As the season comes to end, we find ourselves in a position where we could win the league. So of course, there are noises not only from the media, but from large section of the fans, that Wenger needs a major clear out this summer and despite being in the position we’re in, you can understand why.
Okay, so mathematically, we can still win the league; but do you honestly think we will? I mean, honestly? I don’t think a title winning side surrender a 4-0 lead, even if they do go down to ten men. I also don’t think a title winning side would lose focus when playing at home, against their local rivals, while having a 2-0 lead.
I could go on.
So, what’s the answer? Well, it seems Wenger does need a clear out. A recurring phrase I’ve heard, used by fellow Arsenal fans is: “Get rid of the dead wood”. The dead wood are comprised by a collective of Arsenal players and the most common names that I’ve heard dropped, are: Eboue; Denilson; Rosicky; Almunia and Bendtner.
Okay, I know all these players (with the exception of Almunia) have endearing qualities, but lets be honest here. Those players, when selected, infuriate us at some point in the match – if not for the entire time Wenger allows them to play on the pitch. I’m sure there were many, many, many instances this season (and probably last), when you’ve said the sentence: “What the hell was that?” – or something to that effect – in absolute disdain and disgust, at some stage in a match, when one of the players (mentioned above), ‘pass’ or ‘shoot’.
A player I want to focus on from that list of dead wood is Niklas Bendtner. Lets face it, he’s not very good, is he? I mean, he talks a good game, banging on about how he could be the best striker in the world, etc etc, but in actuality, when you see him in ‘action’, you tend to wonder how on Earth he got to play for a club like Arsenal, who have traditionally had truly great attacking/forwards over the years.
I remember first reading about Bendtner back in 2005. He was terrorising defences in the reserves up and down the country (with one Arturo Lupoli) and there seemed to be a buzz about him, however I’d heard it all before with the likes of Stephen Hughes and Jeremie Aliadiere, so while I read it with some interest, I didn’t get too excited about it.
Timing is a crucial factor in life and it’s no different in football. In 2004/05 season, Didier Drogba signed for Chelsea and it seemed a tall, powerful target man was very much in vogue in a 4-5-1 formation, which seemed to be very prominent at that time amongst many clubs in Europe. It wasn’t long till we saw more and more physically imposing players, like Drogba, enter the Premier league and after an impressive stint in the Championship with Birmingham City, Bendtner seemed to offer something that was somewhat lacking in our squad at the time.
We’d always been accused of being light weights, so a towering Viking was a welcome addition and because of his height, he also gave us another option on the pitch as what’s now so well documented amongst football pundits, that we’re a side who don’t like to head the ball. It became apparent that Wenger followed this trend with the signings of Abou Diaby (okay, he’s not a striker but he is quite a physical force) and Emmanuel Adebayor.
Since Bendtner’s winning goal against Spurs at the Emirates (in the 2007/08 season), he’s broken into the first team and, to his credit, stayed there. I remember there were always questions marks over him amongst fans, but I’ll admit I used to defend him. Yes, he squandered chances; yes, he wasn’t very good at beating players one on one; yes, he should be better in the air for a man of his height, but he was always ‘involved’ in the match, whether he came off the bench for the last five minutes or he started. He’d always have a shot or a tussle or a flick on and there’d be a chance and sometimes a goal because of it.
I didn’t disagree with fans who said his finishing is poor and that he needs six or so chances before he slots one in, but I was of the opinion that he could work on his finishing and couple that with his drive to succeed on the pitch; potentially, he was looking quite promising.
Now, for the majority of the last decade, our team was based around a formation and set up in order for Thierry Henry to score as many goals as he could, with a very impressive supportive cast. 4-4-2 was the formation and our left side truly destroyed teams. As the years rolled on, the emergence of Cesc Fabregas came about and it seemed we had a genuine world class prospect on our hands.
It turned out – according to Wenger – that Cesc couldn’t gel with Patrick Vieira on the pitch so, subsequently, Vieira was sold off, for a decent figure in order to give Cesc the room to excel. It then turned out that Cesc couldn’t play 4-4-2 very well either – or at least, that formation didn’t bring out he best in him – so, Wenger switched the formation to 4-3-3, or 4- 2- 3- 1; the media call it the ‘Barcelona formation’ – whatever.
Anyway, the point I’m making is, as Wenger tampered with the set up and built a side around Cesc Fabregas and chose a formation to suit him, Bendtner is often played out of position in the games that matter. It’s of no real consequence scoring a hat trick against Leyton Orient in the FA cup when you can finish or even get in a position to score against Sunderland. Robin Van Persie is always going to have the central role up front, so Wenger plays Bendtner on the right side of attack, where he looks clumsy and awkward. I
n his native country Denmark, their media often comment on Wenger playing Bendtner out of position and how he’s never going to get the best out of him by doing so. Of course, the fans judge a player on what they do on the pitch and even though we can understand and accept that Bendtner is playing out of position, you have to ask yourself that if Wenger can only play him there for the majority of the time due to the pecking order of the forwards in the squad, and if it’s all obvious to anyone who has any inkling of knowledge about football that Bendtner is a combination of woeful and average in that position, then it’s time we parted ways with him.
I can say I want him to leave but it doesn’t mean he will, but the writing is somewhat on the wall for our self acclaimed great Dane anyway. He spends a lot of time talking about how he may have to look elsewhere for first team football and how he’s the best player in the world, yet he never seizes the moment when he comes on the pitch. The drive that impressed me about him when he first broke into the team has seemed to vanish from his game and he looks like a player who thinks he’s already won lots of medals and awards, by the way he struts about the pitch and half heatedly tries to pull off tricks and skills he doesn’t have and shoots an awful shot, nowhere near the goal when another player was in a better position.
Another reason why it’s looking bleak for Bendtner is the exciting prospect of Ryo Miyaichi – January signing from Japan, currently on loan at Feyenoord and has been very impressive (his team mates call him: ‘Ryo-dinho”) – it’s only a matter of time until he gets his work permit approved and starts stating his case for a first team place. Also, Bendtner is essentially competing against Theo Walcott, as he too has his sights set on a central attacking roll despite only playing on the right hand side; I just can’t see Bendtner as a long term prospect at the club.
Bendtner is very much a specialist player, who can only offer one thing to the team and as our team has evolved over the years, it’s evident that our players have to be versatile and adaptable in a formation that is constantly on the move, which I’m sorry to say are qualities that are severely lacking in Bendtner’s game. I think it’d be wise of Arsenal to cash in on Bendtner and use the money on a player that can actually bring us up a level and make us a better team as I struggle to see exactly what Bendtner offers the team these days.
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