It’s fair to say Mathieu Debuchy hasn’t had a fun time of it at Arsenal so far. Since moving from Newcastle just over a year ago the France international has banjaxed his ankle, dislocated his shoulder and fallen down the right-back pecking order.
It’s left the 30-year-old feeling a bit miffed. So much so that when Hector Bellerin was selected ahead of him for the Community Shield showdown with Chelsea he weighed up the possibility of a hasty Emirates exit.
Why is he so frustrated? It appears to stem from a fear of missing out on the upcoming European Championships in his homeland.
Speaking while on international duty with Les Bleus, Debuchy told press: “It’s difficult. Even though I didn’t play a lot last season, in my head I thought I’d return to the starting lineup after my recovery. But at the Community Shield against Chelsea, Wenger chose him, [Hector] Bellerin.
“It was a surprise and a disappointment. Let’s say it crossed my mind [leaving]…but I want to be at Arsenal and to regain my place.
“He [Wenger] told me nothing was gained and that there’s a lot of games over the course of a season. He knows I’m worried though because there’s an important deadline at the end of the season.
“It’s a must to hold down a first team place. It’s clear. To be effective on the field you need game time. In the long-term, if this situation continues it could become tricky.”
No doubt Debuchy will have a part to play in this season; given his £10 million price-tag he’d be a very expensive player not to utilise at some point.
Given Hector’s inexperience there’s always a chance the Spaniard could encounter a second season dip…it really is up to the Frenchman to take his chance if he’s then thrown into the fray. When Mathieu did feature last term he looked a very solid option both on the right and as an auxiliary centre-back.
Take a leaf out of Kieran Gibbs’ book. I remember a quote over the summer to the effect of “im not playing much at the moment, but last year Nacho wasn’t playing, so that’s football really”. Understand it’s up to you, that the team dynamic is more important than your own ego, and that frankly Hector Bellerin deserves on merit to be in the team right now. When Debuchy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e75XFc40Sc) played a few weeks back and in pre-season, he looked rustier than a 60 year old piece of farm equipment left to the elements. Not to mention that Sagna is… Read more »
He’s quality. The season is long and when we inevitably do call upon him, I’m sure he’ll prove all the naysayers wrong. What an incredible thing this is for our team, having France’s first choice right back and one of the most exciting up and coming fullbacks in the world competing for a starting spot.
one more person who fouls cynically .. is it just me or has Arsene been recruiting more people who are willing to do whatever it takes to keep the opposition at bay..
Debuchy can be relied upon when match fit. Lets hope Wenger rotates well and keeps both players (Debuchy and Bellerin) fresh and happy throughout the season.
That’s life. Up to him to take his chance when/if he gets it.
Same with Gibbs, Bellerin & Monreal have made themselves undroppable for now.
This is why there is nothing to be gained by buying extra players for the sake of it imo.
there’s nothing to be gained from squad depth and competition for places? that’s what it’s all about. you cannot go a season with only one right back or any other position, to state the obvious.
We can play him up top. He probably wouldn’t be as clinical as OG, maybe as capable as an exhausted giroud but he’d definitely be more useful than a banjaxed welbz.
Who is this guy?
Don’t know if it is any consolation to Debuchy but , despite his long term injury and bellerins form the guy who he is competing with for the spot in Le Bleus has played even less than he has.
Sagna seems to have won the right back spot at City now. Started all four matches of the season so far with Zabaleta stuck on the bench.
Zabaleta is injured. When both are fit there is no competition on who plays.
8 thumbs up for a completely untrue statement. Zabaletta is injured.
Debuchy has been desperately unfortunate with injury, and that of course led to Hector getting his chance. I do feel now that Debuchy’s Arsenal career is back up only as Hector has developed wo well..
Not really the right attitude for a team player.
The guy has worked for his place, is being second to a 19 year old. And that both because Bellerin is good but most of all because Debuchy got injuries after injuries…
How did Cech react to a similar situation at Chelsea ? He left one year later, yes. Understandable.
Cheeky fucker. We’ve paid him about 750k per game so far. He can leave when it suits us.
750k per game? *facepalm*
Remember that game last year when, out of desperation, Debuchy was sent out as a centre back. And he totally bossed it!
Just sayin….
Taking knocks in your career and recovering from them is what defines a great footballer. Look at Coquelin.. And to a lesser extent Monreal. All had naysayers and everyone had written them off, but they kept working. I think Debuchy will have a crucial part to play this season.
Put it this way, if Debuchy was still at Newcastle, fans would be screaming for AW to buy him and send one of Jenks or Hector on loan…
Glad he decided to stay
Remember that guy, Sagna?
