Arsenal Player of the Month: February
Posted by Young'un in Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, Premiership, Theo Walcott, Thierry Henry | 29 February 2012
February was a real mixed bag of a month for Arsenal Football Club. A 4-0 mauling in Milan that all but eliminated the Gunners from the Champions League for another year, followed by a limp defeat to Sunderland in the FA Cup meant that for the seventh consecutive season, there would be no shiny trophy to parade on an open-top bus.
The cup catastrophes, not unjustifiably so, have thrust Arsenal into another media-imposed crisis (we had another one but six months ago, you’ll recall). Even if on paper, reclaiming 4th position in the Premier League is nothing to write home about, in terms of its financial importance and the prospect of playing Champions League football again next season (until the first knockout stage of course), it’s absolutely critical, and Arsenal’s league form has been near flawless in a month overshadowed by other disappointments.
A tame draw at Bolton was soon forgotten and rapidly followed by three victories; each glorious in their own right. The 7-1 thrashing of Blackburn Rovers brought a sense of nostalgia as the good old days of ruthless Arsenal attacks returned. Seven days later, Arsene Wenger’s side made their first of two trips to the Stadium of Light and came from behind to win late-on; particularly impressive considering the dramatic transformation Sunderland boss Martin O’Neill has made since joining the club. The North London Derby soon followed, and Arsenal claimed a famous victory. After falling 2-0 down, the team rallied and ended up winning 5-2 in the magnificent sunshine.
Consequently, there are a number of candidates for this month’s award. Alex Song continues to develop into a very complete midfielder, even if he turned in a couple of seldom-seen bad performances in February. Mikel Arteta was equally disappointing against AC Milan but remains outrageously consistent in the league and continues to be a fundamental cog in the Arsenal side. Last month’s winner, Tomas Rosicky continues to grow in confidence and delivered a well-deserved, well-overdue goal against Tottenham in another impressive four weeks. The likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Aaron Ramsey have both made vital contributions at times but have either not had enough minutes on the pitch or demonstrated enough consistency to merit this month’s gong.
Since-departed legend Thierry Henry is a genuine contender, as he proved his return to the Emirates Stadium was not totally out of sentiment, netting the last-gasp winner at Sunderland after scoring the seventh in the demolition of Blackburn. Even that cannot simply be considered a token contribution, as Arsenal only lead Chelsea in the table on goals scored, thereby highlighting Henry’s strike as the difference between the sides. It could make all the difference come the end of the season.
As he so often does, Theo Walcott encapsulates the ups and downs of Arsenal Football Club. The rapid, exciting progression of Oxlade-Chamberlain has seen the pressure crank up on Walcott and some would argue it began to show in February. More than once he started on the bench, for good reason, particularly after a dreadful display in the San Siro that saw him hauled off at half time. But just when everyone is about to give up on the player once and for all, he delivers something special. Three excellent assists against Blackburn proved his worth, and this was soon followed by a brace on Derby Day. The first was a delightful dink over the keeper after a typically terrible first touch, the second a confident drive into the far corner. He is some way from being the saviour of English football, but Walcott remains a valuable asset for club and country. It’s easy to forget how young he is, and that there is still plenty of time for him to develop. Lionel Messi called him “one of the most dangerous players I’ve ever played against,” and Robin van Persie has personally vouched for him in various interviews.
And it is the skipper himself, not for the first time and probably not for the last either, who claims the award this month. His goalscoring exploits, which included a hat trick against Blackburn and an exquisite goal against Tottenham, alone are probably enough to sweep up the honour but as we all know by now, van Persie is so much more than that. My list of superlatives is genuinely running thin, and I’m scratching my head as to how to express his brilliance in a way that hasn’t already been repeated a dozen times.
His individual skill was perhaps highlighted most this month; he was desperately unlucky not to light up a dreary affair at the Reebok Stadium as he performed a terrific dragback followed by an audacious right-footed chip. Only the crossbar denied him another goal of the season contender. Similarly, against Spurs, with ten minutes remaining, the Dutchman demonstrated his outrageous ability with a beautiful pirouette in the centre circle. Even with three opposition players breathing down his neck, van Persie maintained his composure, and more importantly possession; shielding the ball excellently before releasing a teammate. No matter where he is on the pitch, his contribution is telling. In the same match, Tottenham had a corner that fell dangerously in the area. The man sliding in to clear was not Thomas Vermaelen or Laurent Koscielny but Captain Fantastic himself. Van Persie is as brave as he is deadly in the opposition penalty area. By all accounts he is a fine leader on and off the pitch.
Even against Milan, where almost each and every one of his colleagues hid and floundered, he stepped up to the plate and could easily have scored on more than one occasion were it not for some fine goalkeeping. In the cup game against Sunderland, he was isolated up front but still managed to engineer Arsenal’s sole opportunity for Gervinho who failed to capitalise. Even if it is to a lesser extent at times, he finds a way of getting involved, regardless of whether the opposition are doubling-up on him, suffocating the space for him to operate in. van Persie is good enough to release himself from these shackles. He is just about unplayable.
The one-man team accusations remain childish and not entirely accurate but the fact of the matter is, Arsenal would be in big trouble without van Persie. He proved this month that he is quite simply the best player in the British Isles. By some distance.
January: Tomas Rosicky
December: Laurent Koscielny
November: Robin van Persie
October: Robin van Persie
September: Mikel Arteta
August: Wojciech Szczesny
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