Is Arsenal’s Nicklas Bendtner really a Premiership Striker?
Nicklas Bendtner scored an own goal and argued with his strike partner last night as if to further compound his Arsenal misery, so is it time Arsene Wenger cut him loose?
Last season, he spent a year in the Championship with Birmingham City, scoring a moderately impressive 11 league goals to guide them to a second place finish, and automatic promotion to the Premiership. However, what is less impressive is that it took him 42 appearances to reach this tally, leaving him with a less than prolific 0.26 goals per game average, even less impressive bearing in mind that this is at Championship level.
This season, he finds himself back at Arsenal, and I must admit, I’ve not been impressed by what I’ve seen. I haven’t watched every game he’s played in, but the ones I have seen, he looks out of ideas, and more of a hindrance than an asset to Arsenal’s attractive, attacking, footballing style.
With one goal and one red card in the Premier League, plus another four strikes from Cup competitions, he hardly looks the part. With Eduardo and Adebayor looking good value for the top two spots this season, and Robin van Persie getting closer and closer to fitness, does he really have a place?
For me, the decision was made after last nights debacle against Tottenham Hotspur. Having scored an own goal, and then getting involved in an argument with Adebayor, it’s clear to me that there is a lack of unity in the team. After they’ve fought once, I feel that either Ade or Bendtner is going to have to leave Arsenal to stop it from happening again, and allow the team to move on. And for me, Bendtner is the one to sell.
He has performed well internationally, and would no doubt command a healthy transfer fee if he were to move to the Continent, but in my eyes, there is no place for him in the Premiership.
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I think the author is talking absolute nonsense and this could partly be to do with the loss from last night.
Bendtner is only 19 years old and was 18 when helping Birmingham to that 2nd place finish. He is also foreign, so adding that to his young age means playing at Birmingham in the Championship probably was not as easy as the author makes it out to be.
He has looked poorer in the games he has started, but when coming of the bench he seems to make a much bigger impact (I bet the author wasn’t complaining when he came on to score the winner against Spurs in the league) and I would put this down to age again. He is big, strong and very fast for his size and can clearly score goals. To be doing so already for Denmark is a great achievement.
Some big clubs including Milan have shown interest in him, and Wenger clearly believes he has much to offer. Getting rid of him so soon would be nothing but a mistake.
I’m not buying into the whole ‘foreign player’ thing, he’s been at Arsenal enough years now to have adapted to English football. I just don’t think he can cut it at Premiership level, especially not with Arsenal.
Don’t forget, Wenger stuck with Aliadiere for years, it didn’t make him good.
I disagree wholeheartedly with the message of this article. Bendtner may lack emotional maturity, but has a deadly finish, great feet, and is a fighter. He may not ever be an Arsenal great - due to the competition, not due to a defect in his ability - but he will grace a top European league for years to come.
I need to go wash my mouth out now, it hurts being a Spurs fan and sticking up for him.
Also, Arsenal have shown massive unity throughout the current campaign, fighting back from losing positions on numerous occasions. Gallas, who was great last night - I now understand why he was made captain - has taken the pressure off his team with his media appearances, and has assume responsibility for helping these exceptionally young players to mature fast.
It is normal that such emotions should flare up when you are losing by such a scoreline to your bitter rivals, and Adebayor has shown himself quite clearly to have a conflictive personality (his refusal to leave the field when sent off, his occasional violent play). Still, Keane and Cantona had such a trait, and it didn’t stop them.
I must say, your argument would have it that Wayne Rooney has no Premiership future. Poppycock.
Bendtner, it must be said, is finding goals, and assists, hard to come by.
Mr Sharpe, I do believe you are being very foolish. You cannot compare every teenager to Wayne Rooney. Rooney displayed fantastic qualities at an extremely young age, more so than many greats. Zidane didn’t display his amazing qualities at such a young age (at least not at Premier League level). So yes some players develop quicker than others… apart from that I fail to see your point.
Hugo - You are the classiest Spurs fan i’ve met in a while. Hats off to you for your comments. Now i gotta go wash MY mouth out!
Tom Sharp - I disagree with you here. If you want to talk about petulance on the field then there’s no better example than Henry. If Bendtner & Adebayor can’t be grown ups & work together properly after this that’s their problem & one of them might have to go. But based on ability alone i think you’re being unfair. Bendtner has shown flashes of brilliance when he’s come into games as a substitute & managed to inject quite a bit of liveliness into the side when they’ve shown signs of tiring. Also, people were writing off Eduardo until the games during X’mas when he showed us what he can really do. Remember that people were writing off Flamini, Hleb & Rosicky before the start of this season & look what’s happened to them now.
I’d give Bendtner AND Walcott another full season to shape up. After that, all bets are off.
