Héctor Bellerín has been one of the success stories for Arsenal and Arsene Wenger in the last year. His rise came at the hands of Mathieu Debuchy’s injury problems and the youngster did so well taking this chance, that he is Arsenal’s first choice right back now and Debuchy has recently said that he considered leaving the club having lost his place to the 20-year-old.
He said, “It’s difficult. Even though I didn’t play a lot last season, in my head I thought I’d return to the starting lineup after my recovery. But at the Community Shield against Chelsea, Wenger chose him, [Héctor] Bellerín. It was a surprise and a disappointment. Let’s say it crossed my mind [leaving]”
Bellerín’s growth has been rapid and he recently received his first call-up to the full Spain squad. This is an incredible feet for the 20-year-old but doesn’t come as a surprise to people who have tracked his short career.
Born and bred at Barcelona, Bellerín spent his entire youth career at the prestigious La Masia before joining Arsenal in the summer of 2011. Two years hence, the Spaniard was rewarded with his first full professional deal. It is interesting that the Spaniard played almost exclusively as a forward while at Barcelona, and was converted to a full-back at the London club.
After coming to Arsenal, the player was loaned out to Watford for a short term loan where he made 8 appearances for the side.
Last season, an injury crisis at Arsenal meant that Bellerín made his Champions League debut for Arsenal against Borussia Dortmund in a 0–2 defeat. He was just about okay on his debut. In fact, his early performances didn’t suggest that he would be able to hold a regular place in the team but the Spaniard grew into his right-back role gradually and by the end, was an imperative player in the club’s brilliant form in the second part of last season.
Bellerín ended up with 28 appearances to his name last season, and also won his first Under-21 cap for Spain. A lot of Barcelona fans were hoping he would return to the club, especially with Dani Alves’s future in doubt during the course of the summer. In fact, Barcelona were also linked with the youngster but Arsenal were quick to ensure there wasn’t a Cesc Fabregas 2.0 for the fans to endure and the talented right-back stayed at the club. In May, Bellerín signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal.
What was the most impressive feature from Bellerín’s game last season was how he exploited the space created due to the attacking player’s’ movement in the final third. What is perhaps cited as his biggest strength is pace. It has drawn immense attention as the player beat Theo Walcott’s club record for being the fastest player in the squad. For a full-back, that is a great quality to have on your side as you have to be regularly moving up and down the flank. But his other attributes deserve equal praise namely his defensive strength, adaptability and reading of the game which is becoming better with more experience. The 20-year-old is not predictable in his game too. If he doesn’t get space to exploit on the flank, he likes to cut inside and link up with the attackers and provides them service. He is not shy of shooting too, possibly a by-product of his striker days (his goal against Liverpool in last season’s 4-1 mauling was a terrific example of this).
The “modern day fullback” has been cursed with weak defensive contribution and worse positioning and this is another place where Bellerín would beg to differ. He is disciplined in his positioning, tracks back at the first sight of danger and doesn’t forget his duty of defending first. His style of play is reminiscent of Barcelona left-back Jordi Alba. Bellerín gives Arsenal both stability at the right back position, as well as more offensive fire power down the right flank.
It’s really a testament to his abilities and how far he has come along that Debuchy is feeling insecure about his position. For Debuchy, it is an understandable predicament. The former Newcastle man clearly wants to be involved in next year’s Euros and he needs to be playing much more regularly for Deschamps to pick him, especially when there is so much competition in France. However, he can’t be running away at the first sniff of competition and to be fair to Debuchy, he did go on to admit in his recent comments that he will stay and fight for a place. The Frenchman will have a role to play over the course of the season as Arsenal are involved in four competitions and chances will come sooner or later. However, Bellerín has certainly shown immense potential and more importantly, delivered on that potential. If he continues to progress in a similar manner, he can be Arsenal’s right-back for years to come.