Emmanuel Eboue, football genius

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by CARL ELDRIDGE First things first, who was that playing right-back with Emmanuel Eboue's name and number on his back? I suggest we snap up this world class trialist immediately!

Seriously, how good was Eboue yesterday as the rip-roaring Reds saw off Sunderland with a 2-0 Premier League win at the Emirates? He offered exactly what Bacary Sagna has been failing to deliver: overlapping runs with inventive passing and boundless energy. Good work, Manu!

To the papers and there is a veritable feast of all things Arsenal in this morning's rags, my fellow Arsenalistas. The Sunday Mirror claims Arsene Wenger believes we are back in the chase for the title after the vistory put us two points behind second-placed Manchester United and six behind leaders Chelsea.

Goals from Nicklas Bendtner and Cesc Fabregas penalty did the damage and asked whether we were back in the title mix, AW replied: "We are. But the only thing we can do is win our games and hope the others drop points. The top two will drop points because they play against each other.

"Everton have beaten Chelsea and Manchester United and there are plenty of teams where you can drop points. We have two fights, one is to get away as far as possible from the teams in fourth, fifth and sixth and the other is to get as close as possible to the top.

"We had good pace in the first half. We gave a lot physically on Wednesday night and you could see that. But the team is focused and responded well to the disappointment of Wednesday night and that's all you can ask."

The Mail on Sunday tends to agree that we are in with a sniff of the silverware and reports: At the close of a frenzied week which saw him lose both his temper and his dignity, Arsene Wenger was back in familiar reflective mood.

'I don't remember another title race like this', he said. 'Tomorrow, you will read that Chelsea will win the championship. But sport is movement. What seems right today can be very different in three weeks'. Wenger picked his words with caution, but he could not disguise his ambitions. For suddenly, improbably, Arsenal are within shouting distance of the summit. And a season which has spluttered and staggered is finally starting to soar.

The same paper reports that Andrey Arshavin has delivered yet another frank assessment of our failings, while promising that the club will fight to the bitter end to wrest the Premier League title from Manchester United.

‘United outplayed us in midfield and Chelsea were a more mature and powerful team,’ said Arshavin in an interview with Russian newspaper Sport Express. Asked to chose the likeliest title winners, Arshavin said: ‘If choosing between them, I think Chelsea.

‘If we were not defeated by United and Chelsea we would be on even terms with them now. But as it is we just need to stay in the race by winning each next match. And we will fight as long as we have the slightest of chances.’

It has to be said that Mikael Silvestre did a decent job alongside TV5 yesterday in the absence of Billy G and the latter is the subject of some speculation over a new deal with the club in the News of the World.

The paper claims AW is ready to break the contract structure for older players by offering Gallas a two-year deal. it says our normal policy is for players over 32 - like Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pires in recent years - to be only offered a 12-month extension to their current agreement.

Gallas, 32, was expected to leave at the end of the season but has asked for the new contract, which could see him end his career at the Emirates but we are likely to reach a deal with the French defender on the condition it can be reviewed in the summer of 2011, says the Screws.

Meanwhile the same paper reckons Gael Clichy is set to leave us at the end of the season with both AC Milan and Real Madrid ready to pounce Clichy has two years left on contract he signed two years ago and AW is said to be considering cashing in on the 23 year old French left-back.

The paper points out that since returning from a stress fracture of the back, Clichy has struggled to regain his best form and that his status as first choice left-back will be under threat when Kieran Gibbs returns from his broken foot.

I am not so sure as you can never have too many good players and Gael is young enough to regain his form and be an asset for the Arsenal. Right, off for bacon and eggs and then to dig out a Wigan scarf for this afternoon's football. FOYS!

Written by: Eldo71 Sunday, 21 February 2010 11:35

Comments

+9 # joni 2010-02-21 12:34

i just like to say.. Eboue was clearly our man of the match.. his penetrating runs has always been there and his final ball has always been crap to average but he still is our best crosser!

