One of Arsenal’s issues last season, among many, was the lack of depth in the right-back position. It meant that Hector Bellerin ended up being overplayed, doing 90 minutes between the two Europa League semi-finals for example.
There’s also the problem that a lack of competition for places can, even subconsciously, affect a player’s form, but this season the Spaniard knows he’s got an experienced player jockeying for position, but the 23 year old is looking at the arrival of Stephan Lichtsteiner as a positive.
The 34 year old, who has vast experience and a track record of winning things at Juventus, is someone Bellerin believes he can learn a lot from, which will be beneficial to him and the team.
In an interview with Football London, he said, “I think it’s a great addition to the squad. He’s a player with loads of top level experience and he can only help us.
“I can’t wait to learn from him. I think he’s a top defender, really solid and has a very good attacking sense as well.
“As a young player, it’s good to have someone like that I can learn from.”
If the Swiss international can help Bellerin develop as a defender, then it can only be a good thing for him and the team as they head into a new season.
The Gunners continue their preparations tonight with a game against Chelsea in Dublin.
ollowing injuries to Mathieu Debuchy, Calum Chambers and Nacho Monreal, Bellerín made his Champions League debut on 16 September 2014 in a 2–0 defeat away to Borussia Dortmund. He scored his first goal for Arsenal on 1 February 2015, in a 5–0 win against Aston Villa, and added a second on 4 April to open a 4–1 win over Liverpool despite also conceding a penalty kick through a foul on Raheem Sterling.
Bellerín was selected to start for Arsenal in the 2015 FA Cup Final on 30 May, helping the team keep a clean sheet in a 4–0 win over Aston Villa at Wembley Stadium. He signed a new long-term contract before the 2015–16 season and played the entirety of Arsenal’s 1–0 win over rivals Chelsea in the 2015 FA Community Shield.
He was the sole Arsenal player listed in the season’s PFA Team of the Year, and came in third place in Arsenal’s Player of the Season voting.On 21 November 2016, he signed a new long-term contract after agreeing to a deal that ties him to the club until 2022.
Having reached the semi-finals of the 2013 European Championship with the under-19 team, Bellerín made his debut for Albert Celades’s under-21 team on 30 March 2015, playing the full 90 minutes of a 4–0 friendly win over Belarus in León.
On 29 May 2016, after being named as a stand-by player for the year’s European Championship, Bellerín made his debut for the full squad by starting in a 3–1 friendly win against Bosnia and Herzegovina at the AFG Arena in St. Gallen, Switzerland. Two days later, he was chosen for the final squad after Dani Carvajal withdrew through injury. He was unused as they reached the last 16.
Bellerín is known for his speed. Using his pace, he is able to successfully take on opposition defenders as well as move swiftly to a defensive position. At the beginning of the 2014–15 season, he broke Theo Walcott’s 40-metre Arsenal sprint record by 1/100th of a second. He is considered to be one of the fastest footballers in the world.