Arsenal Player of the Month: September
Posted by Young'un in Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, Premiership | 30 September 2011
First off, I must stress how fortunate you are to be reading this; that I have taken time out of my busy schedule, that consists of playing FIFA 12 and that’s about it, to bring you my Player of the Month article for September. As suspected I suppose, we all experienced yet another mixed bag of a month at the Emirates; some horror moments, some pleasing inspiration and a rollercoaster of emotions throughout.
Even if top gear has yet to be found (it’s on Dave, 24/7, Arsene), September was certainly an improvement on the painfully bad opening month of the 11/12 campaign. A nervy win over Swansea was important for a little bit of confidence but it was far from the convincing Arsenal of yesteryear. An embarrassing defensive capitulation at Blackburn overshadowed what was at that point by far the best attacking performance of the season: it did generate three goals lest we forget. Not that I’m excusing the schoolboy errors committed time and again at the back, but there were positives to be taken.
After a rotten first half an hour in the League Cup, The Gunners’ second string came out fighting and the likes of Francis Coquelin made a strong impression, albeit against League Two minnows. A somewhat emphatic win against Bolton at Emirates Stadium provided some respite and a very complete Arsenal performance put smiles on the faces of the Gooner clan.
In Europe, The Gunners have collected more points than the seemingly imperious Manchester clubs put together, which is an achievement in its own right and have looked sound without setting the world alight: an excellent defensive performance, seldom witnessed these days, in Dortmund proved to be of little relevance, after a late wonder-strike courtesy of Ivan Perisic. On home soil, Arsenal started the game against Olympiakos in electrifying fashion; scoring two in twenty minutes, but the same old defensive frailties appeared at, you guessed it, set-pieces. A new zonal marking system has been implemented and somehow we seem to be even worse at defending corners and freekicks than we were last season. Perhaps it needs to be given time? We shall see.
Anyway, onto this month’s contenders: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has had fans on the edge of their seats, even after just two starts, with a couple of well-taken goals and dangerous all-round ability. Whilst Theo Walcott is still a real asset to the side, it has been universally recognised that the Ox is a more complete footballer; stronger, trickier, more consistent in his end product and not as glaringly reliant on pace as his fellow former-Saints trainee. At just 18 years of age, there’s plenty more to come from the promising midfielder.
Oxlade-Chamberlain’s Cameroonian namesake has also impressed this month, save for an own goal at Ewood Park that was either slack or unfortunate, depending on your vantage point. Song’s presence was missed early on due to a three-match suspension for stamping on Joey Barton. I’d give him a medal rather than a ban but the FA know best, don’t they? It was perhaps little coincidence that Song was missing during the mauling in Manchester amongst other disappointing performances. Emmanuel Frimpong’s enthusiasm and tenacity is admirable but he blatantly lacks Song’s positional sense and genuine protection of the fragile back four behind him. That will come with age but we have seen proof, if it were needed, that Frimpong is still some way behind the 24-year-old in the pecking order. Excellent displays in midfield against Borussia Dortmund and Bolton, and an equally adept performance at centre-half against Olympiakos, have made Song a real candidate for this month’s award.
The runner-up this month is Captain Fantastic himself, Robin van Persie. So often in the past, Arsenal’s talismanic striker has missed the start of the campaign through injury so we are making sure to savour every moment he is on the pitch, and every goal he scores, of which there have been aplenty. The Dutchman’s first-half strike in Germany would have secured three crucial Champions League points but for Perisic’s aforementioned equaliser. A virtuoso display against Bolton Wanderers saw van Persie strike twice; the first a demonstration of his power, thumping the ball past a helpless Jussi Jaaskelainen, the second a demonstration of his more subtle technical ability, as he ghosted into the box and deftly flicked out a boot to prod home from close-range. Even when he failed to get on the scoresheet against Swansea and Blackburn, the Arsenal skipper was always threatening with his movement in and around the box. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: following Fabregas’ departure, van Persie is the only truly world class player we have left; one of only a handful in world football capable of creating half a yard for himself from absolutely nothing and producing something majestic. If Arsenal are to have any success this season, you can bet your bottom dollar that van Persie will be at the hub of it.
This month’s winner, however, is one of the many deadline day recruits acquired a month ago. Step forward, Mikel Arteta. The general consensus amongst Gooners following his signing was that he was a very good technical player. No Fabregas of course, but a decent enough Diet Cesc version. It’s not possible for the Spaniard to live up to the lofty heights set by his compatriot, but this month, Arteta has put in complete performances that smack of Fabregas in his prime.
More often than not, the former Everton man has been deployed as one of the two deeper central midfielders, allowing Aaron Ramsey to drive at defences further up the pitch, but the beauty of the system deployed by Arsene Wenger means the three midfielders are interchangeable; equally adept at sitting and holding as they are making an attacking threat in and around the box.
Arteta has performed the art of spraying passes from deep to perfection; very much like another ex-Merseyside-based Spaniard, Xabi Alonso. I consider it no coincidence that since the 29-year-old’s arrival, Arsenal have been more penetrative in the final third and have scored a plethora of goals; 13 in September compared to just five in August. He scored a fine first goal for the club at Ewood Park, placing the ball into the roof of the net after a trademark Gunners move. There is no doubt the midfielder’s presence has contributed to the restoration of the flowing football synonymous with The Arsenal, that was so desperately missing in the opening games.
That’s not to say Arteta just brings a bit more attacking impetus to the team. As I mentioned earlier, he is similar to Fabregas in that his all-round contribution is second to none: nobody works harder for the team. He has put his body on the line on numerous occasions despite only appearing five times for the club; most notably a vital defensive header in Dortmund (he was clattered in the head and seeping blood, always a telling sign of a man’s commitment) and a crucial block on the line against Olympiakos. His bravery in all areas of the pitch is something Arsenal have perhaps been missing; the perception from fans, perhaps not unjustifiably so, is often that the players are more interested in collecting their hefty pay packet than they are willing to hurt themselves for the cause. Evidently, Arteta is motivated by success on the pitch.
He won’t notch up 20 goals and 20 assists like Fabregas did. He won’t create a moment of pure genius time and again in deadlocked matches either, but Mikel Arteta is an excellent player to have on board, who brings vast technical qualities, commitment, leadership, and Premier League experience. I for one am delighted to have him wearing the famous red and white and look forward to more top quality performances from him.
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