Nacho Monreal - A welcome reinforcement to Arsenal's back four

Arsenal have been known for producing quality left-backs over the years – Ashley Cole, who played a pivotal role in the Invincibles squad; Gael Clichy, who was known to be a dependable hard worker on the left flank, and more recently the young Kieran Gibbs who in his early twenties is already an established defender for the club. So it did come as a surprise when Arsene Wenger made a move for Nacho Monreal just before the winter transfer window closed.

Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Monreal was already a recognized full-back back in Spain. His exploits at Osasuna had earned him a long term contract with Malaga, where he impressed the manager and fans with assured defending and sound technique. He made the left-back spot his own and contributed to a tactically sound defensive system that helped the Andalusian club qualify for the Champions League for the first time in their history. The club had an astonishing debut in this season’s group stages as they topped the group over AC Milan, without losing a game and conceding only 5 goals in the process.

But by the end of January this year, just after scoring his first goal for the Spanish club, he found himself heading to North London and joining Arsenal for a fee in the region of £8.5million. After he signed, it came to light that there was a plan to bring him to Arsenal in summer, but his arrival was hastened by a long-term injury to Kieran Gibbs. Not trusting Andre Santos to fill in the spot, who was having a disaster of a season (both on and off the pitch), Wenger was left with only Thomas Vermaelen to play as a make shift left back. And so, a deal was brokered with Malaga who were not too keen to let him go but gave in eventually.

Monreal’s exit is a very sad moment for the team, it deprives us of a very important player who performed to the highest standards – it is a major loss to us in sporting terms. – Manuel Pellegrini, Malaga’s manager

Monreal is a player who is very composed on the ball and is fairly quick on the left flank. He has an ability to ghost past opponent full backs to make overlapping runs in attack. Even with little space on the wings, his one touch passing is calm and assured; all the qualities a club like Arsenal desire from a full-back who can attack. Defensively, he is not afraid to get into physical battles and has the necessary upper body strength to hold off wingers. He times his tackles well and isn’t too bad when it comes to aerial duels either.

For a defender from La Liga to come into the Premier League, perhaps no other game comes close to the metaphor of “being thrown into the lion’s den” than a debut against the League’s most physical side – Stoke City. Tony Pulis instructed his team to pile on the pressure on Arsenal’s left flank. 55% of Stoke’s attacks came on Monreal’s side of the pitch. But he came out unscathed (the same could not be said for Stoke’s Jonathan Walters, who required six stitches on his head after a clash with Monreal). Arsenal won the game 1-0, a well deserved clean sheet after a run of 6 League games without one.

Stoke’s heat map vs Arsenal shows how much they concentrated their attacks on Monreal’s left flank.

“We are quite lucky to have found Nacho because [Kieran] Gibbs got injured for four to six weeks and we found in 48 hours a player of that calibre… you have to give me at least that credit. I know that I don’t get a lot but that is true.” – Arsene Wenger

Monreal has gone from strength to strength since his debut. His quality was never questioned even though he is still learning to adapt to the League where the style of play is very different from that in Spain. And having played for Malaga in the Champions League earlier this season, he was cup-tied and sorely missed in Arsenal’s home game against Bayern Munich where 2 goals from the German side were created from that flank.

But in the League, it was a different story. There were games where he was spotted spending more time in the opponents’ half than in Arsenal’s. This proved useful when they played Swansea. Monreal scored his first goal for the club in a 0-2 win at the Liberty Stadium. Recently, he was even given a start for Spain when they beat France in a World Cup qualifier. Monreal was the only player in the team who didn’t represent either Real Madrid or Barcelona.

Monreal averages close to 50 passes a game with a pass success of 86%. Since Arsenal isn’t a crossing team, his crossing is practically non-existent. But he has a knack of finding the right passes when Cazorla (also his ex-team mate at Malaga) plays on the left, which has helped Arsenal create many opportunities in and around the box. He has already created 7 goal scoring opportunities in 7 games, a good number for a full back. He averages close to 2 tackles a game with a success rate of 92%! Those are fantastic figures for a defender in his first season.

Wenger had no qualms about starting Monreal while Gibbs recuperated. And even with Gibbs fully fit and back in the squad, Monreal has kept his place in the starting line-up. There is no doubt that the two can learn from each other and compete for places in the team. Gibbs, with his wealth of experience, still has a lot to learn. And he must also improve on his fitness if he is to be considered the first choice. And Monreal is yet to be tested by bigger sides in the League.

“Since I’ve been here the manager has given me a lot of confidence and he’s been starting me. This has been very important for me because it helps a lot to feel that the manager has faith in me, especially as I’ve just arrived. This in turn this leads to good performances.” – Nacho Monreal

What is assured is that in this season and seasons to come, Arsenal need not worry about the full-back position with these two in the side. More so with Monreal as he has proven that it isn’t easy to force him into making errors of judgement leading to goals. As he learns to adapt to the League, the culture and breaks the language barrier, it’s only a matter of time before he proves himself to be a quality signing. He may not be the big signing that the Arsenal fans craved back in January, but he has reassured fans that the defence is in good hands.

Stats from WhoScored and Squawka