Part 5: Arsenal’s in-team competitions for a place in the starting eleven
The last of Arsenal’s squad selection dilemmas appears in the striker department. Arsenal have almost always had some of the best attacking players in the world and this season it is no different. The team has had some of the greatest players playing up front for them over the past ranging from, Thierry Henry to Dennis Bergkamp to Ian Wright.
This time around the attackers that the team has are, Robin van Persie, Marouane Chamakh, Carlos Vela, Theo Walcott and Nickolas Bendtner.
The most notable of those five players is easily Robin van Persie. The player has been at Arsenal the longest out of the five and is the most experienced. He is also quite possibly the most injury prone out of the lot. He is, however, the most technically gifted and has a habit for scoring some wonder goals. He can shoot the ball ferociously from almost anywhere in the oppositions half with his trusted left foot. However, his injuries have caused him to miss out on most of his career so far, and has prevented him from achieving the superstar status that he truly deserves.
Theo Walcott, was brought in as a young player to Arsenal. He was still raw but loaded with talent according to Arsene Wenger. Over the past he has shown signs of his brilliance but failed to really put a final foot into the first team. However things seem to be different this season, he has already scored four goals and is looking like the player that everyone expected him to turn out to be.
Marouane Chamakh joined Arsenal this season, but has done nothing less than impressing the fans and everyone who has watched him. He was quite possibly one of the best performers in the pre seasons and appears to have carried that same form into the Premier League. He retains the ball with great technique and is quite possibly one of the best holders of the ball up front.
Nickolas Bendtner emerged to show the world his best form last season when Van Persie was forced to sit out again due to an injury that he picked up on international duty.
Carlos Vela is another upcoming star of the future, but has shown enough threat upfront to be considered as an option up front.
Wenger’s priority would be to play Van Persie, however considering the players poor fitness record the manager is likely to go with Chamakh upfront. He would opt to use Walcott on the wing instead since that is where the players pace would come into play.
Bendtner and Vela on the other hand are quite unlikely to be featured in the bigger games since they don’t have the exceptional quality or the experience that is required to operate at the highest levels. However the players are more than likely to be featured in the teams FA Cup and Carling Cup matches.
Chamakh would also manage to add an extra dimension to the Arsenal attacks. He is one of the best headers of the ball and has proven so on two separate occasions this season. When Van Persie does return he might be asked to drop back a little bit or be moved to one of the wings, since that is where he tends to be at his lethal best.
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