Declan Taylor
ALMOST a year ago to the day, Nicklas Bendtner hit a hat-trick in a classy 5-0 victory which secured Arsenal a quarter-final place.
That night, his goals against Porto in the Champions League should have finally cemented a more regular first-team berth for a player whose graduation from the academy had been so encouraging.
But in the 12 months since, Bendtner has still not evolved into anything more than a bit-part player at the Emirates – but another timely treble, this time in a 5-0 victory against Leyton Orient in the FA Cup on Wednesday, has given him the platform to finally make an indelible mark on the club.
Arsenal’s season has arrived at its defining stage but you could argue that Bendtner’s career at the club has also done exactly that.
With Robin van Persie set for at least three weeks out with a knee ligament injury, now is the time for Bendtner to move into the spotlight. And with the fans just about on his side following his trebleFA Cup hat-trick, he has never had a better chance to do so.
But that said, his task will not be made easy by the calibre of opposition or the importance of the fixtures in which he will play.
In the Champions League, Arsenal face the daunting prospect of defending a 2-1 lead in Barcelona – and will surely need at least one goal in Spain on Tuesday to have a chance of progression. Of course Bendtner is no stranger to scoring at the Nou Camp, having struck Arsenal’s only goal in their 4-1 Messi-inspired mauling there last season.
Bendtner has now scored four goals in five FA Cup outings, but Arsenal’s next opponents in the competition are Manchester United, who have conceded only once in their three ties so far this season.
And both of those competitions will be contested against the backdrop of one of the most fiercely-contested title races in years. Arsenal are now just four points behind leaders Manchester United, with a game in hand, and manager Arsene Wenger has told his players that each and every league fixture must now be contested “like a cup tie”, starting at home to Sunderland this Saturday.
All that means a lot of pressure for Bendtner, who, Marouane Chamakh aside, is now Arsenal’s only fit senior centre-forward.
But if there was ever a player who could shoulder the expectations generated by scoring a 32-minute hat-trick, it’s the 23-year-old Dane.
In fact, it’s his unerring self-confidence which has turned some Arsenal fans against him. The striker has in the past predicted that he will one day become the world’s greatest striker, but would then miss a string of chances in the following match.
But, far from retreating into his shell, Bendtner is always ready to assume centre stage, never more so than when he wore the Premier League’s first pink football boots in a bizarre episode in 2008 when he claimed he had always dreamt of taking to the pitch in such a pair.
Perhaps that self-confidence is, in part, justified. The crowd were already on his back after the striker’s quiet opening half an hour against Leyton Orient, where he was notably utilised on the right of Arsenal’s front three.
But that all changed when he scored Arsenal’s second, his first of the night, after 30 minutes with a goal that few others throughout the club’s glittering ranks could have produced.
Kieran Gibbs’ cross was decent enough but it was just behind Bendtner, who rose above Charlie Daniels to send an inch perfect header arching perfectly into the top corner from 12 yards.
His second, a curling strike inside the far post, has become something of a trademark goal.
If that summed up his strengths as an archetypal centre-forward, his second, 13 minutes later, encapsulated Bendtner’s class on the ground.
Receiving a loose ball on the corner of the area, the striker jinked inside onto his right foot and sent a low, curling strike inside the far post, just beyond the reach of the keeper with a finish that has become something of a Bendtner trademark.
His third, from the penalty spot in the 62nd minute, was much more straight-forward but his instant withdrawal by Wenger suggested the manager is acutely aware of Bendtner’s importance in the coming weeks, with Van Persie unavailable.
Now is his time.
Bendtner has always desired a prolonged spell in the first team and now, as a direct result of injuries, that is exactly what heBendtner has got – in the most pivotal point of the season.
If he manages to fire Arsenal to silverware this season, even the most ardent Arsenal fan will surely take the striker they love to hate to their hearts. But should he fall short, he might never get another chance.
Last year, Bendtner’s spring time hat-trick against Porto did little to further his career. But his latest one might just see him blossom into the player he for one knows he can become.
Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/HeIGwPQhDT4/post.aspx
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