“That’s A Learning” – Arteta Vows To Stop Asking Kieran Tierney To Invert As A Left-Back

By The Editor
on 11th December 2024

Arteta has a lightbulb moment with Kieran Tierney…

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has talked up Kieran Tierney’s chances of making a shock return to the first team amid an injury crisis at full-back, with the Spaniard admitting that the 27-year-old will not be asked to invert, the Daily Record reports.

Tierney was one of the players who fell victim to our evolution as a team where, despite his obvious qualities, he was unable to adapt to what Arteta wanted from his full-backs.

The boss hasn’t operated with a traditional full-back for a number of seasons, instead instructing those in that area to tuck inside as midfielders and leave space for the wide players to hug the touchline.

That philosophy has seen the likes of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Takehiro Tomiyasu picked ahead of him while Arteta has added Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori to the squad.

Now, with the aforementioned quartet all likely to miss the Champions League tie against Monaco with various knocks, Arteta has addressed the possibility of Tierney being handed an opportunity and what would be asked of him.

“I would put Kieran more in his strengths,” Arteta said when asked about Tierney’s discomfort as an inverted full-back.

“If we do what we have to do I would play him in positions, especially in attack, in situations and scenarios and spaces that he is more comfortable with.

“That’s a learning.”

Tierney sat on the bench during the 2022/23 season and as our title charge dwindled away, Mikel Arteta turned to Jakub Kiwior to replace the injured Zinchenko and Tomiyasu.

It meant a right-back berth for Thomas Partey who was asked to invert from the right, all while a natural left-back was left unused.

Now, Arteta clearly feels he can morph the team into his favoured 3-2-5 shape in possession without asking Tierney to invert. That will likely involve a midfield double-pivot, while the left winger will be asked to tuck inside into a left-eight role to make space for the overlapping Scotsman.