Over the previous couple of seasons, Arsenal have been in a position to create a power in depth to their squad. The vast majority of gamers recruited for the reason that summer time of 2021 have been profitable to some extent, save for a number of youthful punts like Nuno Tavares and Sambi Lokonga, although they haven’t performed sufficient first group soccer to have had a distinctly damaging impression. Each large group has totem pole gamers who will just about play it doesn’t matter what however, for instance, Arsenal can justifiably begin any one in all Kiwior, Zinchenko or Tomiyasu at left-back with out creating a lot dialogue. Jorginho and Rice can group up in midfield with Havertz upfront, or else Havertz can play in midfield with Rice behind him and, once more, neither name would benefit a lot additional dialogue. The inclusion of Leandro Trossard’s identify on the teamsheet would barely register. Then I believe there are a cluster of names within the first group squad who may nicely be sliding out of view. Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith Rowe hardly ever register vital minutes now. Whereas Arteta was clearly agency about his selection of goalkeeper as quickly as he signed David Raya I believe we now have moved to a stage now the place everyone accepts that Aaron Ramsdale isn’t longed for N5. I’m sure that Thomas Partey might be moved on to any membership with a suitable medical facility if such a membership will be discovered. Then there’s Cedric Soares and Mohamed Elneny, who will completely actually go away the membership this summer time. Sambi Lokonga’s kind on mortgage at Luton is important solely in a switch charge sense, whereas a extra everlasting resolution will nearly actually be discovered for Kieran Tierney this summer time too. In essence, there’s a robust sense of hierarchy throughout the squad. The core gamers, the essential gamers, the perimeter gamers and the ‘oh yeah, I forgot that he nonetheless performed for us’ gamers. The one exception, in my opinion, is Fabio Vieira. The Portuguese doesn’t match comfortably into any of those classes (which, to be truthful, I’ve simply made up). A part of that’s as a result of the harm he suffered within the winter, and the following layoff, has robbed us of a correct likelihood to evaluate him in what at all times felt like a ‘jury is out’ sort of season. The amount of cash Arsenal spent on Vieira provides him a standing that neither Tavares or Lokonga have been ever more likely to take pleasure in. When the Gunners signed him in the summertime of 2022, it didn’t really feel like Arteta was plugging a spot within the squad. To me, it felt like an opportunistic signing. He was simply beginning to explode with FC Porto and price round £35m. With the way in which charge inflation is these days, I’m certain Arsenal’s pondering was alongside the strains of ‘if we wait one other season he may cost a little us £100m.’ Nonetheless, there’s potential alternative on the horizon for him. Neither Partey nor Jorginho are going to be with Arsenal for the long-term- each may even go away this summer time. That may necessitate that Arsenal funnel funds in direction of a deeper midfielder. The competitors he has confronted from Emile Smith Rowe within the ‘left eight’ position will certainly not be a problem subsequent season both. Kai Havertz has been very efficient as a striker, which additionally doubtlessly leaves that left midfield position extra open for him. Apparently, throughout pre-season, Vieira performed nearly solely on the suitable of the pitch, both as a right-winger or as the suitable eight. It may very well be that Arsenal have been simply taking a look at him there in a comparatively consequence free setting. Nonetheless, he began the league recreation at Goodison Park in September within the ‘left eight’ position. Arteta has proven a proclivity for taking part in a extra technical participant in that place for sure varieties of recreation. Again in September, Vieira began at Goodison Park, Trossard began there at Brentford and Smith Rowe began there at Nottingham Forest. In opposition to low blocks and really tall defences, Arteta has favoured a technician and that’s in Vieira’s favour. As a result of on the suitable aspect of the pitch, he can solely ever aspire to be ‘helpful back-up’ for Odegaard and Saka. And as we noticed with Sambi Lokonga and we now have most likely seen with Nketiah and Nelson too, ‘helpful back-up’ is a task that often results in stagnation for gamers of their developmental years. To completely develop, Vieira goes to need to play with some sense of regularity. Clearly, he has wanted time to bodily regulate to the English recreation. Maybe, in an odd method, the truth that his final significant contribution earlier than his harm this winter was a studs up lunge on a Wolves participant is portentous. Arsenal repeatedly discipline Jorginho, Rice, Havertz or Partey in midfield, whereas Xhaka was a mainstay previous to his departure. Vieira can take inspiration from his captain Martin Odegaard on this respect. The Norwegian doesn’t have the identical construct as Rice or Havertz however his physicality has by no means come into query. In Vieira’s favour can be his versatility. Upon signing him, Arteta mentioned, ‘Fabio is a really artistic participant that can convey top quality and flexibility to our attacking play.’ When he referenced Vieira’s versatility, I don’t assume Arteta was solely speaking about how he can fill in for various gamers when wanted. I believe Arteta thinks of versatility as a participant having the ability to interpret their position in various other ways. Ben White is a incredible instance of this and whereas at Porto, it’s mentioned that Vieira was very adaptable in how he performed his artistic position. Occasionally, it’s mentioned he would drop thus far again that he was nearly within the left-back place to obtain the ball. Whereas in different situations, he would typically play extra like a false 9, relying on the opponent and the sport state. I believe that’s the pliability Arteta actually prizes nevertheless it’s troublesome to see how Vieira can do this with out vital recreation time. Havertz performs a versatile, positional position too and it took him a while to nail it. Crucially, he was given that point. Except there are vital accidents, I don’t see how Vieira can obtain that and whereas Arsenal might want to shuffle the pack a little bit throughout this run-in, it’s not precisely the time to roll the cube. In fact, issues can change rapidly in soccer. A couple of weeks in the past, I might have put Jakub Kiwior in the identical ‘purgatory’ class as Vieira when it got here to his place within the squad. Accidents to Zinchenko and Tomiyasu gave Kiwior his likelihood and he has taken it after Arteta tailor-made his position a little bit. In doing so, Kiwior has most likely earned himself a promotion into the Trossard / Tomiyasu bracket of the squad.
It feels unfair to name the following eight weeks or so make or break for Vieira, it’s unlikely to be a protracted sufficient interval for him to make that sort of impression. His standing received’t be altered by ‘one large second’ both. Reiss Nelson served a type of up simply over a yr in the past nevertheless it hasn’t modified his Arsenal trajectory.
However Vieira, like a lot of the squad, goes to need to contribute positively in the course of the run-in. In fact, gamers of their early 20s hardly ever make good squad gamers (usually you need rotational gamers to be older or youthful), whether or not Vieira can carve out the sort of minutes he must develop at Arsenal might be fascinating to see.
