When Mauroune Chamakh was signed on a free transfer from Bordeaux, a lot was expected from him in Arsenal colours. With the sale of Eduardo and Adebayor and the injury to Robin Van Pierse, all burdens were on him to keep the Arsenal afloat.
Scoring on his Arsenal debut in that emirates cup game against AC Milan, I had geared my mind to seeing the Moroccan have a claim in being an Arsenal great.
Prior to RVP’s return in 2010/11 season, Chamakh was a jewel. His head was clinical in execution, his positioning was intact and he caused a lot of havoc in opposition backlines.He was always influential causing one of scoring a goal, creating an assist, forcing an error leading to goal, getting a penalty kick or even getting an opposition sent off.
RVP’s return marked the beginning of the end of the Moroccan’s reign at the emirates. He signed a contract with the bench last season and this season has failed to feature in any premier League game, making the bench just once or twice.
Watching Chamakh play on Tuesday night was an aberration for a striker. He couldn’t hold any ball nor make a meaningful pass. He couldn’t even take a shot. He lost virtually all aerial duels, a feat that used to be his chief department. His presence wasn’t felt upfront. When the crosses were made, he was nowhere near.
I was happy to see some through-pass football but the under-utilization was annoying. Rosicky played his heart out, scoring a superb goal and bagging my man of the match. But his colleagues let him down: Chamakh, one of the culprits.
What has gone wrong with our number 29? The Madejski miracle at Reading in the Capital One cup produced two Chamakh goals. I gave him a benefit of doubt after his brace but he let me down. I would have preferred Chuba Akpom to make his debut than a player that spends more time applying gel to his hair or smokes pipes.
This was a chance for Chamakh to claw his way back to the hearts of the gooners worldwide. He may definitely be leaving in January. His last game for Arsenal may be at Bradford in the Capitol One tie, unless a miracle occurs.
I wonder why Bendtner was sent on loan instead of this Moroccan.The Dane’s record speaks.Forget the infamous dislike for the world’s best striker; wouldn’t you rather see NB52 than Chamakh? drop your comments.
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