The Strikers of the Arsenal have been severely criticised this season. The goals havent really flown. The Emirates actually saw a goal drought. The serious lack of natural finishers is showing. This article , as my first, I just wanted to give a brief about the Arsenal strikers. With the likes of Ian Wright, Kanu , Henry and Bergamp , are theptresent lot of players ready to shine for the Gunners. Or are they just not good enough.
STRIKERS
So Arsenal does have a heavy (dare i say ,misfiring) forward line. With the likes of Bendtner, Adebayor, RVP , Eduardo ,Vela. That makes it 5 strikers . This is after leaving out the midfielders who fit so seamlessly into the second striker position (read Nasri and Arshavin). Now of what we know of Wenger he is not a man who generally wants a big man upfront . You can see the case of Anelka and Henry leading the attack.(ok Kanu an exception). But this has all changed with Adebayor.
ADE:Wenger shows so much faith in Ade, it reminds me of the faith that he showed on Fabregas . Fabregas was the man who Wenger had handpicked to build the midfield around while Adebayor is the man around which the Strike force works. Now this puts a l0t of responsibility on Adebayors shoulder and this pressure has led him to overdo . I think he is the man to have strayed offside for the most number of times. The only thing when he is on the pitch is that , the other players know what to do. Infact, all the other 4 strikers have played well along with him(ok ok Vela has not played alongside him ). He is the target man and plays usually with a support striker. Not an outstanding finisher really, but if he can convert even a 3rd of the chances he gets then that would be something. Even his heading capabilities are a doubt . But he can hold the ball well and get other players involved. But we all know that he is not the best at his role. Doesnt mean he cant be.But this season it has been all RVP.
RVP:Till the last game , all the goals when RVP was on the pitch either involved him or was scored by him. That says it all actually. But I think he is massively undervalued at Arsenal. The Champions League match against Roma clearly showed that he was not that happy as a main striker. And preferred a supporting role. He is a striker who normally wants more of the ball and one of the few players in the recent Arsenal team to not be shy of having a crack at goal. Even his performances for Holland have been when he has been played ahead in a 4-3-3 but again not being the main central striker. He is a great finisher and usually requires a person ahead of him (read Adebayor) who can act as a decoy and allow him his free role. He is one of the brightest prospects when fit. And according to me, should be an automatic selection ,even ahead of Adebayor. Showed for a few matches that he can combine with Adebayor. Its time for him to get his due at Arsenal. For me, he should played every game .
Bendtner:well, wat about him. I always thought Bendtner was a backup for Adebayor. But he clearly isnt that. Dont let his height fool you . He is , essentially a support striker. The few times he has played with Adebayor has been good. He is a unique striker we must say. But he has to improve on his composure in front of goal. He lacks confidence and would usually prefer getting fewer chances on goal. What he needs to improve on is his ability to hold the ball , his heading (coz he doesnt seem to use the height advantage that he has) , and his physique. Almost all of his goals incude the dives on the far-post ,the odd headers . But he rarely scores when clean opportunities do come his way. With Adebayor injured , this is a massive opportunity for him. But I see it slipping away.
Dudu:Eduardo was a revelation last season. Almost landed us the title. He is not that quick but links up play magnificently well. The sad part is that , we will probably never get to see him and RVP play together. Coz they are way too similar and would mostly get in each others way. I have to say the performance of last season had something to do woth RVPs injury. He surely wouldnt have formed the partnership with partnership had RVP been fit.What has to said about Dudu is that he is a fantastic finisher. Can help in creating a lot of chances and gets a lot of players involved in the attacks. He has the Brazilian flair and i sure hope he and RVP click else we will surely see one of them leave the Emirates.
Vela:Vela is just coming through. But as a player he has tremendous potential. He is very similar to Eduardo ,has quick feet , good finishing. But his game need polishing. I think he should probably go out on loan for one more season incase the other strikers of Arsenal remain.I hope in 3-4 seasons he can lead the Arsenal line.
The others: For the last couple of games we have seen Arshavin and Nasri playing second strikers. They have also performed really well. I would attribute it largely to the fact that they are not really expected to score like the other strikers. But their main aim is to create more chances. Their position in the midfield helps Arsenal retain position and keeps another man in defence when needed. Given thier success i see fewer opportinities for the strikers to show their worth. Walcott also was long regarded as Henry’s successor. I would surely love to see him play a more attacking role . This could only unbalance the already full strikers space at Arsenal. Wenger surely has some chopping to do . I dont see any major arrivals but departures there may be . Also Jay Simpson will be available at the end of the season that adds one more to this long list.
But really what is missing is an able replacement for Adebayor. Maybe Jay Simpson can fill this gap. It will be tough for Arsenal to hold onto all these strikers, esp, RVP. The prospects for coming to Arsenal are many. Carlton Cole for one could be good. And I really dont understand why Huntellar already is not on our team. Anyway its time for the present crop to step up. That we have so many strikers , the opportunities will be few. But with the persistent absence of Adebayor we will surely see more innovative strike partnerships by the Professor. Lets hope atleast one of them is RVP and Eduardo.
