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Arsenal legend Nigel Winterburn has sent a warning to Kieran Tierney, urging the left-back to step up and fight for his place in the starting lineup under Mikel Arteta.
THE LOWDOWN: DECLINING PRESENCE
Tierney was once viewed as one of the most important players in Arteta’s Gunners system, but the arrival of former Manchester City defender Oleksandr Zinchenko in the summer has dealt a blow to the Scotsman’s playing time.
However, the Ukrainian left-back has been available for the last few weeks due to an injury, which led to many assuming Tierney would finally get a sustained run of games in the side.
Instead, he has not started in either of the two games in Zinchenko’s absence, with that role instead being given to Takehiro Tomiyasu – who is a right-back by trade.
According to Gunners legend Nigel Winterburn, this is something that should trouble Tierney, especially after Arsenal’s most recent victory against Leeds.
THE LATEST: WARNING SENT
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Ladbrokes Fanzone, the former Arsenal star said: “As a player, you’ve got to wait for your opportunity, and the one thing that Kieran Tierney has got to worry about is that [Takehiro] Tomiyasu has played the last two league games ahead of him on that left-hand side.”
“I could understand it against Liverpool; that decision made sense to me because the right-footed left-back really helped in keeping Mo Salah quiet and stopped him from coming inside as he so often does.”
“But I can’t answer that question as to why Tomiyasu started ahead of Tierney against Leeds on the weekend. You might say it was a reward or recognition for the job he did against Liverpool, but there’s been a Europa League game since then, and Tierney played in that.”
Winterburn continued by mulling over the optics of the decision to drop Tierney in place of Tomiyasu, someone less suited to that role than the Scotsman.
“What’s the message that’s going to Kieran Tierney at the moment? As a player you want to feel as though you’re battling for your position; now is the time for Tierney to stand up and fight for his spot, and prove he’s the right man. I’d say watch this space because it’s a really intriguing battle to watch.”
THE VERDICT: TRUE TALK
Admittedly, Tierney is slowly losing his place in the Arsenal starting lineup and his injury problems have not helped his cause either. At the moment, he is relegated to cup competitions and just like Winterburn has suggested, he must step up his game or risk dropping all the way to a fringe member of the squad.
In the grand scheme of things though, the competition will make all players step up their game and realize that a replacement is lying in wait should they falter.
