When Fabio Vieira arrived at Arsenal the Portuguese youth international was lauded for his versatility. Being able to play in a number of positions is a characteristic that Mikel Arteta clearly likes in a player, hence why so much of the squad can do it.
However, there is a problem with some players when they are shifted into different roles that they “can” play. Often, as is the case with another relatively new Arsenal signing Albert Sambi Lokonga, the performance drops and the player’s best qualities can be suffocated.
This can often be made up for by the support that is around the player, or, made worse by a lack of it. For example, take Lokonga’s game at home against Brighton last season.
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Arsenal lost the midfield battle with an out-of-position Sambi Lokonga playing behind Martin Odegaard and Emile Smith Rowe. Granit Xhaka meanwhile was used at left-back and on the counter the Seagulls blitzed Arsenal and it was a fixture which directly contributed to the loss of Champions League qualification.
Now we have context, consider Vieira’s performance last night against PSV. He played one forward pass to Takehiro Tomiyasu in the first half and one in the second half before Bukayo Saka came on; the partnership saw 24 passes played to one another in the game, with just two being with the full-back in an advanced role.
Vieira is not Saka. Stylistically they are night and day when operating in the same right-forward role.
Saka wants to receive the ball to feet, spin the defender and either run or cross, or he wants the ball in behind to use his pace to run on to. Vieira meanwhile doesn’t have the speed and drive like Saka so when he receives the ball his options are different.
Either he can cut back onto his left foot for a cross and a dribble inside or, importantly, he can find a pass to an overlapping full-back. When paired with Tomiyasu, who is far less likely than Ben White to overlap, Vieira loses nearly 50% of his attacking options.
Therefore, whilst I was critical initially of Vieira’s performance, in reflection he lacked the support that an overlapping full-back brought him. Consider the benefit Arsenal got when Emile Smith Rowe, who has a far more similar stylistic foundation to Vieira than Saka, was partnered on the left with Kieran Tierney.
Despite Smith Rowe also wanting to cut inside and create, he had the benefit of Kieran Tierney constantly being an option for him to find a pass. If Vieira plays on the right, then he needs the right support and against PSV, Mikel Arteta’s team selection did not offer him that.
Worthy of another discussion is whether the Gunners have enough variety in the right-back role. White and Tomiyasu are defensively strong and while the England international has improved his offensive capabilities dramatically, compared to more natural full-backs he remains at a disadvantage.
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