Zero To Hero, Eboue and Bendtner Repay The Faith

Location, the Emirates stadium. Arsenal vs Wigan. Manu Eboue comes on, then goes off. The crowd boo and make their feelings very clear. Manu Eboue was rock bottom.

Location, the Emirates stadium. Arsenal vs Blackburn. Nicklas Bendtner misses a hatful of chances and gets taken off. The crowd have a sarcastic applause and cheer. Nicklas Bendtner hits rock bottom.

Fast forward.

Location, the Emirates stadium. Arsenal vs Porto. Manu Eboue comes off the bench, scores a goal, win's a pen and gets a huge cheer and gives his shirt to one very lucky fan. Nicklas Bendtner starts the game and scores three goals and gets an even bigger cheer and the match ball.

This is how football can change if you work hard. Eboue was a player that was hated by other fans because of his tendency to fall to the floor a little too easy. Even the Arsenal fans got on his back. Eboue took this all into consideration and worked hard and under the guidance of Mr Wenger, he changed his game and his habits and has come back such a strong footballer. I feel he lifted the team in the game against Liverpool at the Emirates earlier in February, and has certainly played his part in getting his team back into the title race and in the quarter finals of the champions league. Eboue is known as the joker of the team and the one who has a big personality. In amongst all these jokes, lies a real big heart. I saw this at the game with Porto when at the end of the game; he went across the field and gave his shirt to a lucky supporter. Manu Eboue has really done himself and us proud in the way he has come back from rock bottom and his proving to be a tremendous player for the Arsenal.  

Nicklas Bendtner is another example of how feelings and attitudes can change towards a player. I love to say I told you so about both players, but with Eboue, I had no idea how his career would go, but with Bendtner, I have always backed the lad. I have always thought he gives us something different. I have backed him even stronger since that period of four tough games we had in late January and early February.

Here is my evidence:

I am fortunate to follow Arsenal away from home at times and went to Villa Park this year in January. Bendtner started on the bench as he was not fit and had just started full training. I noticed that whenever our keeper or back four had the ball and there was no pass on, they would launch it forward and the ball would just keep coming back. There was no plan B and no escape route for the back five to take when under pressure. If plan A, which was to pass our way out of trouble did not work, then we would really be under pressure.

Against Liverpool, and in particular Stoke, the back five felt they could launch the ball and if the ball went near Bendtner then he would be able to get the a header on or to hold it up. It started to work and Arsenal had a plan B and an escape plan. Against Porto, more so in the first half, this worked to a treat. Bendtner won headers and held the ball up perfectly and off course scored two goals. In the second half, as the game became more comfortable, the plan B wasn’t needed and Arsenal could play, as the manner of the goals suggest. Having Bendtner up top has also freed up Arshavin as he can play in his more natural position and did very well in the Porto game and scored in the Burnley game.

The Porto game showed that Nicklas Bendtner can be a good player if he works hard and with a manager such as Mr Wenger backing and supporting him, he can only get better.

As a football fan, I am proud that two footballers that were visibly at rock bottom have come back strong and now have established themselves as good and important players in their teams. This can only be good for the club.

Come on the Arsenal.