How can Arteta keep both Tierney and Tavares happy? | OneFootball

Between Tavares and Tierney; two good choices By Sylvester Kwentua

Hi again. Nuno Tavares is getting all the hype he deserves right now, especially after having a great game on Saturday. In recent games, he has made the left back position his for keeps. His cause was aided by the injury that Kieran Tierney sustained some weeks ago, that kept him away from the first team for a long time.

However, the good news is that Tierney, who once had sole ownership status to the left back position, has been back for a while, hanging around the first team and waiting for an opportunity to reclaim his shirt. His only hope of getting back into the team right now, may be if Tavares experiences a total lost of form. Or is there a chance of him getting back into the team sooner than later?

After the Liverpool game, a lot of people were of the opinion that Arteta making use of Tavares instead of Tierney at left back, was a great mistake that aided to Arsenal’s loss that day. Bringing Tierney back without delay was the suggestion. Luckily for Tavares, Arteta turned deaf ears to people’s criticism and stuck with Tavares for the Newcastle game. A decision Tavares never made him regret.

So, based on his last game, Tavares deserves one more game right? Well, maybe. Then when does Tierney get to play?

“Against Manchester United on Thursday, we need Tierney’s steel at left back, Tavares is good but still learning the ropes”, a friend who I had this conversation with over the weekend, asserted. Maybe he has a point, maybe not.

Tierney surely deserves to play and being on the bench for a long time may have negative effects on his development as a player. He is fast, skillful, takes on defenders and knows how to score the odd but important goal. He has these qualities, same as Tavares. What this means is that Arsenal have in their team, two solid left back defenders, and that is a good thing. But then, how do you make both of them happy?

We are Arsenal and proud.

Sylvester