Theo on the other hand is an athlete with very limited footballing ability.. and i dont know what the journos were watching when most of the headlines praised walcott for a brilliant performance! can only happen to an englishman imo

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0 # Eldo 2010-02-21 12:55

Theo was avergae but needs game to build his confidence -- will he ever fullfil his potential?

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+3 # Kanz 2010-02-21 13:02

I'm guilty of berating Eboue in the past, but he was magnificent yesterday. He looked powerful and full of running, not afraid to take people on. He should be starting on the right wing for us - let Bacary do the defending.

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+5 # db10 2010-02-21 13:06

its better that the press say theo was good because if they realise he isn't and start having a go (like with senderos) it will wreck his confidence in himself which is already fragile and he may never "fulfil his potential". he is still young and can hopefully improve with lots of hard work and good coaching. I seem to remember that freddie ljungberg was a bit rubbish in his first year and a half but he became brilliant and all he was good at was movement and finishing.

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+3 # Durham Gooner 2010-02-21 13:13

Theo looked terrified when he got the ball at times yesterday but he improved as the game went on. HE NEEDS GAMES! The ONLY way he will get better is to keep playing him.
Unfortunately he's not a winger, he would be a great second striker in a 442 but 433 just doesn't seem to suit him.
One more thing, can the crowd get off his back? The howls of derision at his misplaced crosses were horrible to listen to and do NOTHING to help him regain his form.
By all mean moan in the pub but in the stadium give him 100% support.

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0 # Clock End Mick 2010-02-21 14:08

Good call on Eboue, he did play well & he is putting in those dangerouse crosses that could end up as a gole. Dose Bentner have 3 nutts in his sack ? that boy runs so ackwardly & he never looks balanced. If he can keep scoring Iv got a nut going begging

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+3 # rafi 2010-02-21 14:24

Wenger once compared eboue to that brazilian legend garrincha with his great overlapping runs.

eboue has probably the best penetration of any arsenal player, but lacks the final ball most times. he has always starred in taking on people, somethung which his competitor for right wing, walcott struggles at. eboue was dribbling past 3,4,5 defenders without problems yesterday, theo wouldnt do it. wenger needs to sit down with him and seek to exploit this vital attribute of his, the same way we hear he did with cesc. whenever arsenal are faced with defences that sit back waiting for swift counters or long balls ala stoke, bolton, villa, players like eboue are needed. aw must not use him only as a bit part player, but as a vital alternative. iam sure those clubs said to want him like athletico are after his ball skills much more than his ability as a defender. perhaps instead of denilson wenger could even deploy him centrally together with song and cecs when defences are too tight.

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-4 # lee 2010-02-21 14:42

Eboue, has always been a better player. He did well to replace Lauren, and when Bakary Sagna came onboard we pushed Manu in front and competing with favored Theo. That took a lot of confidence from him. Theo seem to be going down slope. For Bendter, He does not deserve to start or play for arsenal. He has no footballing brains. He should try something else. At his age he has no first touch, final ball..He awful..

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+1 # db10 2010-02-21 20:47

he's only just come back from injury and already he has scored. i keep saying it but i'll repeat again that bendtner scored loads of goals in the reserves when he first arrived, had a decent record while at birmingham and last season scored more goals than the likes of defoe, kuyt and agbonlahor despite not being first choice and being injured for some of the season. also was top scorer of all players 21 and under and arsenals top scorer in the 2nd half of last season once he came back from injury.

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+2 # PTangYangKipperBang 2010-02-21 14:44

I thought Theo and Eboue were very good yesterday. For fellas that aint polayed much so far this year excellent

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+4 # IndianGunner 2010-02-21 15:28

All of us were saying same thing about Diaby sometime back.But Now he looks world class.Just give some time for Bendtner as well.He has the potential.Trust in Wenger's judgement.

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+1 # Valentin 2010-02-21 17:06

The problem with Bendtner is not that he is physically recovering is the fact that he keep making the wrong run.
He rarely put himself in a position to score from crosses.
Eboue is our best crosser, but nobody was there.
Against Liverpool Diaby scored from a Rosicky cross with Bendtner again on the wide when he should be trying to get on the end of such crosses.

