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Wenger To Unleash “Unstoppable” Striker Against WBA
Arsene Wenger is ready to unleash forgotten man Nicklas Bendtner on West Brom tonight with the Arsenal manager claiming the Dane can be “unstoppable” when his attitude is right.
The Capital One Cup typically sees the fringe and youth players get a chance to impress and tonight will be no different. The squad is stretched to it’s limits by injuries to Arsene is expected to protect the key men who are still fit by resting them tonight.
No player is more valuable than Olivier Giroud – mainly because of the lack of options if he gets injured – so the Frenchman is almost certainly going to be left out tonight opening the door for Bendtner to make a dramatic return to the first team.
The self proclaimed ‘best striker in the world’ hasn’t pulled on an Arsenal shirt in two years and endured a difficult loan spell at Juventus last season where he failed to score in just 10 appearances. So he’s hardly in top form and full of confidence.
But he has been given a final chance to resurrect his Arsenal career, so hopefully that will see him giving 100% on the pitch, and if he does and his attitude is right, the boss feels Bendtner can be “unstoppable”.
“He had nearly gone somewhere else [in August] and in the end he stayed because it didn’t work out and we needed him here,” the boss told Arsenal Player.
“Now he can convince everybody. We are open-minded, we believe in his qualities. I personally believe in his qualities. It’s just down to attitude and fighting [spirit]. When he has that, Nicklas can be an unstoppable striker. He gets his chance. Our job is about that. Take your chance.
“Fans forgive you everything as long as you produce the performances on the football pitch. That’s what people want. I think our fans have a positive attitude towards Bendtner and they will be behind him. Only you can create that with your performances.”
“I see him as a centre forward. He can use his body [with his] back to goal. He’s an intelligent player, he can play intelligent passes and protect. He’s a similar type size-wise to Olivier Giroud. The central role is perfect for him.”
I’m looking forward to seeing Bendtner, in a strange kind of a way. He’s always shown glimpses of his talent but it’s clear his attitude and lifestyle have held him back.
If he’s on form he’ll certainly cause WBA problems tonight and if we see him at least trying and working hard, I’m sure the fans will get behind him. We NEED another striker who can help out Giroud so all Gooners are prying Bendtner can get find and find some form. We want him to do well.
However, if he gives a half-hearted display I don’t see any way back for him at the Emirates. This is last chance saloon and it’s up to him to show he wants to take it.
You can check out the latest team news and my predicted starting eleven for the game here, and I’ll have a full match preview up on the site shortly.
Are you glad to see Bendtner back? How do you think he’ll do tonight?