Arsenal's Calum Chambers Survives Liverpool Scare and Can Now Kick On

There is no position on the pitch where inexperience is as problematic as centre-back. Calum Chambers is still just 20, but he’s even less accustomed to playing the position than his age would suggest, having only switched to it a year ago.

Against Liverpool, his naivety was clear, and he was lucky to escape punishment for a poor first-half display. However, the manner in which he recovered after the interval suggests he has the resilience required to bounce back from this latest set-back.

If Chambers was lacking confidence, that would be understandable. He fell out of favour midway through last season and has found first-team football hard to come by since.

At the time, he was predominantly playing at right-back, where his lack of pace was cruelly exposed by the likes of Jefferson Montero at Swansea. Hector Bellerin has subsequently taken the right-back spot for himself, while the arrival of Gabriel Paulista has effectively demoted Chambers to fourth-choice centre-back. The heady days of his senior England call-up at the outset of 2014/15 seem some time ago now.

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However, a combination of injury and illness robbed Arsenal of their first-choice defensive pairing of Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny, and Chambers found himself thrust into the firing line for Liverpool's visit.

His performance was notably nervous and typical of Arsenal’s chaotic first-half showing. Up against the power of Christian Benteke and the trickery of Philippe Coutinho, Chambers struggled for a foothold in the game. As his bravado drained, his game disintegrated. Before long he was misplacing even the simplest of passes.

He wasn’t the only one to struggle. Aside from him, Bellerin looked lost without the wisdom of Mertesacker in his ear. Paulista showcased many of his technical attributes but looked equally unsettled by a new defensive partner. At half-time, it was surprising that Liverpool weren’t several goals ahead.

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Arsene Wenger must have toyed with the possibility of withdrawing Chambers at the interval. However, he stuck with the young defender and was rewarded with a much-improved display. After the game, the Gunners boss told Arsenal.com:

"

He responded well. It was important for him. You sit there and you wonder how far he can go without losing competitive confidence. In the second half he did well. He’s a good footballer and he will come out of that stronger, with the belief that when he had difficult moments he can come out of it stronger.

"

He certainly owes plenty to the performance of Petr Cech. Were it not for several outstanding saves, Chambers’ poor defending could have been significantly more costly. Speaking after the final whistle, Chambers eulogised to Arsenal.com about the influence Cech is already having on the squad:

"

It’s good to train with him. He’s always talking to me and helping me to improve my game, which is really useful. In training he’ll come up to me during the session or after the session and say, ‘This was good, you could maybe do this or try this.’ It’s always great to have someone who can help you.

"

That’s exactly what the young centre-back needs—players around him who can pass on the tricks of the trade. He’s still raw but the core ability is undoubtedly there. Having survived a scare against Liverpool, Chambers can now focus on continuing his development.

There is a great centre-back lurking in there, and incidents like his performance against Liverpool are all part of the learning process. Young players need to be afforded the chance to make mistakes if they’re to improve. Having fought back to assert himself against Liverpool, Chambers will be a stronger player moving forward.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.