Sporting CP vs Arsenal FC - Observations

#3 Arsenal needs full-back cover

Monreal is by far the best left back at the club, and he's 32.

Tonight in Lisbon Unai Emery fielded a very changed lineup due to injuries and in order to rest crucial players. Monreal and Saed Kolasinac were both ruled out of the game before kick off with hamstring injuries, and the timeline of their returns are quite uncertain as the club has not imparted with too much information about it so far; which meant it was a chance for someone else to fill in and Emery went with... Granit Xhaka.

Whilst the Swiss captain is a very very good player and is quite underappreciated for the qualities he does bring to the team, what he cannot do is play at left back. He's not the quickest, and his defensive instincts are hit or miss. Tonight he lined up against the flashy Nani who's way past it, but despite that, some of Sporting's best attacking plays came down the right flank which was manned by??? You guessed it. Granit Xhaka.

He was caught out quite a few times and had to be rescued by teammates on more occasion than one, which isn't really his fault because he was playing a role he is not used to. Monreal is not getting any younger, and Saed Kolasinac is solid but hasn't made the best of impressions since signing for free from Schalke in Arsene Wenger's final summer.

This is a key area that Arsenal need to invest in this January as the full backs have a very crucial role in Emery's system, and they really looked lacking on the left flank due to the absence of an attacking full back's presence.