Although he’s had some previous experience of playing left-back, Cedric Soares admits the last few weeks have been ‘different’ for him, as he filled in for Kieran Tierney.
Having barely played in the Premier League all season, he’s now made six successive starts deputising for the Scottish international, and he says he’ll play wherever he’s needed in order to help the team.
Although Tierney has travelled to Rome as the Gunners prepare to face Benfica in the Europa League, it remains to be seen if he’ll get the nod after just returning to training, so the Portuguese international may be in line to start again.
Asked about his time at left-back, Cedric said, ” It’s quite a different experience.
“Of course I did it before and I played there for Southampton in a few games. It’s a little bit different than playing on the back but when you play at this capacity it’s about adapting.
“The coach needs me there so we need to be prepared for that. That’s what I try to do, to be ready for it and to be prepared to adapt my qualities to this position, and help the team achieve the best result that we can get.”
Soares was brought in as cover for right-back, and he believes that he can challenge Hector Bellerin for that position when Tierney does get back to full fitness.
“If I believed that I wasn’t going to play then I wouldn’t be in football,” he said.
“I came to Arsenal to help. We need to look at things like this and I’m always available to play in whichever position the coach needs me to.”
“I will be ready to fight for any position the coach believes I can help the team in.
That back pass vs Villa didn’t help much, now did it?
He has been fantastic at LB and that pass was the only mistake. Sometimes you have to cut players some slack
Now the usual suspects are going to come out and compare him to AMN. Watched AMN’s game against United when he played midfield and there were two instances which summed up why he will be a liability in central midfield for a big club. He made a disastrous cross field pass which was under hit and United broke with 4 against 2 when ref bailed him out with the half time whistle. But it was a moment of madness which didn’t go punished and hence it wasn’t amplified. Then the simple cross when WBA broke 2 against 1 and he… Read more »
Interesting how much my Southampton supporting friend slagged him off.
However he has picked up substantially, I thought he was another waste of space but seems not.
Cedric was Saints first-choice right-back for ages. He got injured and was in and out of their team. He then came to us. I think Arteta and the coaches are really helping him to shine during his ‘peak’ years. Long may it continue.
i have a soft spot for him. people were very critical of us signing him and perhaps we could’ve dine without paying 5m for half a season of hil where he didn’t feature anyway, but i think he’s an improvement on Kolasinac on the left and at very least a pretty decent backup to Bellerin.
if AMN would accept not being a midfielder, who’d you prefer on either wing?
AMN all day. Homegrown talent, younger and ice cold when shooting penalties
AMN really hasn’t been very good when he’s played in a back 4 though which is what we’re going to play going forward & really struggles with passing which is a huge problem when Arteta wants us to build from the back. He excelled at the wingback role as it was more offensive and allowed him to really use his pace which is arguably his best attribute, but we’re not going to routinely play a back 5 either. Best to move him on this summer if we can get a decent fee given he’ll be 24.
AMN plays LWB better then he plays LB..but he’s better at RB and RWB and RW than any other position he’s played. I don’t think he’s good enough at CM because he does not have the passing range and vision and distribution to play CM but his insistence on playing CM has ruined his arsenal career. and someday I’m sure he’ll look back and regret it. Because the truth is he’s not good enough at CM. Look at OX chamberlain wanted to play CM left arsenal now he sits on the bench at Liverpool and plays 10min every other game… Read more »
Problem for Ox is fitness.
Exactly, he was playing regularly for Liverpool before his latest knee injury, which he’s still coming back from. The comparison between AMN and Ox is faulty because Ox actually did play CM for us in some big games, and played very well. That’s why Liverpool went for him in the first place.
AMN in contrast hasn’t really had that exposure at CM, so it’s a bit up in the air how good he’d actually be in that position. Certainly there have been games where I thought he might get the nod ahead of Elneny or Willock but it never happened.
Yeah, and pissing off the Arsenal gods!
He struggles with passing not because he can’t pass, but because he plays too casual. Things like this can be fixed, it’s mental. Don’t get it twisted like he’s not really, really good with the ball.
Tbf, AMN did play well at RB when Arteta first took the job, coming into midfield in much the same way Man City do with their fullbacks. If he wanted to play RB I think he’d have a good shot at challenging Bellerin and Cedric, but that’s the real crux of the issue.
