Arsenal’s Gervinho ‘Forehead’ has had his fair share of stick. Ever since his 11m move to Arsenal from Lille, the winger hasn’t quite made his mark, has been unable to come to terms with the pace and rigours of the Premier League, and has generally divided opinion, to put it mildly.
Unpredictable is the word which comes to mind when one watches the Ivorian on the field; when on the ball, he certainly has a few tricks up his sleeves and an aura of unpredictability to his game, which on paper should be an asset but as we’ve seen, it’s not always quite worked out in his favour.
Over the years, Arsenal sides have been known for their free-flowing football and attacking prowess. Since the last few seasons, however, things have changed. Opposition managers seem to have devised certain ways to shut Arsenal down and prevent them from playing their game. It simple: get men behind the ball, pack your own half, and let Arsenal pass in front of you in non-dangerous positions, denying them space to play their trademark free-flowing, quick-passing game.
All of which is usually followed by a quick counter attack or a dangerous ball above Arsenal’s midfield to put them a goal down. Rinse and repeat.
More and more teams have started employing this simple tactic now. It is therefore no wonder that this season, in particular, Arsenal have had trouble finding the net, or even mustering up an effort on goal until late in the game.
All of which explains why Wenger has opted to deploy Gervinho’s as a center-forward: the player’s quick feet and dribbling, excellent close-control, pace and movement should provide an excellent way of breaking packed, stubborn opposition defenses.
Operating mainly from the left wing last season, as an inverted-winger with a tendency to drift inwards the manager has used Gervinho in the center-forward position this season, but more in a del Bosque-style false-9, rather than as a traditional target-man. On paper, this should work out well for his team, and Gervinho is certainly a player who possesses all the qualities to make it work, he can dribble his way in and out of tight places, even when he’s closely marked, keep the ball in sticky situations, and bring Arsenal’s wingers (such as Theo Walcott and Lukas Podolski) all of whom have the tendency to drift inside rather than stick to the byline into play as well.
And while the Ivorian did enjoy an explosive start to the season albeit a brief one, scoring a few goals while settling into the new position he was being asked to play in, this horrendous Torres-esque miss from last night Capital One Cup game against Bradford, from 2 yards out no less, pretty much sums him up as a player, as well as his time at Arsenal.
To his credit, Gervinho is industrious and an extremely hard, always looking to create something when on the ball, even getting into all the right positions. So why hasn't it worked out for him at Arsenal? Is it simply a lack of confidence in front of goal, or is the player that Arsenal paid £11m for simply not good enough? I highly doubt it’s the latter, especially when one of the brightest young talents in world football, Eden Hazard says that he’s the best player he’s played with!
What do you Gunners think? Let us know with your thoughts in the comment section below.
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