What is the point in Mohamed Elneny?

What is the point in Mohamed Elneny? Should Mikel Arteta persist with playing the Egyptian in the Premier League?

By Adam Le Roux

This Arsenal team is evolving before our very eyes, what had become a stagnant side is slowly developing into a dynamic, forward-thinking and creative unit over the course of the season.

It has taken some time, and it’s clear to see that the Gunners are still far away from becoming the finished article but Mikel Arteta has finally started to get the cogs in motion and put his own blueprint on the team.

From the departure of Mesut Ozil to the arrival of Martin Odegaard and the faith put into the younger elements of the squad such as Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe, this team has Arteta written all over it, apart from one area.

And that is in defensive midfield, where Mohamed Elneny continues to get playing time, although you’d be hard-pressed to describe what the Egyptian actually does throughout the 90 minutes.

Elneny is expendable

Name one thing that Mohamed Elneny does that makes him stand head and shoulders above the rest of defensive midfielders in the league. You can’t, can you?

And that’s exactly the point here, the Egyptian doesn’t add anything to this new-look Arsenal squad, he doesn’t have the speed of thought to progress attacks, and his passing range is limited to say the least.

He does the basics well, yes, but that isn’t enough anymore, that’s what you get from a defensive midfield player for a side who has no ambition - these days, players need to have more strings to their bow.

Breaking up tackles, spraying the ball left, right and centre, the quickness of feet and deftness of touch to counteract a press, these are what sets the best apart from the rest, and the 28-year-old isn’t that.

By the time he seems to have seen a pass the moment has gone, the attack has lost its impetus, and we’re back to square one again, it’s frustrating to watch week after week.

Normally you could rely on the former Basel man to excel when the Gunners weren’t in possession, but even that has diminished recently and the numbers prove as much.

In his 14 Premier League appearances this season, the Egyptian has made just nine tackles, with only four of those being successful, while his duel success isn’t much better having won just 22 of the 58 times he has come up against an opponent.

For someone who prides themselves on being an all-action combative midfielder, those numbers are especially poor, and give explanation as to why the Arsenal defence has looked so porous this season.

If they aren’t getting the protection from further afield they are being left exposed time and time again, and they have proved that they can’t always be relied on to keep a tight ship at the back.

Ceballos is superior

What makes Elneny’s inclusion in any Arsenal team even more annoying is the fact that Arsenal have a ready-made replacement waiting in the wings, with Dani Ceballos not being given as much game time as he deserves of late.

The Spaniard does all that Elneny can do and more, as we saw in the Europa League last 32 clash against Benfica last week, where the Real Madrid loanee ran the show from central midfield.

Not only was he keeping the Portuguese side’s attackers in check at one end of the field, but he was kickstarting attacks from his deep lying role, with his precise long balls into the channels getting Arsenal back onto the front foot.

Ceballos’ performance in Rome was a breath of fresh air compared to the static, immobile displays of Elneny, who seems to opt for the simple ball more often than not, leading to a slow, laborious build-up which allows the opposition to regroup.

Even the brief appearances made by Thomas Partey this season have been a step up from the Egyptian and once the Ghanaian is fully fit it would be no surprise to see him replace his teammate for good.

For Europa League group stage matches he looks the part, having even helped himself to a rare goal in the 4-2 win over Dundalk earlier in the season but the Gunners need players they can rely on in all weathers, not just when the going is easy.

If Arsenal are going to get back where they belong at the top of the Premier League table and compete on the highest European stage they must carry no passengers, with every member of the team able to hold their own on the football pitch.

But for all of Elneny’s energy, he isn’t a player who will fit into the Arsenal team as time goes on, and as Arteta looks to create a high-tempo side who come out on the front foot, it looks like the Egyptian’s days at the Emirates are numbered.

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