It’s been a breakout week for Myles Lewis-Skelly who made the Premier League sit up and take notice with his all-action performance against Sp*rs.
The Arsenal Academy graduate became the club’s second youngest starter in a North London derby after Cesc Fabregas on Wednesday night and enjoyed every minute of the occasion to the point he was still whipping up the crowd after being substituted late on.
Showing a physicality beyond his years and the confidence to navigate tight spaces and drive the ball upfield, he earned high praise from his manager.
“I think it’s very rare to see 18-year-olds playing against Kulusevski and Johnson in a big London derby for the first time to perform with that composure, attitude and that control emotionally,” said Mikel Arteta after the game.
“It makes everybody at the club very proud because he’s been in our system for a long time.”
What’s particularly fascinating about Lewis-Skelly’s story is that it wasn’t until the summer that the club decided to convert him from a midfielder into a left-back.
Ahead of Saturday’s showdown with Aston Villa, Arteta explained that the decision was taken with one eye on creating a first-team pathway for the youngster.
“When I saw him, to give him a chance and with the project that we had in the academy the moment that I saw him, the only way I could think was to change his position,” he said.
“I spoke to him and said I think this is where you’re going to have it, because I think it fits a lot of his qualities, the way that we play and it fits because we had necessities in the position, so we started to work on that.
“He got into it straight away with the personality that he has. I think it’s very obvious and now he’s doing it.”
Given Arsenal had a host of players who could, at a push, play left-back, it’s a testament to Lewis-Skelly that he’s forced his way up the pecking order to compete, even with big-money signing Riccardo Calafiori.
Reflecting on the player’s progress since he was first tested in the position in pre-season, Arteta said: “Adapting to the role is not just on the defensive part. I think physically, they’re very different demands. You’re facing wingers a lot of times in that position.
“You have to be part of that defensive line. You have to know when to release, when to not, when it’s on your side how you have to defend the box – something that he wasn’t used to.
“Then all the attacking processes on top of that, so it’s quite a lot. He’s dealing with that in a great way. Physically as well he’s matured a lot in the last year or so and it was another great performance.”
As is often the case in this country, attention has already turned to whether Lewis-Skelly could be an option for new national team manager Thomas Tuchel.
“Let him settle where he is first and talk about the reality he’s got in front of him,” said Arteta. “Stick with that and I think that’s more than enough for now.”
When he has played in midfield in the past, where has he played? I’m wondering if long term he’ll stay at left back or move back into midfield – and if he does, what sort of midfielder will he be?
I think he was mostly played at the 6.
He’s a six, someone who disrupts, wins possession, and distributes. Deploying him at lb could be a way to help build his ball carrying and positioning skills.
Position change make perfect sense as we are short of full backs, especially on left side. Dont remember when we last purchased a left back..hmmm
My first instinct was also to make that joke, but if you think about it a tiny bit more it makes complete sense – with all of the left backs we have not a single one of them has ever been able to stake a claim for that position, they all either have an obvious weakness, or are constantly injured, or both. In midfield MLS would’ve been competing with a player we just bought for 100mil, or perhaps further up front with Odegaard given he’s left handed. Left back was by far the easier option if his goal was to… Read more »
and also from our perspective – it’s getting very quickly to the point that he will be undroppable because of how much better he is than all of our other left backs.
Remember Saka at right wing back? Enough said.
I think it’s a shame he may not make it as a midfielder with us. Honestly he was much much more than a 6 at youth levels. He would regularly take the ball deep and beat 3, 4, 5 players carrying the ball to the other box… I am a fan of Arteta for sure but it is a shame that like Pep the instinct is to utilise the player rather than nurture the talent that’s there. Of course Mikel is going to be more right than me. It’s just a shame if he is not allowed to be the… Read more »
Did you forgot how Wenger changed Lauren and Kolo Toure from midfield to fullback and centerback?
And many more coaches and managers did to countless of players.
Even Declan Rice started as a defender.
Anything can happen in football.
We need ball carriers and defenders who can make progressives passes from the defend
Why is he not going to make it in midfield? Give him a chance! He’s not old enough to watch Die Hard yet, so let’s not right him off already! Jeeeze…..
This is what AMN could have been.
Only if AMN had been a much better player.
