Twinkle Toed Samir Nasri; Arsenal's Saviour
Samir Nasri was signed by Arsene Wenger in the summer of 2008, brought into the side to replace the likes of Robert Pires, Freddie Ljunberg and Alex Hleb. Samir started his career well with a debut goal in the first league game of the season at the Emirates
against West Brom. And other highs were to follow, like the one man demolition job of Manchester United where he scored two stunners to give Arsenal the victory at the Emirates. But Nasri failed to live up to his potential and soon faded into the periphery
of the Arsenal squad. He managed 12 goals in his first two seasons at Arsenal.
This season, though, is a different story. Nasri has emerged as one of the best players in the league and certainly one of the most important players in Arsenal's squad, if not the single most important. In a season where Arsenal have been riddled with injuries
and have had to deal with the absence of leaders and inspirational figures like Robin Van Persie, Cesc Fabregas and Tomas Vermaelen, Nasri has emerged as Arsenal's Hercules. Helping them shoot up to the top of the Premier League.
Nasri has broken out of his shell, and probably out of Cesc Fabregas' overbearing shadow, and discovered his true ability. He has outgrown every single player on the team sheet and is now probably the most integral part of Arsenal's quest for success. There
was a time when the absence of Fabregas was met with a drop in the performance put in by the team and a subsequent plummet in form. But Nasri has proved quite the antidote to that disease Arsenal have long suffered from.
Nasri has combined his fine dribbling skills with accurately timed runs and composed finishing, a claim backed up by his 12 goals scored in 14 starts this season. Nasri started his resurgence at White Hart Lane when Arsenal faced Tottenham in the Carling
Cup. Arsenal were drawing 1-1 with Tottenham and the match was forced into extra time. In extra time, Nasri was pulled back in the box, and as a consequence won a penalty. He kept his cool in the face of stinging jeers from the Tottenham faithful to slot home. Two
minutes later, Marouane Chamakh was fouled in the box and Nasri again stepped up, and again he scored the spot kick to send Arsenal through to the next round.
In the following game, Arsenal fell three goals behind at home to newly promoted West Brom. Nasri started a one man fight back as he pulled back two goals with two clever finishes but in the end, the team couldn't find the resources to salvage a point at
least. He then scored a penalty in the 2-1 win at home to Birmingham City, a match that was tightly contested. And he found the net in the 5-1 rout against Shaktar Donetsk in the Champions League. In the crunch Premier League tie against Manchester City at
the City Of Manchester Stadium, he broke the deadlock with a deft finish over Joe Hart after a pretty one two with Arshavin. Arsenal went on to win comfortably with a 3-0 score line.
Next, Nasri scored the opener in the North London Derby with a determined run and an out of this world finish from the acutest of possible angles. He then drilled a volley against Aston Villa to give Arsenal a 2-0 lead, a match they won 4-2 in the end. And
this week, Nasri popped up with two sublime goals, goals of the calibre that haven't been witnessed at the Emirates since Dennis Bergkamp retired and Thierry Henry left for pastures anew. Two goals of such a dazzling individual brilliance that you'd stop and
stare and wonder how he did it, especially the second one where he trekked away from to challenges before rounding past Mark Schwarzer and swivelling to bury the finish in the back of the net. Nasri singlehandedly earned Arsenal the 2-1 win, and rightly deserved
all the praise that has come his way.
Nasri has proved that Arsenal don't faulter anymore in the absence of Fabregas and that they can cope without the goal scoring talents of Van Persie. But in an ideal world, you'd still want to see Van Persie and Fabregas in the team, but this isn't an ideal
world and injuries have prevented Arsenal from fielding full strength line ups. And Nasri's rise to prominence has ensured that Arsenal don't suffer too greatly in these testing times.
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