A Closer Look At How Phil Jones Made Life Difficult For Arsenal

Arsenal travelled to Manchester United today to take on the reigning champions in their bid to become, well, champions. The Gunners came into the game sitting pretty at the top after 10 games but a Robin van Persie header in the first half sent a blow to Arsene Wenger’s title hopes. For me, there was a standout player in the heart of the victory, and that was Phil Jones.

The defender-turned-midfielder is a lump, yes, and he’s not the most inspiring player in the Premier League. However, what he does is break up the opposition attacks and make life difficult for them. During the tie at Old Trafford he made eight clearances, proving how reliable he is, and made two interceptions.

He is an intelligent player who enjoys picking up possession and running with it. His strength is a huge attribute to how he partakes in the game, powering through players and dominating in the air, and although he was sluggish in the aerial department this afternoon, he showed once again why managers enjoy him further up the field.

Jones completed 19/20 of his passes (95%) and won 3/5 of his take ons. After Nemanja Vidic was taken off Jones slipped effortlessly into the back four with Cleverley taking his place, which is another huge factor of the 21-year-old’s game.

Take a bow Mr Phil Jones.