What Mathieu Debuchy Must Do to Become a Great Arsenal Defender

Mathieu Debuchy faced a titanic task when he transferred from Newcastle to Arsenal this past summer.

He was brought in to replace Bacary Sagna, which was no small ask. Sagna had been a rock on the right of Arsenal's defense for several seasons, and had done a great job filling in at center-back when needed.

But, as much as Arsenal and the club's fans wanted to keep him around, the Gunners just could not offer him the sort of money he got from Manchester City. Though Pablo Zabaleta's excellence has severely restricted Sagna's playing time, he did well to cash in at the last possible time.

During a summer filled with excitement, anticipation and speculation about Arsenal's signings and what areas Arsene Wenger was targeting, everyone acknowledged that Arsenal would sign a new right-back.

It was such a foregone conclusion that Debuchy's long-rumored arrival faded quickly from the front pages, and people generally reacted with a shoulder shrug when he finally put pen to paper. Everyone knew the move was coming, and it made perfect sense.

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Debuchy is 29 and will be 30 before next season. He still has years of life in his legs, but Wenger has historically been reticent to keep players long past the age of 30, and Arsenal have several young right-backs coming through the pipeline anyway.

Carl Jenkinson, thought before this season to be the most promising of the bunch, was farmed out on loan to West Ham United, where he has generally acquitted himself well this season and shows definite signs of development.

And Hector Bellerin has impressed with his raw talent and striking physical skill since coming into the team in the fall. The young Spaniard is blessed with a sprinter's speed and excellent ball control when running at full tilt.

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Of course, there is also Calum Chambers, who has played most of his career at right-back. However, Wenger sees his future in defensive midfield, as per the club website.

So Debuchy faces tons of competition from hungry young players and knows that his place in the starting XI beyond this season is perilous.

He has to work on his technique as a center-back, a position he has played twice this season (and for the first time in his career). Whether or not Wenger does the right thing and buys a central defender this month, Debuchy is now a backup center-back.

That means he needs to teach himself to sit back and read the game, rather than burst forward to support the attack. He needs to be more disciplined when he plays in that role and work with Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny on nitty-gritty details like maintaining an offside trap and understanding each other's playing styles.

Debuchy also has to work on his right-back play. His crosses, for example, could be considerably better and he sometimes makes sloppy challenges that either miss the mark or make it easy for the referee to call a foul.

He has to primarily focus on being a right-back, of course, but Sagna's success tells us that the very best players are those that are most versatile and always manage to incorporate themselves into the manager's plans.

Debuchy has shown signs that he is doing that, but the onus is really on him as he approaches 30 and three young players prepare to vie for the job next season.

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