The most striking aspect of Arsenal‘s transformation from top-four chokers to Premier League leaders over the past 10 months has been the shift in mentality within their squad.
Mikel Arteta’s side have taken more points from losing positions than any other club in the top flight, earning three victories with stoppage-time winners in their last eight matches.
There is a steeliness to this group that other Arsenal teams have patently lacked. Considering their newest recruit Jakub Kiwior regards PSG’s grizzled veteran Sergio Ramos, the poster boy for pushing the “win at all costs” mentality to its outer limits, as his footballing idol, he should fit right in.
According to Karol Belanik, the general manager at one of Kiwior’s former clubs MSK Zilina, his three standout attributes are “determination, courage and responsibility”.
“I go into every game with the mindset that I want to win,” Kiwior told Arsenal’s programme before the 4-0 win against Everton. “I think nobody ever likes losing; however, I’m somebody who will do everything to win every game and I’ll fight until the very end.”
Kiwior has not yet had the opportunity to showcase his fighting spirit in north London. Since joining from Spezia in a deal worth a reported £20m in January, Kiwior has had a watching brief, taking in recent comebacks against Aston Villa and Brentford from the substitutes bench. The 23-year-old has been an unused sub in eight consecutive matches and has only worn Arsenal’s colours in a 45-minute run-out for the U23s against Chelsea.
That may change this week with Arsenal set to resume their Europa League campaign against Sporting Lisbon. No-one in Arsenal’s squad has played more minutes than Gabriel Magalhaes this season, and with the club’s continental aspirations taking a backseat to domestic matters, Kiwior has a better chance of featuring in Europe.
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PSG's departure from 'bling-bling' strategy is an acceptance of their Champions League failure08 March, 2023Arsenal fans are certainly eager to see what he can offer, given Kiwior is still a largely unknown quantity despite starting all four of Poland’s games at the World Cup in Qatar. Even in Poland, Kiwior is seen as a newcomer having been practically unheard of prior to his senior international debut against the Netherlands last June.
“He’s not really well known in Poland purely because he’s not played there at all,” Polish football expert Ryan Hubbard tells i. “His development has been completely off the radar. It’s been quite a surprise for a lot of Poles in that respect.”
Unlike Ramos, whose breakthrough at Sevilla and record-breaking move to Real Madrid before he was 20 gave the impression that his path to the top had been predestined, Kiwior was no teenage prodigy. He started out for his local club GKS Tychy, but showed sufficient promise to earn a move to Anderlecht’s academy at 16. “It was an opportunity to develop somewhere a bit better,” Hubbard says.
Kiwior was unable to make the grade in Brussels and moved to Slovakia, joining the far less renowned Zeleziarne Podbrezova. Within a few months, his new club had been relegated, but Kiwior performed well enough to attract the attention of MSK Zilina, one of Slovakia’s most successful clubs.
“Already during his time in Anderlecht, we received tips about him that he could be an interesting player in the future,” Belanik tells i. “With his transfer to Podbrezova, we followed him even more closely.
“He can be aggressive in one vs one situations, is precise in tackles and great in timing. We were looking for this type of player who could also be constructive, able to pass the ball with variety and also have technical skills because we prefer to keep the ball.”
It was at Zilina where Kiwior began to gain more recognition. He earned a place in the Slovak Super Liga team of the season in 2020-21 and also scored in a cup final defeat against Slovan Bratislava. Spezia, on the lookout for defensive reinforcements after being involved in a Serie A relegation battle pounced with Kiwior playing an important role in their second successive survival mission.
From then on international recognition and ultimately a big-money move to Arsenal followed a little over five years after he was released by Anderlecht.
“He showed in those early Nations League games how much potential he has,” Hubbard says. “He came into a back three alongside Jan Bednarek and Kamil Glik and didn’t look out of place. In some of those games, he looked like Poland’s best defender, even their most senior one. You wouldn’t have thought he was the one making his debut.”
An undoubted factor behind Kiwior’s rapid ascent is that he is part of a “minority” group as Belanik puts it; that group being young, left-footed central defenders. It is arguably the toughest specialist position to fill in the modern game as an increasing number of coaches seek to strike natural balance in their backlines.
It is why, with no natural replacement, Arteta has relied upon Gabriel so heavily. The Brazilian has started 61 of the Gunners’ last 64 Premier League matches and the hope at Arsenal will be that their over-reliance on him is reduced once Kiwior gets up to speed.
“We hope he just won’t be a backup for another defender,” says Belanik, who reveals Kiwior’s move to Arsenal was “economically very interesting” for the club. “The sooner he gets the chance, the sooner he will get used to English football.”
When Kiwior does eventually make his debut, it will mark the latest step in his rapid development.
“Honestly, we have always trusted him, but his way up is extraordinary,” admits Belanik. “He still played in our shirt in summer 2021! A few members of our upper management are Arsenal fans, so it’s a great place to stay for Jakub and for them to visit the Emirates Stadium.”
Sporting dangermen: the names Arsenal need to look out for
Pedro Goncalves: Goncalves has risen to another level this year as Sporting’s top scorer and assister with 16 goals and eight setups. The versatile Portuguese can play across the front three and in midfield, mainly deployed on the left wing.
Marcus Edwards: On the other wing is Edwards who rose to fame against his former club Tottenham, slicing through the opposition with Messi-like dribbling. Similar to Goncalves he is comfortable cutting inside but works down on the by-line to pin fullbacks.
Goncalo Inacio: A 21 year-old centre back that has played across the back three. Inacio thrives on the ball and loves progressive passes.
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