Exactly…even though it’s actually come from AMN himself people still refuse to aacept that he’s not happy being a full back or wing back…he wants to play in midfield.
Ice cooold babe!
We barely have five penalties all season! I’m afraid there’s no use of him in this club if that’s his only strength.
I think he’s better than Bellerin, he has better end product than Bellerin and a better left foot. His crosses are better his shots are better and his defending is better than Bellerin. Also his positioning is better. Bellerin only beats him with speed and height that’s it. I would like for Cedric to start ahead of Bellerin when Tierney gets back. Because he gives us more he can switch play his distribution is excellent he’s just better than Bellerin period.
Cedric on the right over AMN. Much better defensively and bombing in crosses. Bellerin over Cedric still but it’s getting closer imo…
A valid point. If AMN would stop banging on about being a midfielder, I’d stick with him though. Younger, hails from Hale End, so think would have more potential to grow organically in the team with fellow graduates such as Saka, ESR etc. Hits the homegrown quota.
Bellerin is ok defensively but is still prone to lapses in concentration at times. Attacking he’s a bit of a waste to be honest as he can’t cross and his passing isn’t great. Amn is faster, has better technique in dribbling and passing but his concentration is piss poor at times. If ainsley can sort the mental issues out he has a much higher ceiling than any of them. Hopefully big Sam sorts that out because he has everything else.
How many times have we said that about a player – if only the mental side were right he would be a world beater? Mustafi is one of the most recent examples. Some players just never get the mental side of the game down and that keeps them from achieving what we view as their full potential. I personally think Ozil is a prime example of this. Others such as Messi/Ronaldo/Luis Suarez have extreme mental strength that leads to them becoming all time greats.
Hector has the best attacking stats of our fullbacks. 1 goal, 2 assists. Tierney is 1,1. Yes, I also think Tierney adds a lot more than stats, and Hector seems to have a few more wasted passes and crosses. But Hector also creates some very high quality opportunities from a side that doesn’t see as much buildup and traffic in general. And that side has become much more dangerous than it has been for a long time with his attack partners over there coming into good form. Remember much of the season he has had Willian, sometimes Nelson, and a… Read more »
Those are just League stats.
Hey, haven’t you read the “objective and balanced” Ornstein Edu piece?
The price Arsenal paid for him was “negligible”.
Even if he is not our first choice (and I’m happy Tierney is with the team in Rome!), this sounds like the kind of attitude we need on the team.
Does making a refreshing change from the” But I’m a midfielder boss” schtick. Like the attitude too – but I also liked Jenkinsons’ attitude which was second to none. Wouldn’t pick him to be ahead of AMN either..
Frankly, I really like his attitude! I wish Tierney was less injury prone, but Cedric has shown reliability. And he can be a threat going forward.
Mature lad on the pitch.
Has done well, fair play to him.
Straying from topic but I’m watching Haaland play for Dortmund and what a player he is. Apparently earmarked for Man U but what a striker he’d be for us. Only 20 years old too.
You would hope he’d refuse manure after what Keane did to his dad!!!
No idea what happened there but if it’s Keane then it’s bound to be cuntiness of the highest order of course.
Haaland is a wonderful player. Would love to have him here but it’s wishful thinking.
https://youtu.be/6nGkafx3-Ks
Jesus fucking Christ! Had that happened in a pub he’d done time for that. Nothing new of course but what a CUNT!
You’re serious that’s the first time you seen/heard about that?!! Keane to this day revels in the infamy of that tackle…positively crows about targeting and taking out haaland during that game. A total sociopath with violent tendencies.
My thoughts as well. If the unthinkable happens and we make the CL this year, his buyout is only 65million.. you never know, you never know…
Maybe he stays another season but it would be the dream. What a player.
If he does end up at Man U and should on some occasion be introduced to Keane I hope he blanks him like Wenger did with Mourinho after that game a few years ago. Or better, hoofs him by the side of the knee which leaves him with a limp for life.
I heard on norwegian tv that his buy out is activated in 2022, and that its 75 million. Might be euro tho.
Oh come on. Do we think the lad is saying to his agent .. ‘you know what, fuck United, Real, Barca, City, Bayern, PSG, untold riches, regular CL, I want to play in front of Granit Xhaka every week’…
No, but maybe he wants to play in front of Odegaard every week..
