Firstly, was that a potentially-workable partnership is developing between TV and the new boy, Koscielny. Left-footed and assured, TV would naturally love a right-footer beside him to balance the equation and swap responsibilities. Koscielny has done that very well so far and yes, it’s just August where the season is still in sleep mode. But you can assess a good player in 15minutes through little things like trapping the ball, ball control, distribution, use of body, use of space, positional play, etc.
In all those, he ticks the right boxes and will succeed at the Emirates. I can say that right now.
Last season, TV excelled and made the Premier League Bext XI (a phenomenal thing to do in your first season in England) due to his (1) his obvious talent, and (2) his understanding with another right-footed warrior, the departed William Gallas.
This season so far, he will make the Premiership Best XI again because at 24, he is approaching the peak of his powers and he’s got another good buddy beside him for understanding.
Like they both did against Liverpool on the opening day, TV and Koscielny eased away attackers from the goalie and dealt with everything in the air comfortably against Blackburn. The fact that Blackburn scored was simply due to the mistake of Sagna leaving his flank exposed. Diouf utilized that space by outrunning Koscielny who was covering for Sagna, thus being forced out of his own position. It was the space left behind by Koscielny that Diouf passed into, allowing his namesake and compatriot to drift in and score the equalizer with all the ease in the world.
Such slips happen in every team. The ability of a team to keep them to the minimum and prevent stupid goals, is what remains the difference between winning and losing. TV and Koscielny, along with the rest of the back four would have learnt from that slip.
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| Familiar sight? Not again Robin, even though you aksed for it |
Secondly from the Blackburn game, emerged the realization that Robin Van Persie needs to learn how to protect himself. The ankle injury he picked up after just 30 minutes, was needless, reckless and irresponsible for a player of his age and experience.
You don’t go flying into tackles or leaving yourself exposed to dangerous kicks, especially for a striker whose major duty isn’t to make tackles. By throwing himself around last Saturday and jumping into needless kicking-contests in even more needless situations, he was simply asking to be injured.
For someone with his injury history, which have cost us months and months of inactivity from him, he ought to err on the side of caution.
He was at the club for three seasons with Thierry Henry who was a master of self-preservation. For all his talent, speed and breath-taking ability on the pitch, Henry never got involved in silly kicking-contests. Myles Palmer labelled him a prima-donna, but the lesson therein remains that the first law of nature is self-preservation. Henry chose his moments to do anything. He chose the moment to run; to nick the ball off opponents; to beat defenders; to pass; to receive passes; and of course to score.
Over the course of a game, he was very economical with his movements which was why he lasted so long and so successfully at the top. For him, there was no point flinging oneself around vast areas of the pitch, when a few minutes of explosive burst of speed and direct application could achieve much more.
Another player in the Henry mould is the man we all love to hate – Didier Drogba. Wenger famously described him as “doing very little” last season when he scored twice against us at the Emirates. But it is the mark of a great player to actually do very little and still poach two goals away, to one of your biggest rivals.
Drogba could be unsighted for huge swathes of a game, only to spring to life in a flash like a bushcat and do collateral damage almost before you realise he is there. He has played this way for years and even at 31, he doesn’t look like slowing down. You wonder why he has consistently remained prolific for Chelsea season after season?
Van Persie would do well to learn from these two predators. Strikers are peculiar players who maximize their abilities over a very short space and time frame. They often do not see the ball as much as their other teammates. Unlike midfielders for instance, who receive and release passes probably a couple of hundred times in the course of a game, strikers do not enjoy that luxury.
Wenger would do even better to sit him down and point out these vital facts to him. For the sake of the team and his teammates, it is essential both men have this discussion now. It is a new season. A new beginning and one that holds so much significance for all concerned with the team. After five years of trophy-drought, no more excuses will suffice if we end up empty-handed again.
Every season in the past four years, Van Persie has disappeared into the injury-room for lengthy periods, while the team suffered in his absence. His injuries are often season-defining for us especially as they ultimately deny us of the hugely-important threat he carries in front of goal.
In his absence last season, Nicklas Bendtner carried us through four months of huffing and puffing before we ran into the blitzkrieg that was Barcelona in the Champions League. Imagine how different the story would have been if there was Van Persie (or even forgotten man Eduardo) around to help the young Dane. The fact that it was a midfielder in the person of Fabregas that emerged our highest score last season, underlines how much we suffered for lack of a consistent frontman.
Four weeks we are told is how long he will be out this time. Thankfully. Enough time to assess things for him and allow Wenger show him the merits of emulating Henry and Drogba.
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