[ad_1]
If Mikel Arteta needed further proof that the vitality of youth, rather than the lethargy of seasoned players at Arsenal, is key to his chances of success this season, the performances of two players on Saturday provided a crucial warning.
Willian’s dire start to life at the club was on display once again, as the 32-year-old was ineffective and wasteful, not for the first time in his Gunners career, without any energy or drive to deliver. quality to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. while Newcastle held firm in the FA Cup third round tie.
Then, just before time, he introduced himself to Emile Smith Rowe and his performance showed everything the Brazilian was missing, not just with the decisive opening goal in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Steve Bruce’s men in the extension, but also the resistance of the 20-year-old. .
The disaster appeared to have occurred when Chris Kavanagh showed Smith Rowe a red card for a challenge to Newcastle midfielder Sean Longstaff in the closing seconds of normal time, only for the referee to downgrade the decision to a warning after consulting the match monitor. VAR field.
But having been successfully offered the reprieve, he became the central figure in the game and elevated an insipid Arsenal to a team that came to life with his vitality, particularly once he brilliantly picked up Alexandre Lacazette’s touch and ended up in the most corner. far away. inside the publication.
“He’s getting more and more important to the team and he showed it again when he came in,” said Arteta of Smith Rowe after watching her team record their fourth straight win in all competitions.
‘The personality with which he plays, we ask him to be more in the area and today he has scored a really important goal for us.
“It was very impressive because he is playing with a lot of personality, a lot of risk. He’s playing in areas where he needs things to happen and he has the talent to do it. ‘
Those characteristics belong not only to a man whose electric performance was only the latest in his rise to the regular first team, but to one of the most prominent stars in world football practicing his trade at Manchester City.
Smith Rowe is often referred to as the ‘Croydon De Bruyne’ at Arsenal, and his compatriot Bukayo Saka is the latest player to reference by posting ‘Thank you Kev’ on Instagram after his win against West Brom.
“Some people have compared my style of play to Kevin De Bruyne and that is a very nice compliment because he is a great player and someone I really look up to,” Smith Rowe said previously.
“I’m trying to learn as much as I can by watching De Bruyne and working hard in training with all the world-class players around me.”
However, the lack of offensive verve among established midfield members, especially given the absence of Thomas Partey due to injury, has made Smith Rowe, according to Saturday’s testing, an indispensable figure in the starting eleven, at least for the moment.
The Gunners were struggling to grasp the opportunities and languished at 15th place in the Premier League table before the midfielder made his first top flight to the season in a 3-0 win against Chelsea last month.
He claimed an assist on Boxing Day thanks to Saka’s wonderful, or lucky goal, depending on whether you think he meant it, but it was his usual occupation of the space between midfield and the Blues defense that was of the greatest benefit to him. the Gunners. , which leaves more space to the sides with visitors concerned about their presence in the middle.
Those are qualities that Arsenal have lacked in recent months, but which Arteta praised before the Europa League game against Dundalk last month, stating: ‘Emile is an incredibly talented player.
‘He is a player with very specific qualities to play in those pockets in that position as an offensive midfielder.
‘I like him a lot and he’s a player that if we have a little patience [with], we have a great player there. ‘
Smith Rowe then followed suit a week later by providing a touch for Saka on the Hawthorns after a sublime touch with the left foot of the ball from Lacazette to take it easy.
However, the data sample size is still quite modest to draw radical conclusions, as Smith Rowe has appeared in just seven games for the Gunners this season.
However, evidence from a loan period at Huddersfield last season suggests that the foundation is there to be built.
He made 13 starts and 19 total Championship appearances in 2019/20, scoring two goals, including a late one to secure victory against West Brom and maintain Huddersfield’s status in the second tier of English football, and recording as many assists.
“Emile is a kid who has the world at his feet,” said Danny Cowley, who ran him at Huddersfield before he was fired in July.
‘He has that ability to find space. He could find space in a phone booth. Speed up the game for you and draw and engage. He’s a really lovely player.
Responding to calls from the fans to give him more playing time, he said: ‘We have to be very protective of him, which none of us like. I actually boo when I take it off, because it’s not something I want to do. ‘
That risk-off approach had to be taken into account given the number of injuries Smith Rowe saw on his loan out at Bundesliga RB Leipzig in 2019, where he played just 28 minutes, badly affected by a groin injury.
Fitness issues also clouded the start of this season, but now he seems to have shown that if he stays in shape, it is only a matter of time before he begins to consistently develop his undoubted potential.
That’s something that perhaps playmaker Mesut Ozil has been guilty of failing to accomplish during his seven-and-a-half-year stint with the Gunners.
The German was left out of the Premier League and Europa League rosters for the first half of the season, relegating him to a social media specialist rather than a creative force.
The 32-year-old referred to Smith Rowe as ‘the one who made the difference’ for his performance at West Brom, but Ozil’s departure from Emirates Stadium has since seemed to have drawn closer.
Fenerbahce are reportedly close to sealing a move for the 2014 World Cup winner, and while it will be a financial relief for the club, it is Arteta who perhaps feels the greatest sense of comfort Smith Rowe has emerged.
It is likely to guarantee that the Spaniard will not have to lose face after the October decision to omit Ozil, not only keeping him, but will be forced to reinstate him in the team from February.
With or without Ozil, however, Arsenal’s search for a player creator this month isn’t a secret either, with Norwich star Emiliano Buendia most closely linked despite the Carrow Road club’s insistence that they won’t sell. .
Recent reports suggest Norwich values the Argentine at 40 million pounds, a figure the Gunners would be increasingly reluctant to shell out midseason even without the effects of a financial slump caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
But Smith Rowe appears to have given Arteta and manager Edu a few more days of the transfer window to signal the right target after recent wasteful transfer windows, with Borussia Dortmund’s Julian Brandt and compatriot Julian Draxler at PSG as well. linked.
Smith Rowe’s biggest challenge appears to be financial response this month, as well as helping the club bring more money to the club at the end of the season, helping the club move up the table and into cup competitions sooner. to reevaluate your options. in position in the summer.
Ian Wright said last week that he feared Arsenal might lose Smith Rowe if Willian and 72 million pound bottom winger Nicolas Pepe continued to start ahead of him.
But after the continuation of their poor displays, Smith Rowe, and Saka for that matter, would have lost little sleep because their place in the Premier League team was threatened after seeing the display of their more veteran teammates before their own presentation. .
“He has to continue like this, to improve day by day, but he has a good mentality and that is also very important,” midfielder Granit Xhaka said of Smith Rowe after the victory at Newcastle.
Perhaps now, with the Gunners cash-strapped and always ready to see the academy’s products roll off the conveyor belt and shine on the first team, you may continue to see your shares rise.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
[ad_2]
