Who is the better left back : Kieran Gibbs OR Nacho Monreal?

8th July 2013 By Fadi Manuel @Arsenal_FC_Blog

Who should start?

When Kieran Gibbs got injured in January, Wenger had to get a Left Back because he couldn't rely on Santos. Nacho played when Gibbs was injured, but when Gibbs came back, Monreal was benched. So that raised a question in my mind, Who is better?

This season Gibbs made 34 appearances, only 4 were off the bench. While Moneral made 21 appearances for Malaga, before he moved to Arsenal where he made 11 appearances, starting all of them except one.

Now let's look at their statistics.

 Kieran Gibbs 

Injuries have hindered Kieran Gibbs' career

He scored one amazing goal against Swansea when they played out a 2-2 draw. He had 5 assists this season. He had an average of 2.7 tackles a game. He also made an average of 2.4 interceptions a game. He averaged 41 passes a game. His passing Accuracy was about 84%.

 Nacho Monreal 
 

Nacho Monreal made some great contributions towards the end of the season

He scored a crucial winner at Swansea, when Arsenal won 2-0. He also made a game winning assist when Arsenal beat Aston Villa 2-1. At Malaga He scored a goal and had 2 assists. He averaged 2.6 tackles a game. He made an average of  of 2.3 interceptions a game. He averaged 45 passes a game. His passing Accuracy was 84%.

Final Verdict

Arsenal have two great left backs. We should expect to see them battle through out next season. Based on statistics they are about the same. But, I personally think Gibbs creates more chance for Arsenal, his movement is better than Monreal. And, I think he would have had more goals if he took more shots, He always looks to pass the ball first, but that might not right the decision everytime.

So finally, The best LB is Kieran Gibbs but not by much, Nacho Monreal will provide good competition for him and maybe even win the starting position next season. What are your thoughts do let us know in the comments below.

For more news and video's on Kieran Gibbs Click Here and Nacho Monreal Click Here

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