the right-hand side of defence?
If Arteta wants to go for a more attacking option and better ball carrier, the 29-year-old Portugal international is the best bet.
What really shines a light on how poor Bellerin is on the ball, is his failure to link-up with whoever plays on the flank ahead of him. In the clash with Manchester City most recently, Nicolas Pepe was playing on the right-wing and proved fairly anonymous throughout his 73 minutes on the pitch.
However, it wasn’t all the Ivorian’s fault with his Spanish colleague failing to provide any sort of link-up whatsoever. The PSG summer target found Pepe on just seven occasions, compared to the 31 times Cedric found him during Sunday’s win over the Foxes.
There’s no surprise the club-record signing looked far more comfortable with Cedric behind him. It seems being able to link-up with teammates is a key aspect of the winger’s play, who would’ve thought?
It’s hard to make a case for Bellerin continuing at right-back especially with the renaissance Cedric is enjoying recently. The £75k-p/w Portuguese defender must be brought in ahead of the Spaniard, not just for the sake of the club, but for the sake of Pepe.
