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Ainsley Maitland-Niles: Yutility

KrissKringle

Reinventing VAR 😡
I think he'll give bellerin serious competition.

Might be a little too excited but I think if Wenger says to him you're a right back focus on that, we could potentially have a dani alves mark 2
That's incredibly overzealous when you actually look at his performances in the positions he's played.
He actually looks a bit better at left back than right back, where he was bad today and if he misplaces passses the same way in midfield, we'll get punished because of his mistakes.
I personally don't think he'll become more than a decent player and possibly not have a future here in the long run.
 

Cudareli

Antonio Valencia stan
Thought he was poor again, which is disappointing considering how well we played.

This thread should be pinned as a case study and all new members should be forced to study it before posting.

Back in December, some of the things people were saying about this kid were laughable. While he clearly has potential, like most players coming through the Arsenal system, he was by no means ready in anyway for regular first team football. Yet the despite this, the armchair experts on here claimed he should be our starting left back, should be starting ahead of Xhaka in midfield and has a higher ceiling at right back than Bellerin.

Fast forward 4 months and all of a sudden those experts are now saying he's not ready for regular first team football, we won't win trophies with players like him, etc.
 

Cudareli

Antonio Valencia stan
What did he do right and wrong?

If Kolasinac, Chambers, Mustafi or Xhaka had dropped the performance he did tonight, the place would have absolutely burnt down.

As I said above, he's a young kid with potential learning his trade and needs time to grow. My biggest issue though is that 2 months ago this guy was better at right back than Bellerin, a better left back than Kolasinac and should have been starting in midfield in place of Xhaka because 'he has it all'.
 

CanadianGooner1608

Active Member
Think it's a bit shortsighted to judge a player on one game. Especially when he doesn't start regularly.
Every and any player need time to play with the team, figure out his place, and how to make himself an asset.
Too soon to judge AMN. I'd need to see him get regular starts for a season or so.

That being said, I like what he has shown so far. He has a maturity about him that I can only see getting more potent over the years.
His mistakes seem to be due to his youth and I trust he will correct them overtime, maybe with a new manager.
 

Arsenal1508

Mods are unethical! Özil, come assist me please!
I like what I've seen from Maitland Niles too. He is a Premier League footballer...that is clear.

Has very good technique, strong in the tackle, and super fast.
He does have Titus Bramble moments in him too...but that can be phased out as he's still just 20.
 

KrissKringle

Reinventing VAR 😡
Think it's a bit shortsighted to judge a player on one game. Especially when he doesn't start regularly.
He needs to be loaned out in Germany at a team that will play him week in week out. Forget about loans in the PL, because he won't get minutes and in Germany there's free flowing football where he can develop some offensive skills, depending if he's going to play as a wing back or in the center of the park, although I don't see him doing a job there with all he's shown so far.
The most important thing is to pick a position and keep him there, not play him a week at left back, then another one in the center or right back, because he's not gonna improve like that and won't have an identity as a player. He'll just be a poor man's John O'Shea.
 

MutableEarth

Reiss' Dad
Trusted ⭐
Like Xhaka, thought he was up and down. Played some really subtle but quality passes throughout the game, but his positioning let him down quite a few times, and his dribbling was uncharacteristically labored. Wasn't that bad when he actually was called into defensive action 1v1 but I still feel like he's being lazy when configuring his body shape. The penalty was a perfect example, very naive to leave your leg dangling like that with an advancing attacker. He ceded control very easily with that action. His lack of assertiveness and OTT nonchalance will continue to be his undoing in matches if it is not rectified. Can't half-ass the small games yet.
 

Cudareli

Antonio Valencia stan
Think it's a bit shortsighted to judge a player on one game. Especially when he doesn't start regularly.

Agreed, which is why I am judging him on all of his performances for us this season and making the comment that he should in no circumstances be relied on as a regular starting 11 player in this side.

Contrary to posts from a few months ago when he'd played a total of 90 minutes for us, he's not currently better than any of our left back options, he's not currently better than any of our right back options and he's not currently better than any of our options in the centre of the park.

Will that change one day? Well possibly, he clearly has talent, but he's nowhere near where he needs to be at the moment to be starting for a top 4 side.

There are some players you make an allowance for who burst onto the scene and show the potential to be one of the best of their generation. Fabregas was one of those players, someone you just knew you had to give time to because he had the ability to be superb. While AMN is good, he's not the same type of talent at all and therefor should not be forced into the 11 other than in cups or when we are depleted.
 

