Marvin Plattenhardt can be the ideal left-back for Arsenal
According to an earlier report from Sky Sports in the summer, Everton, Watford and Bournemouth were interested in signing German international left-back Marvin Plattenhardt. However, a move to the Premier League after the World Cup failed to materialise and Plattenhardt continued to ply his trade with Hertha Berlin.
A graduate of Nurnberg’s academy, Plattenhardt made his debut in the 2009-10 season but he rose to prominence during the 2013-14 season where he established himself as the first-choice left-back, making 31 appearances in the Bundesliga.
The 26-year-old, who was a part of Germany’s squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, made his move to Hertha Berlin back in 2014 and has established himself as one of the best utility full-backs in the German top flight. Plettenhardt has accumulated 20 assists and 7 goals from 133 appearances for Hertha Berlin across all competitions, which is quite an impressive number for a full-back.
Standing at 5ft. 11 inches, Plattenhardt has just the ideal height for a full-back and is known for his ability to race up and down the pitch with his fast strides. He has a sound positional sense for a full-back and is a good reader of the game at the back, averaging 1.7 tackles and 0.8 interceptions per game. While those stats might not be that appealing, something that must be noted is that he rarely gets caught out of position. In other words, he is the sort of a full-back who defends effectively without making a large number of tackles.
Apart from being a reliable presence at the back, Plattenhardt also provides an attacking outlet with his powerful driving runs down the left. His sound technique allows him to run comfortably with the ball at his feet.
The 26-year-old has averaged 37 passes per game with an accuracy percentage of 82.4 in the Bundesliga this term, including 1.4 successful long balls and 1.9 crosses per game. As evident from the figures, he is an excellent passer of the ball and can create opportunities with his immaculate crossing. Furthermore, he is a set-piece specialist who has the ability to find the net with curling efforts from range.
To put things into perspective, Arsenal should make a move for the German international to solve their left-back conundrum.
Nacho Monreal has struggled with injuries and the fact that the Spaniard is already 32, should prompt Unai Emery to seek for long-term alternatives. Sead Kolasinac has done a decent job as a left wing-back when Arsenal have played a 3-5-2 formation but he is yet to establish himself as a reliable presence at the back in a specialist left-back role. Ainsley Maitland-Niles, on the other hand, is still young and inexperienced at the Premier League level.
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Arsenal need a completely finished product to solve their defensive woes and Plattenhardt’s versatility to play at both left-back and wing-back should make him a perfect choice for Unai Emery.