He was at one point one of the most important game stations, and Szczesny would have a lot of throws/kicks, which BS would head/pull down and play on.
When we signed Debuchy the stats said that he was even better than BS in head play, so I expected this part of Arsenal’s game to be even improved.
But there seems to have been a reluctance (even by Szczesny when he played) to do these passes…
This baffles me…
Exactly. That is one area where Debuchy is much stronger than Bellerin. So, could we use him against teams like Stoke who are a threat aerially? It’s ironic that he dislocated his shoulder against Stoke, though.
Injured by being shoved in to an advertising board by a cunt.
If he wasn’t as slow as a 20 year old cart horse, he have been first pick….Hector all the way!
I can understand the frustration, but I would want to echo Tim Stillman’s thoughts here. He’s not just competing with Bellerin but with Monreal as well since it feels like Arsene prefers one attacking and one defensive fullback. As and when Monreal needs some rest or dips in form, we might see Gibbs and Debuchy. At the moment though, Nacho seems to be developing an understanding with Alexis on the left while remaining solid at the back. Same goes for Bellerin and Ramsey.
Maybe Debuchy could play DM like Lahm at Bayern? Would solve that problem, he has good ball control, passing, stamina and is pretty fast. Also his experience counts as positive. Did a good job at CB too.
So he thinks he has made up for not quitting by telling us he didn’t go through it.
His attitude stinks, he can leave next summer leaving Jenko and Bellerin to interchange。
Bit harsh.
I’m all for him playing at the Euros but fuck the French football (a bit selfishly) if that has to come at the expense of him leaving Arsenal… I hope he stays and plays… Maybe we need something different at Fb for the next couple of games. like a domino, I expect such tweak to affect many things in the set up of the team.
He’s not looked full speed to me yet since he’s returned. He needs to earn his way back. It’s not all about him.
I actually thought it wud have made sense to.recoup our money this summer on him and leave the way ckear for Hector and Jenks. Arsene seems to putting big value on having experienced players in the squad this season…something we havn.t always seen or been happy about
Debuchy also did well at centre back when called upon.
Yes, that is exactly what he said in the last part of the last sentence of the article.
Interesting attitude.
Any other of the current squad want to kick us fans in the bollox while we’re depressed already?
Personally, I think debuchy is our best right back. Bellerin is probably more effective going forward and covering on the counter but I think debuchy is more solid defensively.
I don’t get the love for debuchy, not every player we sign is a gem…despite his bad luck and injuries, I don’t think he has shown anywhere near the level that is good enough when he played, at least not that of bellerin or sagna. In fact if Jenkinson was not on loan, he would be 3rd choice for me.
That’s just the point isn’t it?
He hasn’t played long enough (mainly due to injury) to show us what he can do yet thought of leaving were already creeping in his head?
He knows he’s a quality player. Plus he looks like he would not make a fuss when called to take on difficult positions and duties for the team. It is not selfish for him to think of his international career. Even Bellerin is aiming for the same spot at the national level. For that, he gets a pass from me; despite the sour taste the comments may leave. Before the injury from the Orcs, he was one of the warriors in the team.
He makes a fine CB to be fair. Like Sagna, but quicker and a bit more physical. Wouldn’t mind him playing alongside kos or Gab. And Chambers could be made a DM? *dreams away*
I hope he does stick around! I’ve a feeling we’re really going to need him before the season is over.
You have to fight for your place. It’s that simple. That’s what makes a good squad
Arsenal still needs his services to be deployed into battle when the going gets tough. Premiership is a battle of titans.
Something to consider. Debuchy could also add in DM should our triple redundancy in Coquelin, Arteta and Flamini get punctured. He has the tenacity and experience to hold in the position. Also of course he is a possible cover for Cback should there be a crisis there. It is NOT Calum’s natural position but Chambers is learning the ropes. Meanwhile, should he not pick up quick enough, there is always a possibility for Chambers to revert to an option at Rback and Debuchy to cover the middle ala Sagna style. With Bellerin emergent and Calum a possibility (to some extent… Read more »
Great player to have in squad! We will need him at some stage this season. Could b sooner than most think n we could have him n Bellerin rotating more regularly than expected
This goes to show why Wenger eventually failed to sign,i think we could still give a fight for the premier league this season.Any way i think most of us in this website want to believe that,otherwise we would not be so active in this site.
Debuchy should be patient, he has come back from two very nasty back to back injuries, and I’m sure he will prove to be a great asset to the team, he and Bellerin will rotate throughout the season, Arsenal are lucky to have two players of this calibre who can be used in this position