Calum Chambers says that training ground sessions to help him develop as a midfield player have benefited him greatly, and that he’s enjoying the new role in the team.
Signed as a right-back, he played most of his football there and went into the season as the fourth-choice centre-half. However, injuries in midfield saw him handed only his second ever start in that position last night, and he acquitted himself well in the 2-0 win over Bournemouth.
Speaking about playing there, Chambers said, “I’m enjoying it. The past couple of weeks I have been training in midfield and I have been getting more confidence and I felt good and it was a great result and a great game.
“We have bounced back. We didn’t get too down after the result at Southampton. We know we have a good side here and we just want to keep our confidence high and go into each game with belief and show how good we are.”
Interestingly, not long after his signing in the summer of 2014, Arsene Wenger said he believed the England man’s future lay in the centre of the park, rather than at the back.
“I believe he can play in defensive midfield and that’s where I see him,” he said. “In what I observe, he has the qualities to impose himself in this part of the team.”
Obviously there’s a long way to go before any kind of definitive judgement can be made on him in that position, but after a difficult period in his burgeoning career, it looks as if he’s on the right track, and his versatility may well prove useful as the season progresses.
anyone else saw him do a santiesqe escape in the first half while under pressure from two Bournemouth players?
He also did a fantastic drag-back at Soton bamboozling 2 or 3 players…More skills shown in 2 games than Flamini in 8 years. The kid will be a vine king.
yes i did . i was watching on line and because the stream wasn’t that clear, i naturally assumed it was ramsey up to his flash tricks again and so was pleasantly surprised when the commentator said it was chambers. I think he wil turn out to be a success. he certainly has the physical presence everybody is clamoring for in arsenal midfield and from the little we saw of him in this game, he seems capable of the creative passing and assured ‘ball playing’ in midfield that we all want? .equally important is the fact that he is still… Read more »
He did well in defense, did some nice tackles, won some balls, however, he should really work on his passing. I was happy to see him starting there. Good game Chambo.
I actually thought passing was one of his strongest points yesterday. He had one peach of a long pass to Giroud as well. And stats agree with me, 92% completion? That is pretty amazing for the first game.
Indeed, I was referring to the long ones. 🙂
Agreed. I thought his passing range was okay given his experience and lack of game time. He generally did something with the ball when he had it and pushed forward a few times (given, Bournemouth gave us more time on the ball than Soton). He had a couple of nice changes of play as well. Definitely a performance to build on. I think I’d much rather see Calum there then this Elneny fellow…
Let’s hope Chambers settles into a permanent role sooner rather than later. Years ago, David Price’s career (and currently Phil Jones of Man U) was blighted’ by his switching between full back, central defender and mid-fielder.
I think a lot of people have been very unfair about Chambers of late, and have forgotten what a talented prospect he is. Here’s hoping he can make that midfield role his own.
Don’t remember David Price playing that many (or any) games in defence.
It was hardly blighted anyway. He played 4 cup finals in three years all in the midfield position.
He’s got so much potential I’m really looking forward to his growth in this Arsenal side. He has strength, aerial ability, technically astute and very brave and composed for one so young. Hope to see him flourish once again after a run of games and really stake his claim for a place in this side.
Good performance by chambers. I feel he needs to work a bit on his movement off the ball when we are being harried in our own half
It’s a position where you do not need to be too elaborate with the ball..just need to get the basics right.
I must say he did that quite well
I hope the kid does well and he did s decent job last. Bournemouth were poor though and he was given lots of time on the ball. i will put me neck on the block and say he will not make an Arsenal dm. He may be good cover for centre back in few years and 4th or 5th choice dm.
I managed to go to the game last night and have to totally disagree with you. 1st half Bournemouth were pressing so high and fast, trying to close our midfield down and force our defenders to play hopeful long balls. But Chambers started to drop deep to help and showed real quality on the ball by either dribbling his way out (he’s been watching Cazorla videos possibly!), or picking the right/safe pass out I have to say I thought Chambers was our 3rd best player last night – behind Özil and Gabriel. Hoping to see a lot more of Calum… Read more »
That’s a load of bull$**t. But you have a right to your opinion
i agree….100%
So No Elneny then?
Perhaps they could play together as well? From what I’ve heard Elneny doesn’t always play as Basel’s deepest midfielder, so maybe he could play the Cazorla role as well.
Thought for his amount of experience he was okay. At times he seemed to be out of place regarding his positioning and I think the experienced players felt this and where a bit reluctant to pass to him while he was under pressure. Some of his tackles and passes where outstanding
The team was reluctant to pass the ball to Chambers early in the game; they didn’t seem to trust him. As the game went on he gained confidence and his teammates began to include him in the build up and then Callum began to impose himself on the game more. I thought it was a really positive performance and if you’re someone who wants to see him develop at Arsenal you can’t also be someone who is always clamoring for a big name CDM signing.
Honestly, he adds so much more to the team than Flamini because he uses the ball much more effectively, looking for passes that split the defense. Flamini, for all his defensive hustle never does anything with the ball. That’s why we miss the Coq so much, but Chambers, raw as he is, has the passing range and a bit more technical skill than the Flamster.
I like Chambers, think he’s very down to earth (much like most of our players in fairness) and as a footballer, for the most part, when Arsene has asked him to perform a specific role, be that at DM, CD, RB he has done a good job. Certainly not the finished article, yet, but such a promising talent that to sign someone else and ignore him would be criminal. He’s good with the ball at his feet, has decent pace, and it’s pretty disciplined. No marauding into the opposition box to take potshots (the part of Flamini’s game that worries… Read more »
He did well Chambers. That said many are getting carried away as per usual. They want to see what they want to see. 1) Bournemouth are not City or Olympiakos in a crunch game. This was a very tired Bournemouth side. 2) Ramsey actually did a lot more of the work to cover Chambers. If anything, Ramsey was far more impressive for his hustle. He covered the expected gaps well. 3) Chambers is not suddenly better than Flamini unless you have an agenda against Flamini because you hold a bias that (like Per) it is always his fault. It isn’t.… Read more »
His control, ball retention, passes and tackling are top notch against Bournemouth. But needs to work a bit on his positioning at times. Having said that, he’s a top prospect no doubt.
I’d rather Wenger develop and fine-tune his burgeoning talent than derail it with another signing.
I know I’m gonna get slashed for this… But look at the bigger picture before thumbing down this comment.
He should just perfect his passes and improve the dribbling. Boom.. We gat our own beast of DM