Hector Bellerin Can Provide Able Cover for Injured Mathieu Debuchy at Arsenal
With Arsenal right-back Mathieu Debuchy suffering a dislocated shoulder in Sunday's 3-0 victory over Stoke City, manager Arsene Wenger should turn to young deputy Hector Bellerin as his replacement.
Tom Sheen of The Independent wrote that Debuchy would be "out for an unknown amount of time" after crashing into the Emirates Stadium advertising hoardings following a strong challenge from Marko Arnautovic.
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Sheen also quotes Wenger: "He has a dislocated shoulder. It is difficult (to say how long he will be out)—you need a diagnosis from a specialist."
It is safe to assume that Debuchy will at least miss Arsenal's next game, away to Manchester City in the Premier League, and likely the next weekend's trip to Brighton and Hove Albion in the FA Cup.
With that in mind, Wenger must find an in-house replacement—before he turns to the transfer market.
Bellerin serves as an exciting prospect at right-back, and Debuchy's injury could provide the 19-year-old with the opportunity to firmly establish himself in Wenger's thoughts for the long term.
Mathieu Debuchy
Despite his myriad injury problems this season, Debuchy's form since moving to Arsenal from Newcastle United in the summer has solidified his position as one of the Premier League's leading right-backs.
The departure of Bacary Sagna, who joined this Sunday's opponents in a free transfer in 2014, was considered a significant loss for Arsenal, but Debuchy has alleviated any supporter worries.
"Debuchy is looking like a very good signing. Sagna leaving was far from ideal but Wenger has made the best of a bad situation.
— Ollie (@AFCOllie) December 9, 2014"
In 10 league appearances this season, Debuchy has played in just one Arsenal loss, conceding just 13 goals.
His average of eight defensive actions—including blocks, clearances and interceptions—per game is equal with centre-backs Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny, according to Squawka.
This is the most prolific defensive contribution of any Arsenal player, and Debuchy makes at least two more defensive actions on average than any other Gunners player.
Particularly outstanding in Arsenal's 1-1 August draw with Leicester City, Debuchy's contribution in the early stages of 2014/15 was exemplary, prior to an ankle injury which saw the right-back miss 11 consecutive league games.
Suffering without the 29-year-old, Arsenal lost four of those 11 games, with a further two draws and five victories.
Clearly, the contribution of Debuchy is of paramount importance to Wenger's side, and the former Lille man is a difficult player to replace.
Hector Bellerin
Introduced in place of Debuchy as he was stretchered off at the Emirates on Sunday, Bellerin went some way to relieve Arsenal fears.
After a short loan spell with Championship side Watford in 2013/14, Bellerin returned to Arsenal ready to challenge for a place in what seems a perpetually depleted Arsenal defence.
As Bleacher Report's James McNicholas wrote for the Mirror in September, Bellerin is "far more than just a defender."
With an average of 1.6 dribbles per game, Bellerin is the most attack-minded of Arsenal's defenders, and statistically the sixth-most adventurous of Wenger's squad in this respect.
As Arseblog reports, Bellerin broke Theo Walcott's training-ground sprint-speed record this season, underlining his raw potency.
Taking this ability into the Premier League this season, Bellerin was particularly impressive in Arsenal's 4-1 victory at home to Newcastle in December.
In that fixture, Bellerin started with Debuchy deputising at centre-back, and he registered an exceptional defensive output.
With three tackles and two interceptions, Bellerin was behind only Kieran Gibbs, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Danny Welbeck in terms of asserting his physicality.
Adding this to Bellerin's pace and contribution in the attacking phase, which included an assist that day, outlines a mature, balanced display.
Encouragingly, much was the same against Stoke on Sunday, with another provident performance.
A player of clear confidence, with a handful of performances to back it up, Bellerin is a fitting replacement for the proficient Debuchy.
Limited Options
In his assessment of Debuchy's injury, Wenger also highlighted another glaring defensive problem facing his team selection for the visit to the Etihad Stadium.
The manager conceded that "Gibbs still has an inflamed ankle," before opening up about a wider trouble.
Wenger outlined: "[Nacho] Monreal and Debuchy can play centre-back, but if Gibbs is not here Monreal cannot play centre-back and if Debuchy is not here he cannot play centre-back. This is a position where we are short."
In short, Wenger's decision to cover first-choice centre-backs Mertesacker and Koscielny with converted full-backs this season is currently backfiring.
With Debuchy joining Gibbs on the injury list, Bellerin, Monreal and Calum Chambers serve not only as Arsenal's only senior full-back options, but the latter pair moonlight as central-defensive cover.
As a specialist right-back, who is evidently most effective when allowed to drive forward from that position, Bellerin must be deployed in that position.
Wenger cannot risk fielding the four defenders capable of covering the centre-back areas, and as such Bellerin is the only appropriate option at right-back.
Fellow 19-year-old Chambers must serve as cover for Arsenal's centre-backs, due to his experience in the position.
Furthermore, as evidenced by Jefferson Montero's humiliation of the former Southampton man in Swansea City's 2-1 November win over Arsenal, exiling Chambers at full-back offers the opposition an easy target.
With Arsenal's defensive options stretched, and Hector Bellerin has already proven himself as effective in this role, the right-back should be brought in to cover for the injured Mathieu Debuchy.
Statistics via WhoScored.com, unless specified.
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