Morning.
We spoke a bit about Kieran Tierney on the Arsecast Further this week, after he made what can be his last residence look within the 1-0 win over Newcastle on Sunday. Mikel Arteta shouldn’t be often a person who makes selections based mostly on sentiment, however each Tierney and Jorginho – who may even depart this summer time – got a number of last minutes on residence turf earlier than their summer time departures.
There was a second after he got here on when Gabriel Martinelli was despatched scampering into their half, and Tierney charged by to assist him. I may see it in my thoughts’s eye, the ball throughout, and on his proper foot, the Scottish worldwide saying goodbye to the Arsenal followers with one final objective. Sadly, the motion was good, he was in the precise place, however Martinelli couldn’t fairly ship the cross.
He could nicely nonetheless be concerned on Sunday after we face Southampton, however that was the final likelihood to do it at residence. His return to Celtic is all organized, he’ll be going residence to a membership he loves, and I believe he’ll accomplish that with real affection and no small tinge of remorse amongst Arsenal followers about how his time at this membership performed out.
When he arrived on deadline day in August 2019 (which was in early August as a result of they’d modified it so the whole lot needed to be finished earlier than the season began), I wrote of his arrival:
He’s a 22 12 months previous left again who, all going nicely, can be our mainstay in that place for years to come back. He’s fast, robust, defends nicely, assaults nicely, and makes us higher in a key space of the pitch. There’s quite a bit to love about this type of signing, one other one which is a part of reducing the typical age and our rebuilding for the long run.
It had been a deal that was on the playing cards all summer time lengthy, so maybe we must always have seen some warning indicators in regards to the choice makers on the time that it didn’t occur till the final minute, however in the end it was a stable signing on paper. Nacho Monreal wasn’t getting any youthful, and Sead Kolasinac wasn’t in any respect suited to left-back. With hindsight the choice to let Monreal depart for Actual Sociedad a few weeks later wasn’t an important one, however Tierney was a nod to the long run.
There was a direct rapport between him and the followers. The shortage of frills was endearing, a participant carrying his boots in a Tesco buying bag was one thing the ‘widespread man’ may connect with, reasonably than the grotesque £6,000 backpack favoured by darts loving, carvery-dominating gadflies like James Maddison. However past that you might see instantly Tierney was an actual skilled. His angle and dedication have been simply as straightforward to connect with, significantly at a time after we had too many gamers on the membership whose main focus was themselves reasonably than the crew.
Though he was signed as a left-back, it’s straightforward to overlook he performed quite a bit because the left-sided centre-half in a again three, together with the 2020 FA Cup last through which we beat Chelsea. He had David Luiz one aspect of him, a midfielder in Ainsley Maitland-Niles the opposite as his wing-back. That FA Cup win was a collective effort, with a smattering of particular person brilliance (Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Nicolas Pepe specifically that day), however the penalty we received to attract degree got here from a Tierney ball excessive which led to Cesar Azpilicueta making a foul and, I believe, getting injured within the course of.
Talking of injured, the unlucky through-line for Tierney’s time at Arsenal has been the accidents. He arrived that August however didn’t make his debut till September, after which after bedding in picked up a severe shoulder harm, dislocating it thrice in a single sport, and that meant surgical procedure in December. Ordinarily that will have been a 3 month absence, however the occasions in early 2020 after we have been confronted with a worldwide pandemic meant he didn’t play once more till June when soccer began once more.
6 months out of the sport. And afterwards, his time was blighted by issues that got here with a frequency that meant it turned tough to depend on his availability. You could possibly at all times depend on him to offer you 100% when he was match, however that uncertainty performed an element in how his Arsenal profession performed out.
Kieran Tierney harm historical past
Personally, I can’t join with the anger folks really feel in the direction of gamers who get injured. It can’t be a private affront to you that an individual is topic to the human situation and the inherent frailties of the physique. I can take concern if, for instance, a participant is unavailable as a result of their life-style, a scarcity of professionalism, or simply plain stupidity is the foundation trigger, however when you understand there’s somebody who simply desires to get on the pitch and do their greatest for Arsenal however they’ll’t, nicely … I’ve sympathy for that.
The opposite factor to contemplate is that we speak quite a bit about match health, rhythm, kind, and the way you want these issues to carry out at your greatest. In case you’re at all times taking part in catch-up with the previous it turns into very laborious to ship what you’re able to as a participant. In some methods it prevents additional improvement as you become old and extra skilled, and picture how irritating it have to be to undergo that point and time once more. You suppose you’re there, after which bang, one other harm. Don’t come at me with the footballers wages nonsense right here both. Sure, they’re nicely paid, however when all you wish to do is play and you may’t – regardless of your greatest efforts – it’s robust going for them.
There’s additionally the tactical side of how the crew has developed below Mikel Arteta and whereas each participant has their strengths and weaknesses, it turned obvious that Tierney wasn’t actually suited to that ‘inverted’ function the supervisor carried out. There’s no disgrace in that, by the best way. It’s a tough job to marshal your defensive space, after which function in midfield the place it’s good to be a bit extra ‘two-way’. Defenders play, for probably the most half, with the sport in entrance of them, midfield is far more difficult.
The large harm he suffered taking part in for Scotland on the Euros final summer time in all probability prolonged his spell at Arsenal by a 12 months. At any time when he’s been referred to as upon this season, he’s delivered the form of trustworthy performances we all know he’s able to, and the very fact he was used greater than as soon as as a part of a front-three (even late in video games) was an illustration of how this squad was impacted by harm and lack of ahead choices this season.
I’d like to see a last look from him on Sunday, whether or not he scores a objective or not, and when the time comes for his official departure and a return ‘residence’, he’ll go along with affection and appreciation. Not essentially for what we received, however for what we unquestionably knew he needed to offer.
Thanks KT.
