Saturday, March 13, 2010

Wenger - Bendtner is gaining momentum

Arsene Wenger is prepared to tell whoever, cares to listen that his
teenage prodigy (Nicklas Bendtner) is alive to his duties as a
striker.

The Arsenal manager showered encomiums on the young Dane after he netted his fifth goal in just four matches for the Gunners, and the gaffer believes
that he has finally arrived, though he admits that there is still room
for improvement.

The youngster who has suffered ample criticism and accusations of meekness in front of goal, even been
labelled a good for nothing striker by a large section of the media
and infact us (gooners), recently showed what he's capable of doing by
wrecking Porto's chances of progressing to the last eight and paving
the way for the Gunners in the process.
You might argue that he was opportuned to score a hat-trick, you might
also buttress your claim by insisting that he was a passenger on some
occasions during the match, but then you've got to stop for a moment and ask yourself,
what Bendtner's job is really all about?
And you'll be glad to see why the manager is confident that Bendtner
will definately live up to expectation.

The boss isn't harbouring any negativity and maintains that the old
Bendtner has passed away, giving birth to a new and energetic forward.

"If you look at him and three to four weeks ago, he's a different
player," said Wenger. "A few weeks ago he looked out of shape, heavy
running, heavy feet. It's already different as he plays games.

"What is important for him is that he's not injured. As a top-level
player, first when you need to have a good run and you have a good run
it's important."

Arsene Wenger has also ruled out an automatic shirt for the towering
striker and insists playing for the Gunners is performance based.

"He doesn't know that he's going to play but he knows that he'll get a
chance," Wenger said. "As long as he does well he has a good chance of
playing. As well, he has qualities that are needed in our team."