Arsenal legend Nigel Winterburn argues that Nuno Tavares doesn't know how to play the full-back role and believes the Portuguese defender needs to 'learn that side of the game very quickly'.
The former Benfica defender has been hooked early in his last two starts for the Gunners against Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace, with Mikel Arteta deciding to select Granit Xhaka ahead of Tavares in last week's defeat to Brighton.
This has led to the 22-year-old receiving a fair amount of criticism and Winterburn believes that the main issue arises from Tavares not understanding the requirements needed to succeed as a left-back yet.
READ MORE: Arsenal handed Thomas Partey injury blow as Mikel Arteta hints midfielder's season may be over
“I just don’t think he fully understands the complete role of a full-back and I think there’s a lot more he needs to learn defensively in terms of the situations he puts himself in," he said.
“He needs to learn that side of the game very quickly and get back to the form going forward that he showed earlier in the season.
“The problem is when you’ve had a couple of games like the ones he’s had, then your confidence just drops so quickly.
“You can also lose the trust of the supporters, so it makes it difficult to come back when that happens.”
Given the fact that Kieran Tierney is ruled out of action for the remainder of the season, many would argue that now is the time for Arteta to trust Nuno and give him the opportunity to play games and build much-needed confidence.
In terms of quality, Tierney is clearly a far better player than Tavares but profile-wise, the two have similarities, meaning that the overall team dynamics stay relatively intact when the former Benfica defender is included in the starting eleven.
Tasking Xhaka with the left-back role not only hinders functionality but it also leaves Arsenal weak in the engine room and this was clearly apparent in their defeat to Brighton last time out.
But speaking ahead of the Southampton clash, Arteta appears to stand by his decision of playing Xhaka at left-back, stating that the stats show how good he is in that position, suggesting that it looks likely that Tavares will keep his place on the bench.