Jury

A-M's drunk uncle
Like Xhaka, thought he was up and down. Played some really subtle but quality passes throughout the game, but his positioning let him down quite a few times, and his dribbling was uncharacteristically labored. Wasn't that bad when he actually was called into defensive action 1v1 but I still feel like he's being lazy when configuring his body shape. The penalty was a perfect example, very naive to leave your leg dangling like that with an advancing attacker. He ceded control very easily with that action. His lack of assertiveness and OTT nonchalance will continue to be his undoing in matches if it is not rectified. Can't half-ass the small games yet.
Steve Claridge was very complimentary about him on the radio. Said he's sure there's an excellent player there but can't be sure in what position it'll be, which is understandable considering nobody at Arsenal does either.
 

MutableEarth

Reiss' Dad
Trusted ⭐
Steve Claridge was very complimentary about him on the radio. Said he's sure there's an excellent player there but can't be sure in what position it'll be, which is understandable considering nobody at Arsenal does either.
I'm not sure either. I still like him for central midfield as does the player himself but at the moment he lacks the focus/intensity. AMN is twice the player when he plays with a bit more - dare I say it - passion. Doesn't need to be Flamini-like, charging about the place, but there's a time and place for slowing down the game and playing with composure. He overdoes it. A little bit of focus and he could be an excellent midfielder.
He should look at his younger contemporary, Joe Willock. Raw as hell and not quite ready for first team yet, but a much more competitive midfield presence in the few games he's started there this season, compared to AMN's 2 games there v Ostersunds. Almost as if AMN's lack of assertiveness is masked by playing as a full-back.

He's a bigger talent than people think, a player I've seen play for a while even before his Ipswich loan. It's up to him to prove the doubters wrong.
 

Jury

A-M's drunk uncle
There are some players you make an allowance for who burst onto the scene and show the potential to be one of the best of their generation. Fabregas was one of those players, someone you just knew you had to give time to because he had the ability to be superb. While AMN is good, he's not the same type of talent at all and therefor should not be forced into the 11 other than in cups or when we are depleted.
It can't be Fabregas or bust though can it? I mean, it's surely ok to be not quite as precocious and still get looked at from time to time, no? Do they all have to be pulling up trees consistently to warrant a place here aged 20?

Be careful now, your mate Xhaka is 25, plays every game and hasn't managed to pull up a ****ing daisy yet, never mind a tree!
 
Future superstar.

City, Utd, PSG, Barca, Real, they will all be offering over 100 million in the coming years. Wenger will warn them off tho. AMN is here to stay.
 

CanadianGooner1608

Active Member
He needs to be loaned out in Germany at a team that will play him week in week out. Forget about loans in the PL, because he won't get minutes and in Germany there's free flowing football where he can develop some offensive skills, depending if he's going to play as a wing back or in the center of the park, although I don't see him doing a job there with all he's shown so far.
The most important thing is to pick a position and keep him there, not play him a week at left back, then another one in the center or right back, because he's not gonna improve like that and won't have an identity as a player. He'll just be a poor man's John O'Shea.

I do agree with that. He needs time on the pitch, and to find his main position.
If he doesn't improve after that, well... it just wasn't meant to be. Until then, I won't pass definitive judgment on the lad.
 

CanadianGooner1608

Active Member
Agreed, which is why I am judging him on all of his performances for us this season and making the comment that he should in no circumstances be relied on as a regular starting 11 player in this side.

Contrary to posts from a few months ago when he'd played a total of 90 minutes for us, he's not currently better than any of our left back options, he's not currently better than any of our right back options and he's not currently better than any of our options in the centre of the park.

Will that change one day? Well possibly, he clearly has talent, but he's nowhere near where he needs to be at the moment to be starting for a top 4 side.

There are some players you make an allowance for who burst onto the scene and show the potential to be one of the best of their generation. Fabregas was one of those players, someone you just knew you had to give time to because he had the ability to be superb. While AMN is good, he's not the same type of talent at all and therefor should not be forced into the 11 other than in cups or when we are depleted.

I just replied to another poster (@KrissKringle) and agreed with him that maybe a loan would help him. He needs time on the pitch to develop even more.
The lad is 20. It's way too soon to pass any type of judgment on him or his potential. He's nowhere near his full development.

You referred to Fabregas who was one in a million, I guess today we'd put Mbappé, Dembélé, maybe Bailey in that top tier of young talents.

Maybe AMN didn't develop quite as fast, but from what I see of him, I don't see a ceiling to his development. That's just my opinion though, I completely accept that others will disagree.
 

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