Arsenal: Samir Nasri Gets Another Chance; Can He Be The Next Cesc Fabregas?

Samir Nasri will once again have the opportunity to play in his preferred central attacking midfield role. He will take over duties from Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas, whose hamstring injury will sideline him for a minimum of two weeks. Nasri also filled in for Fabregas in the latter stages of the last season, when the Spainard sustained a broken leg in a match against FC Barcelona and was out for around two months.

The Arsenal talisman is undoubtedly one of the best playmakers in the world, and his presence on the pitch inspires the whole of the Arsenal. However, his absence will present some players the chance to step into the limelight. Nasri is a very versatile, talented player, who can play on both wings, and in the central attacking midfield role, which Fabregas has occupied for the last few years.

Although Arsenal struggled somewhat in the latter stages last season, Nasri still did a decent job of replacing Fabregas. It is also hard to read too far into the results towards the end last season as it was a period that Arsenal were rattled with injuries. Robin van Persie (he did recover, but only started in the last three games), Cesc Fabregas, William Gallas, Thomas Vermaelen and Alex Song all spent time on the injury list down the stretch.

If his sterling performance against FC Porto in the game at the Emirates is any indication, Nasri will not be out of place when he steps in to replace Fabregas. Many will point to his goal tally and say that Nasri will never be as good as Fabregas, but Nasri has undoubtedly developed as a player, and will add goals to his armory in the next few seasons. Against Porto, it was not only his wonder-goal that lit up the Emirates. He was at the heart of the attacking play conjured by the Gunners and his vision and creativity was instrumental in the demolition of the Portuguese side.

Another example of his creativity is the assist to Fabregas which led to the opener against Burnley at the Emirates in a game infamous for Bendtner's wastefulness in front of goal. There was a crowd of players between the edge of the box and the eight yard spot and Nasri delightfully chipped the ball for Fabregas to race past the defenders and finish it from eight yards out with aplomb. Presently, the talented Frenchman is surely not as good as Fabregas, but he has shown definite signs of improvement in the last two seasons, and this might be his breakthrough season.

Another advantage that Nasri has, when he is playing in central midfield, is that he is comfortable on both wings and swaps positions with Tomas Rosicky and Andrei Arshavin, pulling the defenders out of their comfort zones. Sometimes Fabregas is marked too heavily, and this really does reduce his impact on the game. On the other hand, Nasri can swap roles with Rosicky or Arshavin, temporarily, to open up spaces.

Arsene Wenger has a lot of faith in the young Frenchman, and sees him as one of the long term prospects at Arsenal. He has already shown a lot of promise and he looks dangerous when he does get the opportunity to play in the centre. Wenger will most probably use him in central midfield in the absence of Fabregas, with Rosicky or Eboue and Arshavin on the wings.

In Tuesday's Carling Cup game against Tottenham, Nasri was lacklustre in the first half, which could be attributed to a lack of match fitness in the last month or so, but he did spring to life in the second-half. As an icing to the cake, the Arsenal captain (following the substitution of Rosicky) converted both penalties in the extra-time, ensuring Arsenal emerged comfortable winners in the North London derby.

Nasri was dropped from the France squad for the World Cup in South Africa, which has only inspired him to do better for the Gunners. He was Arsenal's most impressive player in preseason, and was also very good against Liverpool in the opener at Anfield. But, his injury, sustained in the game against Liverpool, has kept him out of the team for around three weeks. Now, Nasri is back to full fitness, and is looking to lift an Arsenal side that is lacking some of its integral players (Fabregas, Van Persie, Walcott, Bendtner and Ramsey).

Nasri could be the future of Arsenal and may grow to be one of the best midfielders in the world. But for now he has to make optimum utilisation of the opportunity he will get in central midfield due to the Fabregas injury and lead the Gunners to success in the forthcoming, important games.