Nicklas Bendtner: ‘Accidentally’ Slammed

The title to this article might suggest that I am providing some late coverage on Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner’s recent car accident while driving to practice in his Aston Martin. In reality, though, this article is written in vehement defense of the player, who has certainly had more than his fair share of critics, to put it bluntly. Bendtner is no stranger to the wrath of football pundits and fans alike as he is often criticized for a lack of ball control and consistency in his finishing. But is it justified to write Bendtner off when none of his coaches have ever questioned his progress?

Remember, progress is the key word here so it is extremely important to carefully analyze Bendtner’s progress before dismissing his chances of succeeding in the Premier League in the long run. When I recall his Arsenal debut as a 17-year old, I remember him as a young Danish striker who was providing Arsene Wenger with just another bench option during the Carling Cup campaign in the 2005-06 season.

While the Gooners didn’t see Bendtner representing their colors for the entire next campaign, Arsene Wenger was a direct witness as Bendtner showed immense promise during his loan spell away to Birmingham City. A return of 13 crucial goals and nine key assists over 48 appearances is very impressive for a teenager on loan, particularly considering that this performances guided the Midlands outfit back to the Barclays Premier League.

While then-Birmingham City manager Steve Bruce fought hard to keep the striker at St. Andrews, Arsene Wenger had already been waiting impatiently to get the Dane back for the Gunners’ second campaign at their brand new Emirates Stadium. As expected, however, Bendtner had to impress in the Carling Cup before being incorporated into bigger competitions. In fact, most football fans will also recall Arsene Wenger claiming that Bendtner would be restricted to domestic Cup competitions throughout the 2007-08 season due to inexperience.

Bendtner clearly had other plans as he followed his debut Carling Cup goal for Arsenal with a debut Champions League goal against Slavia Praha in October 2007. He repeated this precious feat in the Premier League in the all-important North London Derby (in record time for a substitute player) before adding his first FA Cup goal to the collection at the turn of the calendar. Scoring in all competions, eh? Not too bad for someone who was not even supposed to partake in them all in the first place.

Arsene Wenger rewarded Bendtner with a regular starting spot in Arsenal’s injury-plagued 2008-09 campaign, which saw the youngster score  a career high 15 goals over 50 appearances in all competitions. However, since his goals were usually typical Premier League-styled tap-ins, he couldn’t silence his critics when it came to constant accusations of a lack of ‘pure skill’. Although it was obvious that Bendtner had suffered a few embarassing missed chances, he deserved to be praised for adding a much-needed physical dimension to his side’s offense.

Besides, I feel the argument based on the lack of pure skill is flawed anyways as I have always reiterated the importance of getting the job done in the Premier League as opposed to doing it the fancy way. If Bendtner occasionally seems laughable with his first touch and dribbling, it should not be all that surprising since it’s never easy to appear comfortable performing some of these moves at his size.

Not everyone is as gifted as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and there is certainly nothing wrong with that. In fact, I firmly believe that with a bit of polishing, Bendtner will soon be offering his own brand of football that will be invaluable to Arsenal’s cause. A stunning return of eight goals in 23 appearances for his country shows just how much his teammates end up benefitting from his unique strengths ranging from excellent positioning to a strong presence up front.

He may have only scored once in all club competitions so far this season, but his manager is convinced that Bendtner is a man whose impressive learning curve will pay off dividends sooner rather than later. In the face of former teammate Emmanuel Adebayor’s bitter comments against his attitude, Bendtner has reportedly been working hard to mix up his rapid learning abilities with the previously missing work ethic. Wenger has stood by him all along, which should be enough of a motivation for at least all Gooners to join the gaffer in giving the striker some time and space.

At the end of last season, I had been reluctant to purchase a Nicklas Bendtner jersey as I admittedly doubted his long term survival at a club as competitive as Arsenal. However, his recent emergence as an extremely important piece in the club’s puzzle was enough to convince me to complete the purchase. Other Arsenal supporters are certainly not required to go ahead with this purchase. However, to reiterate, the least that is expected of them is some unconditional support for a man whose incredible progress (key word) demonstrates that he is bound for glory.

Will Bendtner ever be as good as some people think? Have your say below!

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