With a few exceptions, central defence has frequently been an area where Arsenal U18s have struggled over the years.
One of the main reasons for this is that defenders often tend to take a lot longer to develop than those who play in more attacking areas.
Going into the new season, however, there are some encouraging signs for Adam Birchall’s team at the heart of the defence.
There are indications that Birchall could prioritise a central-defensive partnership between new signing Daniel McCarron and second year scholar Patrick Stachow.
McCarron and Stachow played alongside each other for the final half an hour as the U21s faced Boreham Wood last week and although Arsenal conceded a goal during that time there were signs that they could work well together.
McCarron, a Northern Ireland U18 international, made his senior debut for his previous club Dungannon Swifts and is very tall for a 16 year old.
Like McCarron, Stachow is also a very committed a player. A 17-year-old who is a Poland youth international, he slots in well in the left sided centre-back position and has a good passing range.
There are other options at centre-back for the U18s including Callan Hamill (who can also play at right-back), Abraham Owusu-Gyasi and Angelinou Pedro.
It appears, though, that McCarron and Stachow could be the preferred partnership and it is hoped that this will help Arsenal to address a long-standing issue at this level.
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Jeorge Bird is the author of www.arsenalyouth.wordpress.com Follow him on Twitter @jeorgebird