I see Lyon with AMN playing went out of the French Cup to a fifth tier group of amateurs, while we were beating Sp*rs in the NLD.
Here’s your answer from Arteta’s mouth
“…..I saw him, the only way I could think was to change his position,”
MLS – A League of His Own
Thankfully he appears to be a higher quality league.
And Laurent was converted into a defender. We. Have form in this. We don’t buy them, we make them.
Saka first started as a left back too. Just sayin’.
I find this wish for a “better” position weird. I’d take Ashley Cole in his prime. I wouldn’t complain he’s not a midfielder. We need 11 last time I checked.
I think it comes from the fact that Calafiori and Timber are both great at the left back position. But Partey is ageing and we don’t know how much longer he will be part of the team.
This makes me think of Maitland Niles and how he wasn’t happy to fully embrace the idea of changing position. Circumstances were different but I think there’s an attitude that MLS seems to have that will serve him better.
I think it helps that a full back under Arteta isn’t nearly the fairly uncreative, running up and down the pitch position that it was under our previous managers – MLS is for all intents and purposes practically a midfielder half the time, and with even more tactical responsiblity because he has to constantly decide when to invert and when to stay on the flank. Honestly if it were me I’d find it a much more interesting challenge than to be a traditional 6 And I’d much rather be a 6 than play the full back position the way Sagna… Read more »
Maitland Niles wasn’t up for it, and wasn’t quite as good as he thought he was
When Arteta looked at his team & the possibility of Kelly-Lewis playing in it he saw the left side as the easier one for him to slot him in. Kelly-Lewis is either a 6 or 8 & now he is just adding another position 3. The way he plays he is better than Merino in number 8 position; he is more forward thinking, he carried the ball forward & beat his markers more than Declan Rice in that no. 8 position. He has an eye for a killer pass than both Rice & Merino. Let’s wait & see he will… Read more »
Who is Kely-Lewis?
Concentration
The decision to use him at lb is much like how Wenger used to deploy attackers on the wing- but arteta loves defenders 😀
Also, under Arteta’s system we advance the ball with fullbacks as we build up play. Ben White and now Timber are good examples of this and previously Zinny and now MLS. Eventually I think he will find himself in the 6 role unless he starts adding goals as a LB. Versatility is the key to playing under Arteta.
Please, no one take this as a dig against Lewis Skelly. I thought he was great against Spurs, even inspirational–if that doesn’t sound too much. But a young player always makes mistakes. it doesn’t hurt him that he plays with a left-sided centre half like Gabriel who is both incredibly mobile and brilliant at understanding where to move to cover his fullback’s territory. And specifically to the NLD, it helped that Declan Rice did his impression of Ngolo Kante–covering about two-thirds of the pitch by himself.
That is the role of mature Senior Players. Part of their job is to help youngsters out. You can see Gabriel giving him instructions, covering for him, and praising him. Now, I can understand why Arteta wasn’t throwing young players into the deep end before now (Saliba is an example). For those saying bad things about Arteta when he didn’t integrate Saliba or other young players earlier, Yoro (Utd) is an example of what a bad team without leaders can do to young players, especially defenders. We were once like Utd and only God knows what would have happened to… Read more »
Excellent comment 👍🏻
Nailed it.
In fact Myles Skelly Lewis is a new thing in the Arsensl squad very strong and swift he is complete and composed I also believed he can as well play that Merino position if Ricardo Calafiori is featured on the left back for he is unstoppable he will handle that position very well because he can defend as well so he will not going to be burnout so far so good he has shown quality a super star in the making more grease to your elbow well done.
An upgrade on Zinny?
Exactly, as good as he’s been I think that’s the dream scenario. Calafiori to make left back his own, while MLS could potentially play LB, 6, 8. I gather MLS played as a 6 in youth teams but with how brave he is on the ball, athleticism, maturity, I see no reason he couldn’t flourish as a box to box player. Almost a Joe Willock type all action but much more physical and defensively sound. I’m happy to see him wherever, he has that je ne sais quoi where you know he’ll succeed.
Michael Thomas started at full back despite being a two-way midfielder. And David rocastle started wide but was tough enough to move inside. I can’t help thinking MLS and Ethan might be the second coming of those two. Ans we play Liverpool
At anfield the second last game of the season…. Just saying.