The name of Jakub Kiwior may still rarely be heard outside of Arsenal fans, he is a centre back who joined the North London based club from Spezia in January 2023. Since joining, the Poland international has only played eight times for Arsenal, with two coming off the bench. The pre-season is an important period for team preparation in welcoming the new season.
Usually the teams went on tour and does a friendly with different type of teams across the globe. Pre-season is often used to try new players and tactics, this is what Arsenal did in Germany yesteday. Mikel Arteta tried to experiment with Jakub Kiwior as an inverted fullback, a role which is usually done by Oleksandr Zinchenko.
How will Kiwior carry out his new role as the inverted fullback? Let's look at the following article.
Jakub Kiwior’s Role
Kiwior starts from the LB position, but most importantly he will tuck into the midfield to form a double pivot with Thomas Partey. The use of the inverted fullback, is for the team to have a numerical advantage against the opponent and create the passing lanes to other players who stays wide (usually wingers).
Kiwor's positioning allows Gabriel to push wider into the ‘left back’ zone. His safe pass selection helps Arsenal to control the game. He’s got the composure for player who is still learning about their new role.
Kiwior understands space occupation well, he always move to find empty space and help his team progress the ball.
Like Zichenko, Kiwior will go wide at times to provide support for the attacking line and fill the rest defence.
Data Point Of View
What’s interesting is that Jakub Kiwior has 88th percentile for the inverted fullback role and the 86th percentile for the deep lying midfielder (No.6) when compared to players in the Top 7 European Leagues. This shows that according to data Kiwior can play in a more central position, just like what Mikel Arteta are trying to do.
Even so, Kiwior made several mistakes that could be dangerous for his team. There are examples where he made a wrong pass and dispossessed in a short time of period, allowing the opponent to take advantage of his mistake.
My thoughts on Jakub Kiwior's new role
Jakub Kiwior is playing quite well in his new role, but there will be mistakes when learning a new role. Kiwior also hasn't been really tested when dealing with opponents who apply high press with more intensity. Playing with back to goal when playing as the midfielder will certainly different from playing as a centre back who faces the goal a lot, so this is a learning experience for him.
We might see another Kiwior inverted fullback experiment or another player/role experiment by Mikel Arteta in the next games. For another experiment, I would like to see Kiwior as the left centre back and Zinchenko as the inverted fullback in the upcoming games. I think Kiwior might suits the Gabriel ‘role’ better especially in possession than Gabriel himself, and we know how good Zinchenko as the inverted fullback.
Versatility is something very important to look in a player these days, and Mikel Arteta seems to see that potential in Jakub Kiwior.