Kevin Campbell is refusing to believe that Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta instructed Nuno Tavares to curb his attacking instincts against Manchester United last night.
The Arsenal head coach kept faith with the Portuguese left-back instead of Kieran Tierney.
Tavares had a shocker at Liverpool two games ago but as an attacking full-back, he has proven himself an electrifying prospect for opposition defenders.
But in the Gunners’ 3-2 defeat at Old Trafford, we barely saw the 21-year-old bomb forward as he does so effectively.
To make matters worse, he was also caught out of position for the Red Devils’ second goal of the night.
It was suggested to Campbell on the Highbury Squad show on YouTube that Arteta specifically told Tavares to relax a little on getting forward.
But the former Arsenal hitman isn’t buying it.
He said: “He was settling for getting the ball in. There is no way as far as I’m concerned he was told [by Arteta] don’t do what’s got you in the team. No chance.”
Flawed
Campbell is right – it is a very flawed argument.
Tavares isn’t being picked by Arteta because he’s a world-class defender, the next Ashley Cole or somebody.
The former Benfica gem, a £7 million signing this past summer, is in the first XI because of what kind of threat he has going forward.
So for Arteta to turn around and tell him not to threaten the opposition right-back likes he loves to do, makes virtually zero sense unfortunately.
Tavares is getting minutes over somebody like Tierney because, at times, he looks like the Thierry Henry of left-backs.
And therefore it just holds no weight that Arteta wouldn’t want him to be that exact player.
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