I which case Real then.. one can dream
He might be attracted by a young manager in charge of a rebuild project with exciting young players like Saka, ESR, Pepe, Martinelli and Tierney augmented by the world class experience of Aubameyang and Partey.
I know we’re not PSG or Citeh but we’re not to be scoffed at either.
Is it just me, or did the Sevilla keeper deliberately NOT save the first goal for Dortmund? Why open the hands just as the ball is passing beyond them?
The Dahoud goal? Maybe it was just such a rocket out of nowhere he was taken off guard. Or his view was blocked. Whatever it was, cracking goal!
Yeah, the keeper seems to pull his hands away from the ball just at the moment it is passing through them, and thus a bit suspicious, but I’m realizing that it is absurd to suggest he might do that intentionally in a CL match.
Although Tierney is travelling I don’t think he’ll be risked. He’s clearly injury prone so it’s a question of whether MA will prioritise the EL over the PL with him, given we may not get many games (minutes even, unfortunately) before he picks up another knock. Soares may not be the perfect replacement, but we have to go with what’s available and hope for the best.
I think Tierney will start. The EL is more important for us now, far more chance of getting a CL place from it than a top 4 spot unfortnately.
Think he’s a decent RB. Playing out of position on the left but giving it his all. Seems to have a great attitude too. Very professional.
Mari and Cedric are two good options that filled gaps in the squad and represented excellent value in doing so. I hope those who implied Edu was corrupt and that Kia was running the club 3 months ago will think more carefully next time.
I was one of those with that stance and I still am. Corrupt might be a strong word but I believe Edu, as an Arsenal employee, has definitely compromised his own integrity. Being that we signed two of his clients on a free transfer, Joorabichan’s company has likely received an exorbitant amount of money from AFC in the last financial year. Kia as a “businessman” never seems to be without scandal. The fact that a man previously charged with fraud is technically the agent of our Technical Director doesn’t fill me with confidence either. I just can’t bury my head… Read more »
I don’t think it was ever a comfortable relationship and it grated even more given a) the agent’s background and b) Wenger’s moralistic stance on agents. Wolves did very well out of Jorge Mendes though and we’d be naive to believe that other clubs also don’t benefit from having cosy relationships with certain agents. If you want to attract certain players there is a line of argument that you should prepare it by laying out the red carpet for the agent. Not saying I agree with that, but it’s common business practice and we need to recognise that there isn’t… Read more »
Meant to say ‘sharp’ end, not shark – freudian slip!
Take that, Ainsley…
I kind of prefer this guy to Bellerin. He’s very comfortable with the ball he should be starting ahead of Bellerin.
He’s a good right back, and more than capable of challenging Bellerin for a starting position.
Cedric over Bellerin all day, apart from the mistake at L/B against Villa he has been fantastic he is all you ask for in a R/B
Weirdly rubbished by many for quite a while, including Blogs. Not sure why, I have always liked his endeavour, he’s quite quick and good on the ball. Finally getting some respect.
A decent player, can do a job at LB but understandably it’s not where he’s at his best. Genuine competition for Bellerin though which is welcome.
Strangely, I think he has looked best at LB
Good on you Cedric, I think you’ve done alright so far especially playing out of position. And more importantly allowing Saka to play in a more attacking role.
… my agent fleece the club.”
I like Cedric, I have commented on here a few times about how some people first and foremost criticized his signing because of who his agent was rather than objectively judging what he could bring. Nobody liked seeing Joorabchian’s influence, but it did also bring benefits.
Am I the only person thinking that the club has got off quite lightly criticism-wise when letting both Kolasinac and Maitland-Niles leave and not bringing in any left-back cover in January? Tierney is a known risk injury-wise. I know that Arteta mentioned us needing a smaller squad now that we’re in only two competitions, but there’s still a lot of football to be played and we only have 3 senior full-backs (I refuse to accept that Chambers should ever play on the right of a 4 unless for emergencies). Should we assume that someone is effectively already signed for the… Read more »
Bit odd to join the club to help. Like we’re a geriatric zimmer-framing till the end. Is that how we’re seen. Like a club that needs a bit of help…