Arsenal man offers thoughts on new position change

Matt Stead

Calum Chambers has discussed the challenge of converting to a central midfielder under Unai Emery at Arsenal.

Chambers changed positions from his usual centre-half as Arsenal got their pre-season campaign underway against Boreham Wood, instead starting in the centre of midfield.

Arsenal ran out 8-0 winners in a comfortable Saturday stroll, with Chambers impressing in a more forward role.

The 23-year-old was handed a new contract by Emery this summer, and hopes he “can grow to enjoy” playing in a different position.

“It’s a new one for me!” he told the club’s official website. “I played there a little bit growing up. It’s a position I feel like I can grow to enjoy and out there today I felt good, I just need to train and practice in games in that position to get comfortable.

“It’s an important position. If you can get on the ball, turn and break their lines then it kills their press, so I think it’s an important position and anyone who’s playing in there needs to learn how to do that.

“Obviously you can’t do it all the time, you can’t take risks and when it’s not on you can bounce it backwards at an angle for someone else to play through the lines. But if you can get on it and you have time and it’s not a risk, turn and play forward and that’s the best way to get through a press.

“It’s our first game of the season and first friendly so it’s always going to be tough and the conditions didn’t help either, but it was a good test for us and a good run out.

“It’s important we put into practice what we’ve been learning on the training field and I think we did that today.”