Arsenal Must Protect Rob Holding so He Does Not Follow Senderos and Djourou Path

Arsene Wenger is renowned as a manager who is an expert in developing young talent, but there is one area of the field where he has struggled to produce homegrown players.  For all his coaching ability, Wenger seems to have trouble turning out a top-quality centre-half.

On the evidence of Arsenal’s first three Premier League games, Wenger has an exciting young defender on his hands in the shape of Rob Holding. As impressive as he has been, it’s time to take him out of the firing line—for his own good.

Holding is not the first defender of promise to be under Wenger’s care.  The Frenchman has had plenty of talented young defenders to work with in his time at Arsenal.  They may be regarded as joke figures now, but the likes of Philippe Senderos and Johan Djourou were once regarded as among the best defensive prospects in Europe.  Matthew Upson is another who arrived as a highly rated teenager, only to leave as damaged goods.

Wenger has made Arsenal a star factory, producing heralded players in almost every position. So why is it that he struggles when it comes to central defenders? One issue could be coaching: Wenger’s strengths lie in developing a cohesive attacking game rather than drilling a back four. He’s not necessarily the best manager to hammer home the pragmatic requirements of being a top-level defender. 

However, there are other coaches on Wenger’s staff with defensive experience. Steve Bould, Wenger’s current assistant, was an outstanding defender, as was his predecessor Pat Rice.  

The bigger problem is overexposure. Senderos, Djourou, Upson and others all enjoyed encouraging starts to their Arsenal careers—so much so that they convinced Wenger they were more ready than they actually were. In each case, it simply proved to be a case of too much too soon. Mistakes began to creep into their game, confidence waned, and their star faded.

Calum Chambers is another who has suffered a similar fate. After an excellent start to his Arsenal career, he was relied upon too heavily and his performances suffered. Now that Chambers has been loaned to Middlesbrough, Holding has effectively taken his place in the Arsenal squad. However, Wenger must ensure that the former Bolton Wanderers man’s career doesn’t follow a similarly troubling trajectory.

Holding has been outstanding thus far. When he was paired with Chambers in the opening-day 4-3 defeat to Liverpool, it was telling that he looked considerably more comfortable than his more experienced partner. In the next game against Leicester City, it was Holding who got the nod alongside the returning Laurent Koscielny and helped the Gunners to a reassuring clean sheet. Afterwards, Wenger told Arsenal.com:  

I think he did remarkably well against top-class strikers today. For me he had an outstanding performance.

He’s 20 years old, he’s English and it’s a great reason to be happy. As long as players don’t cost a huge amount …

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