P.S. I expect that Gallas will give them both a good box behind the ears & tell them to make up & behave…problem solved!
Loan him and Walcott to Newcastle. Done.
Tom I usually love your opinions and articles but I must disagree as I believe that Bendtner is progressing quite well. He almost scored a magnificent goal in the game against Spurs. I am a Man United fan so I can’t believe I am sticking up for Bendtner. That being said, Arsenal do seem more effective with Eduardo and Adebayor or Van Persie. Still it would be smart to keep Mr. Bendtner as he can only get better. I would take him at United as a change of pace to Tevez later in games.
Cole and Yorke could not see eye-to-eye. They never spoke to each other whilst at United. Check what partnership they formed?
My point is, you don’t throw out a big talent just because of personal issues between 2 players. You try to fix it. (Send them both to psychologists if need be). They must also be taught that they’re professional players and need to act that way ON THE FIELD.
Zidane got completely disgraced for a headbutt.
Cantona got banned for 9 months for unsporting behaviour on a fan.
With Arsenal’s preferential treatment, I wonder what Adebayor’s punishment will be for aggravating and headbutting his own teammate (during a game)? £1000 perhaps???
Karl, can you pretty please fill me in as to why Yorke and Cole did not speak with each other? I have heard it before but I do not know why it happened.
I think that Bentner does not meet Arsenal requirements. He is not good enough and so far I have only seen pieces of him which suggested that he is good, but all of those moments of magnificence were sandwhiched between long periods of doing nothing.
There are those who compare him to Zlatan, but really! is he even close? Does he even give the impression of such potential?
Hugo, I am just wondering. Can you remind me: when did Rooney score 11 goals in 38 PL apperances (notice 38 vs 42 and PL instead of Championship)? When did Rooney ever fight with one of his teammates? When was Rooney a second string striker? and finally: when in the space-time continum was Rooney EVER out of ideas!!!!?
Sorry, but your comparison has no parameters.
Nicklas Bendtner (as someone mentioned) is in his late teens. If he can’t make an impact coming on as a substitute, where his energy levels should be much higher than anyone else on the pitch, he wouldn’t be in the professional game at all.
I don’t doubt he will become a good player, but he doesn’t strike me as a good Premiership player. He just lacks that clinical finishing you would expect from an Arsenal striker, that little ‘va va voom’ as a former Arsenal striker might say.
As for his flashes of brilliance, well… Thats not enough to say he will definitely come good. James Morrison showed flashes of brilliance as a youngster. Massimo Maccarone is the second highest ever Italy U-21 scorer, so I’ll admit, it is difficult to predict how a player will develop, but for me, Bendtner lacks in the areas you can’t teach.
That little something that the top strikers have… a presence of sorts.
Yep!
According to Soccerway.com
“Arsenal would have been further embarrassed had the FA decided to press charges against the players for bringing the game into disrepute, but the governing body confirmed Thursday that it would only be writing to the players reminding them of their responsibilities in that regard.”
This might just be a rumour, but if it’s true, CAN SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME WHY NO PUNISHMENT???
Andrei, sorry, my mistake. It wasn’t Cole and Yorke, it was Cole and Sheringham (for some reason I have Cole and Yorke imprinted in my mind???).
). They never spoke to each other off the field again since then, but were very ‘professionally friendly’ with each other on the field. And, they won us the treble!!!
This came about because of Sherrinham blaming Cole for a goal conceded against Bolton 97/98 (similiar situation to this I guess - except no headbutting of course
You shouldn’t compare every youth to Rooney.
Bendtner is 4 years younger than Adebayor and has the potential to be better, in my opinion.
Whether he fits well with Arsenal’s tactics is a different matter alltogether.
It must be said however that Arsenal have Theo Walcott, Vincent van den Berg, Nacer Barazite and Carlos Vela, all promising youngsters and more experienced players like Adebayor, Eduardo and van Persie so losing Bendtner now wouldn’t be that much of a loss, you have to consider that right now nobody would much for him so it’s better for him to improve a bit and showcase his abilities before being sold.
And he’s 20 not 19.
My comparison was not a footballing one, it was a riposte against the argument that aggression and players not getting on well is enough to write off a 20 year old’s entire premiership career.
I’m not convinced that Bendtner will make it at Arsenal, but compare his ability to most strikers outside the European places and the Dane comes out on top. I’d sooner have him than Andy Johnson, for that matter.
Not all players can expected to be Rooneys in football terms. There was a time when having made a handful of accomplished premiership performances at the age of 20 would be considered an achievement: now Walcott and a player who turned 20 a week and a half ago are dismissed with the click of a fingers when they have been given little opportunity to develop. It is precisely this impatience that is endemic in modern day football and which lies at the root of the managerial departures and the failures of the likes of Samba.