Miles Lewis-Skelly has been left out in the cold from Arsenal’s fairy tale and Mikel Arteta must make do with England’s World Cup dreams rapidly fading.
Miles Lewis-Skelly was arguably the Premier League’s best breakthrough story last season. That’s why it was so hard to watch him struggle this season.
One of the country’s most exciting teenagers is suddenly struggling to regain his form and confidence. Lewis Skelly, 19, is clearly the same player, but the whirlwind of last season has given way to a struggle to break into the Arsenal team.
England players have actually played more games than you might think. 22 across all competitions. But obviously 13 of his 14 Premier League appearances came as a substitute.
That was underlined by Lewis-Skelly’s performance against Liverpool on Thursday night, which probably set off some alarm bells. He looked rusty, unprepared, and sloppy. He lacked the rhythm and confidence that was in abundance last season.
Yes, he lost his place to Riccardo Calafioli. But if Calafioli is out, Piero Hincapie will be the one to get the call.
read more: Victor Gokeres gives Arsenal a stern warning after their recent failure against Liverpoolread more: Virgil van Dijk reveals Liverpool dressing room’s response to Gabriel Martinelli scandal
Perhaps Lewis Skelly will get a point as both teams are set to miss Sunday’s FA Cup clash at Portsmouth, but there are still questions here.
For his growth and progress, he should deserve more playing time and personnel management this season to stay sharper than his 33-minute appearance against Liverpool.
There was a lovely arrogance and flair to his game last season, as he fearlessly outran opponents, although he was brave and at times a little too reckless.
That brought him into England’s squad and made the midfielder-turned-defender a genuine World Cup contender. Now, it has to be said that the chances of him getting on a plane this summer are looking slim. There is no justification for an England recall at this point.
Mikel Arteta clearly feels his runs have been too hasty at times, and perhaps this season will be a valuable learning curve for the Arsenal manager to see what he wants from him.
Was it a coincidence that Gabriel Heinze, who was a formidable left-sided defender during his playing days, joined the team and suddenly Calafioli started playing more and Hincapie started to look a little more like a warrior?
It’s important for young players to learn as much from their setbacks as they do from their highlights. His results have been poor this season, with his clumsy performance against Liverpool shocking some.
But after a series of games, or now that the possibility of that happening has increased, he must get back to the basics of playing solid defense and getting back into shape.
There is no chance of him being released on loan, and Arsenal do not want to let Ethan Nwaneri go during this period. Yes, there is interest, but the best kids at Arsenal can learn from training with the best players and working to the highest standards.
Nwaneri is a very exciting young player. However, he barely had a chance to play this season. His problem is clearly that Arteta sometimes struggles to trust young players. Nwaneri and Lewis Skelly are not alone in doing so.
Nwaneri needs to press more, put more effort into his game and master his defensive side a little more.
But Arteta can be faithful. Look at Victor Gokeres. You could say it has given him blind faith in the £64m striker.
The worry for Gokeres is that he is not technically good enough. He is on a different and lower level than his teammates. Yes, he works hard and is a defender.
But Kai Havertz is a much better footballer and I’m worried that if he comes back, Gökeres will be left out of the team like the other young players…
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