Arsenal’s Thomas Vermaelen has become their third center back. Some Arsenal fans want to see Vermaelen played at defensive midfielder, to give him a role beyond back-up center back. However, moving Vermaelen from center back to holding midfield would likely result in an on-pitch disaster.
The Issue of Spatial Awareness
For any center back, the shift to holding midfielder requires greater spatial awareness. Playing as a center back calls for a player to play more of a 180-degree game. Center backs focus mostly on the play in front of them. They play the furthest back on the pitch, and therefore, they are protected by the offside rule. In fact, many center backs are uncomfortable dealing with balls played in behind, when having beat a retreat to their own goal, or when the threat of an opponent running beyond the back line is present.
Playing as the holder requires a player to play a 360-degree game. One has to be aware of the space in front of him and behind him. One also needs to be aware of the players all around him. A defensive midfielder cannot change forward to close down an opponent without consideration of the situation behind him. In an attempt to win the ball higher up the pitch, he may make it easier for an opponent to get the ball to his teammate ai???in the hole.ai??? However, a holding midfielder who is not aware of the lack of a threat behind him may be too cautious with his positioning, causing him to miss opportunities to close down opponents and win back possession.
We have little evidence that Thomas Vermaelen can handle the transition from the 180-degree game of center back to the 360-degree game of the holding midfielder. Our only evidence of Thomas Vermaelen playing in a role that required 360-degree spatial awareness for Arsenal are the games he has played at left back. Though this position requires more running up and down the flank, rather than sitting and reading the passage of play, his understanding of the game in front of him and behind him, at left back, has left much to be desired.
The Issue of a Reference Point
Another issue in the transition from center back to holder is the lack of a positional cue or reference. Positioning of the holding midfielder is crucial for a side to function, in both possession and defense. Play too deep, and one may deny his team a passing option when in possession. Playing too deep may also leave too much space in the area between the midfielders. Play too high up the pitch, and one leaves a large amount of space in front of their back line, exposing the central defensive pair. This particular positioning issue turns out worse for a team whose fullbacks bomb forward and play the role of deep-lying winger/wide midfielder. So for a side like Arsenal, proper positioning of the holding midfielder is crucial.
At center back, when in a back three or a central pair, one has another player to serve as a positional cue for him. While different center back pairs have different tendencies when it comes to breaking forward to win the ball, dropping deep, or holding the line, in different situations, they always have each other as a reference point. Unless he is playing with another holding midfielder, the holding midfielder often lacks that other player who can serve as a reference point. He lacks the ability for another player to provide real-time feedback on his positioning. Given the importance of his positioning to the overall functionality of the side, it is no wonder that the most intelligent footballers often play in this role (see Philipp Lahm).
Taking this into consideration, it is odd that some believe Thomas Vermaelen to be a solution as the holder. One of his biggest issues at center back is his positioning and his tactical discipline (along with communication). Moving him to a holding midfield role does not mitigate those issues; it only shifts them to a different position on the pitch (same can be said for the communication issue, as well). While one could argue that a mistake in a holding midfield role is not as highly leveraged as a mistake at center back, it is still of a high enough leverage that it imposes too much of a cost to the side. For a club like Arsenal, especially in an athletic and fast-paced league like the English Premier League, playing Vermaelen as a holding midfielder could lead to teams ripping them apart like Aston Villa did on opening day.
Hatchet-Man?
Finally, maybe Thomas Vermaelen could operate in a Phil Jones-hatchet man role (also known as the Van Bommel). While running around like a headless chicken and tackling everything in sight may work for a negative or lower quality side, Arsenal do not need a player who mindlessly runs around the pitch, whose effectiveness is completely depended on the official turning a blind eye to all the fouls he commits. It is also unclear if Vermaelen could perform in this role. A center back needs to be quick in his movement, covering a short space in every passage of movement. A holding midfielder has to run, not just move in quick bursts. Vermaelen is not known as a high endurance player, having an efficient running style, or being a special athlete, relative to football players on teams at Arsenalai??i??s level. So even in the most crude of midfield roles, a role for which Arsenal have no need, it is unclear whether Thomas Vermaelen would succeed.
The Issue of Vermaelen’s On-Ball Ability
Thomas Vermaelen could make up for his lack of adequate defensive ability for the position by being excellent on the ball, much like David Luiz when he playing in midfield for Chelsea (though this author thinks Chelsea is wasting an excellent center back talent in utilizing him that way). The problem is that center backs are asked to receive and distribute the ball differently than holding midfielders. Center backs tend to dislike receiving the ball with their back to goal, unless they plan on playing the ball right back to the keeper. Few center backs have the confidence to receive the ball facing their own goal and turning towards their opponentai??i??s goal, often due to the potential of turning into an oncoming opponent. How many times have Arsenal looked at their most vulnerable in the past when their opponent put heavy pressure on their center backs? And when they are not under pressure, they are asked to speculatively hit the ball long (unless it is Dante, who is not hitting them speculatively), play it to the fullback or play it to the closest midfielder.
Holding midfielders must be comfortable to receive the ball with facing their own goal, allowing them to be an option for both center backs and full backs. They also need to be composed when receiving the ball or having the ball while under pressure. They are expected to wriggle free to create a passing lane or at least hold onto the ball until a teammate can create a passing lane. Also, holding midfielders are often tasked with setting the tempo of a side and are often asked to hit a wide variety of passes, especially if they are not bringing much to the side defensively.
Vermaelen is not a skilled passer relative to other center backs. Both Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny have completed over 90% of their passes this season. In the English Premier League, in seasons with more than seven appearances, Vermaelen completed 83.3% of his passes in 2009-2010, 85.5% in 2011-2012, and 86.3% in 2012-2013. Vermaelen has never been skilled at dribbling or at maintaining control of the ball under pressure. His only skill when on the ball is his ability to simply dribble forward when there is a large amount of space in front of him. In a holding midfield role, there is not that large amount of space, allowing one to clumsily maraud forward. It seems there is little evidence to suggest that Vermaelen could overcome his defensive deficiencies in that midfield role through his ability to affect the game when Arsenal are in possession.
Conclusion
Thomas Vermaelen should not start at center back, barring injury, for Arsenal, and does not appear suited to a holding midfield role. He does not represent an upgrade over either Mikel Arteta or Mathieu Flamini in a holding role. One would probably turn to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to play that role if those two players were unable to play, as he did against Newcastle United in the last game of the 2012-2013 EPL season, showing better athleticism, on-ball ability, and positional discipline and awareness than Vermaelen has ever shown. Given that, it seems unlikely that Vermaelen stays at Arsenal. And with rumors of Zenit St. Petersburg showing a willingness to start the bidding at 15 million pounds, it would be foolish for Arsenal not to sell at a price that high. That would free up both a roster spot and monetary resources to sign a young center back who Arsenal can further develop (Matthias Ginter?) and/or a center back for depth, allowing the squad to further develop. Waiting to sell the Belgian only serves to lower his value on the market. It just makes sense that ArsenalAi??take the money and run.
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