Chamakh vs Bendtner
With the likes of Samir Nasri and Jack Wilshere announcing themselves at Premier League level, Theo Walcott finding form when fit, and Robin Van Persie to soon return – maybe, it doesn’t seem like there will often be a time where Marouane Chamakh and Nicklas Bendtner partner each other up front for Arsenal. So which would Gunners fans rather see lead the line?
There are certainly arguments for both. Chamakh has been impressive in his first season in English football, contributing nine goals to the cause whilst Bendtner has once again faithfully backed himself to be one of the best in the league, given a chance.
Bendtner, in all fairness, does offer a lot more than just a high opinion of his own talents. The 22-year-old has consistently weighed in with his fair share of goals over the past few seasons and some Arsenal fans believe had he been fit for the majority of last season, the Gunners could have won their first league title since 2004.
In 21 starts last season, the Dane scored 12 goals which included nine in 11 games from February to April. Between November and January, he was injured whilst Van Persie was also a long-term absentee. During this time, Arsenal dropped 10 points. There’s no denying, it could have been different.
Wenger has exposed Bendtner to life in the Premier League from a very young age and even at 22, his experience can help him realise the potential he, and the Arsenal manager, have seen from the forward. Maybe he does just need a chance. Given a run in the side and the chance to be the main point of Arsenal’s attack, who is to say he couldn’t get 20 goals a season?
The problem with this is how do you leave out Marouane Chamakh after such an impressive start? There are plenty of players who come to England and struggle to adapt to the pace and physicality of the Premier League, but the same cannot be said for the Moroccan.
When he first signed for the North London club, Chamakh didn’t seem like the type of striker that could challenge for the golden boot come the end of the season. But the 26-year-old has already proved he can be prolific in front of goal, whilst maintaining the necessary attributes you need to become an Arsene Wenger player. He is clever on the ball, skilful and happily gets involved in the interchange of quick, one-touch passes which often slices open most opposition.
If you were to be over-critical, you could argue Chamakh is going through a honeymoon period and is yet to tested in the face of adversity. There will be a time when he just cannot find the back of the net. How he reacts will be interesting, but the beauty of Wenger’s current squad is he has plenty of fire-power in midfield to compensate for this. On the other hand, you could argue that the ‘honeymoon period’ ended a while ago and Chamakh is benefiting more from his own quality than any sort of ‘beginners luck’.
The Gunners manager seems to favour his latest attacking recruitment, but Bendtner will continue to knock on the Wenger’s door now he is fit. Arsenal fans have always had a soft spot for the Dane and would love to seem him back up his claims that he is one of the best strikers around.
There is no doubt that both would do a job and because of the amount of games coming up for Arsenal, squad rotation will be key if Wenger is to finally win another trophy. But when it comes down to it, Bendtner or Chamakh? I certainly couldn’t choose.
Keep up to date with the latest Arsenal news on Twitter!
*
Click on image below to see a gallery of Christian’s lady wife