Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been left with a major dilemma as it has been revealed that Kieran Tierney is unlikely to feature for the Gunners again this season.
The left-back is set to undergo surgery on his knee later this week that will rule him out until the summer, according to The Athletic. The defender may also be unavailable for Scotland’s crucial World Cup qualification play-off in June.
Tierney has been an important player for Arsenal so far this season and is widely regarded as an important figure in the dressing room too, providing plenty of experience amongst an inexperienced, youthful crop of players despite being just 24 years old. Nuno Tavares would be the obvious replacement for Tierney, but he hasn’t impressed.
The Portuguese left-back was blasted by Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports on Monday night following a poor first-half performance against Crystal Palace. The former Liverpool defender said: “He is at fault for the second goal, but it is not just this goal, Arsenal have to bring him off and make a change, I will be very surprised if he comes out for the second half.
“It is something you are taught as a young kid, if you are a defender, you have always got to think that the player next to you is a dummy, and a poor player. Tavares stops, and Ayew keeps running because he thinks Gabriel is going to miss it, Tavares thinks he (Gabriel) is going to cut it out, but he doesn’t."
Palace ran out worthy winners against the Gunners, winning 3-0 thanks to goals from Jean-Philippe Mateta, Jordan Ayew and Wilfried Zaha. The performance highlighted that Arsenal certainly have a long way to go before they can start making plans for the Champions League this season, with fierce rivals Tottenham now occupying the fourth spot in the league.
But it also showed that Tavares has a long way to go before he is capable of seamlessly replacing Tierney when he is unavailable. The 22-year-old struggled to keep tabs on Ayew down the left, and when in possession his passing and movement was certainly questionable. Previously, questions have been raised over whether the former Benfica star was actually capable of playing in a back four, with his skillset looking more apt for a wingback role where he is expected to be a threat in both penalty areas.
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Tavares was replaced by Gabriel Martinelli at half-time at Selhurst Park, with Arteta opting to play central midfielder Granit Xhaka in left-back rather than persisting with the Portuguese international. However, that may not be a long-term solution for the Spanish boss.
Xhaka’s usual midfield partner Thomas Partey hobbled off of the pitch in the 75th minute against Palace after reaggravating a previous injury, and it has been described as a ‘big concern’ by Arteta. If the Ghanian is ruled out for the foreseeable future then a new-look Arsenal midfield could certainly influence them tactically, thus keeping Xhaka in there to provide a sense of normality will certainly be considered.
It remains to be seen how Arteta will cope with the injury concerns. The Spanish boss hasn't been afraid young talents in at the deep end so he could turn to his under-23s squad for defensive reinforcements if he deems that a necessary move.
