Date: 29th August 2015 at 5:43pm
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Arsene Wenger has backed Calum Chambers to respond positively after his shaky first half performance against Liverpool. The 20 year old was much improved in the second half and contributed greatly to Arsenal’s clean sheet, but found it difficult in the opening period.

To be fair, he hadn’t started a competitive match in months, nor had he much experience partnering with Gabriel in centre half. Being thrust into such a massive match against Liverpool would be enough to unnerve many young players, and Chambers did well to respond.

His manager has now backed him to continue to show improvement going forward, and tips the defender to become a top player in the division. Wenger admitted he considered withdrawing the young Englishman, but opted against it so the player could recover.

“He showed character,” Wenger told the official Arsenal website. “The positive of the night — he did not have the best performance in the first half — was the way he recovered. He showed his mental strength.”

“He has lost a bit of confidence compared to the player he was last year. I have spoken to him and he’s a strong footballer, a dedicated player who is ready to work day and night.”

“He has the talent to be a good player. I don’t think it will have killed him [to replace him], but I did not sub him because I wanted to save my offensive options.”

“It gives him time to recover, but we wanted to win the game. He recovered quite well in the second half.”

I thought Chambers was exceptional in the second half, and looked to have brushed aside the first half showing. He impressed greatly in his run in the side last season, but experienced a bit of a burn out which is understandable for a young player.

He didn’t get the nod today, but he should get more chances to play this season, and I reckon he will show what a good player he is. Time is on his side, and he has all the attributes to develop into a world class defender.

 

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