Gervinho Caps Terrific Preseason with Excellent Individual Goal Against Cologne

It was almost a carbon copy of his fine individual strike, scored nearly one month previously against Southampton in the Markhus Liebherr Memorial Cup.

A neat one-two in midfield (against Southampton, he combined with Andre Santos; against Cologne, Lukas Podolski) that sent him into acres of space on the wing, then the searing pace and quick footwork that saw him skip past a would-be tackler. Finally, collecting the ball near the endline before executing one, then two dribbles to cut back away from goal before firing a low drive past the keeper.

If Gervinho keeps scoring the type of goals we've seen against Southampton, and now FC Cologne on Sunday, it could be a barnstorming season.

The guarded optimist will point to the fact that this is, after all, only preseason—a vastly different clime than the fiery cauldron of Premier League football. Gervinho had enjoyed a fine preseason one summer ago, ahead of his debut campaign with Arsenal, too.

Though the Ivorian, signed for £10 million from Lille, overcame a turbulent debut against Newcastle (he was sent off and received a subsequent three-match domestic ban for an altercation with Joey Barton) and thrived from mid-September until the close of the calendar year.

Put succinctly, he did just as he'd done against Cologne at the Rhein Energie Stadion one day ago—combining an adroit technical ability with his innate speed to wreak havoc on opposing defenses.

It was the latest contribution from Gervinho, who was named Man of the Match against Kitchee FC by a fan poll Arsenal's official website for his exploits in the final match of the Asia Tour. Gervinho had been excellent in attack, providing the assist for Thomas Eisfeld's goal, which wrapped up the scoring at 2-2.

There are some students of history who will urge caution before proclamations about "Gervinho coming good this year" begin to cycle about.

But while guarded optimism is understandable, there is good reason to be optimistic about the upcoming season.

Foreign players new to the Premier League often take at least one season to hit their stride—this has been the case with many an Arsenal player, including winger extraordinaire Robert Pires—so it would follow that an increased return can be expected from Gervinho in 2012-13.

Should he continue to build atop his current vein of form, opposing sides could have their hands full.

Gervinho is a bit of an anomaly to the vaunted Arsenal way of play, which favors possession and slick passing. The 25-year-old is a dribbler first and foremost, and while he can play within a system, he often is at his best when granted license to attack defenders with abandon.

We've already seen it so far in preseason. And with Gervinho now entering the prime of his career, we may well expect to see more of it.

While both Arsene Wenger and Gunners fans will eye the upcoming 2013 African Cup of Nations with some trepidation—Gervinho notably suffered dips in form and confidence after last losing to Zambia in the final in January—one would hope a repeat occurrence will be avoided.

The tournament, previously scheduled for even years, is henceforth set to be played on odd years, resulting in its being played two years in a row after the 2012 event.

But worries about confidence levels can be set aside for now. Wenger has a player brimming with confidence—something that can only augur well for what promises to be a thoroughly exciting season to come.