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+1 # db10 2010-02-21 20:36

yes. its because everyone wants to be bergkamp. everyone wants to be the creator and no one wants to be the finisher.

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0 # Notso 2010-02-21 19:53

Theo should be in front Sagna on the right wing. Their combined defensive capabilities will make the that side of the field hard to penetrate. Song and Diaby can then actively police the other channel giving Clichy the vital cover he lacks when Arshavin or Nasri are in front of him

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+1 # Notso 2010-02-21 19:54

Sorry. EBOUE should be in front Sagna on the right wing. Their combined defensive capabilities will make the that side of the field hard to penetrate. Song and Diaby can then actively police the other channel giving Clichy the vital cover he lacks when Arshavin or Nasri are in front of him

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+3 # Joe 2010-02-21 19:55

Eboue was absolutely outstanding yesterday, I've always had faith in his abilty, he is one of the few players that can drill a decent ball in for someone to get on the end of it. Not to mention his overlapping skills which were sublime, I think after yesterday we should consider playing him on the right wing!

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+3 # brigham 2010-02-21 21:34

Eboue was my MOM yesterday by a long shot and he has come on leaps and bounds the past few months. I am really happy for him as well and he fully deserved his standing ovation when he was subbed.

As for Walcott, sorry, but for me he is not cutting it at all and has no idea how to beat a full back at all. He has great pace, but that is it and his end product is sadly lacking.

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0 # Mexican Gunner 2010-02-21 23:26

The contract of Eboue ends in the summer right??

Mmh I think Arsene is playing him to dont lose him for free in the summer. Dont forget that last summer he was rated at 10mills in that deal for Melo.

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0 # Ayyousseh 2010-02-21 23:29

Almunia
Sagna Gallas Vermaelen Clichy

Diaby Cesc Song

Eboue Bendtner Arshavin

Any takers?

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+1 # Jimmy 2010-02-22 00:47

cant leave nasri out im affraid. has dips in form but clearly talent. there are some goals in him too but great when seeing plenty of ball. quick feet. im not getting carried away with eboue ...

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+2 # Jimmy 2010-02-22 00:48

and ramsey looked quality for me yesterday. strong tackling, eye for a pass to start attacking moves, fast thinker !!

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0 # db10 2010-02-22 12:51

ramsey in for the out of form cesc??

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+1 # Jimmy 2010-02-22 13:42

i wouldnt say fabregas is out of form. and what is it they say: form is temporary, class in permanent? might have that wrong but you get the idea.

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0 # Roachy 2010-02-22 02:34

Bendy needs to be pulled aside and told to attack the ball. He has an opportunity to really cement his claim to a up and coming striker. But he constantly gets caught behand the defender and this is worrysome. Perhaps he is concerned about perhaps missing an easy tap-in.

Either way against Sunderland his positioning was extremely poor given the amount of crosses delivered into the box.

He is young and will learn, eventually, but I seriously hope someone pulls him aside and tells him to attack the ball and get in front.

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+2 # Loh 2010-02-22 02:39

I dun see what is so good about Gibbs that some people are advocating for Clichy to be sold. Gibbs is not yet ready. Clichy has been such a great servant of Arsenal and still young. It is such a shame to kick him off.

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0 # Oi 2010-02-22 05:04

Anyone who sticks up for Bendtner ... his goal on the weekend was his SECOND EVER PREMIERSHIP GOAL. He doesn't have any pace, dribbling skills or long range shooting ability. He will never be half of Henry.

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-1 # Mexican Gunner 2010-02-22 06:06

"he will never be half of Henry"

You´re too generous. He will never be half of Adebayor.

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0 # db10 2010-02-22 13:14

2nd premier league goal this season. he's only had 6 starts.

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0 # Mivkeygoons 2010-02-22 11:51

It's great to see people fawning over eboue. I've been defending the guy on blogs like this one for 3 years. Once he cut out the stupid diving he was always going to be a great fullback. I thought he was very good in the run to the euro final. He's only useful as a midfielder tho, but still handy. He will do for the remainder of the season in one position or the other I think.

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