Last chance saloon for Nicklas Bendtner

Nicklas Bendtner of Arsenal breaks past Scott Sinclair of West Bromduring the match at The Hawthorns on September 25, 2013 in West Bromwich

Last night’s Capital Cup game between West Bromwich Albion and Arsenal saw the return of the self-proclaimed “Greatest Striker that ever lived” – Nicklas Bendtner.

A wonderful assist to Thomas Eisfeld and a goal scored during the penalty shoot-out made us all think that maybe the old Nicky B was back. But what most of us really remember and what the commentators kept drilling into our heads was the fact that the Greatest Striker that ever lived rammed into the goalpost and not even that oddly tied ponytail on his head could save him from getting a bump.

Twitter was abuzz when Bendtner was announced in the starting XI. Mixed reactions everywhere, but everyone wanted to see how he would perform. It was almost two years since Bendtner last played for Arsenal, and it was almost certain that Arsenal would off-load him in this summer transfer window.

A season-long loan spell at Sunderland in 2011 saw him put the ball in the back of the net only 8 times and in 2012, Juventus took him on board, but that turned out to be quite a sad story too. He started only three games and failed to score in the entire season – the only highlight of his time spent there being – Juventus won the Serie A and Bendtner got a medal.

And that was it. The 2013/14 Premier League season started and Nicklas Bendtner was back at Arsenal. A last minute move to Crystal Palace fell through on deadline day, leaving him with no choice but to continue playing for the Gunners.

Arsene Wenger has always had faith in all his players and he never let Bendtner feel otherwise. Even after last night’s game, Wenger insisted that ‘Nicklas Bendtner, still only 25, can be an unstoppable striker.’ Wenger also added, “I personally believe in his qualities, and now he has the chance to convince everybody else. Fans forgive you everything as long as you produce the performances on the football pitch.”

That last sentence might actually take Bendtner a little time and a lot of effort to make come true. In the time he’s spent at Arsenal, Nicklas has been in the news more often than not for his performances off the field than on it – crashing his Aston Martin, changing his shirt number for good luck and agreeing to reimburse fans who already bought his shirts, being suspended by the Danish FA after an arrest for drunk-driving, stumbling out of a night club with his jeans undone.

And even on the pitch, he is at least as famous for fighting with Emmanuel Adebayor or lowering his shorts to reveal Paddy Power sponsored underpants as he is for scoring goals.

Despite all of this, there are certain members of the Gooner Family who still stand behind him and who believe that if given the chance, Bendtner can actually do some good on the field. There is no doubt that he can score goals – 22 goals for Denmark isn’t a small achievement, reaching double figures while on loan at Birmingham City and Nicky B still happens to be Arsenal’s second highest goalscorer on the club’s books right now.

Nicklas Bendtner has always been regarded as someone who has a lot of airs about him. He’s amazingly self-confident, and one could even say that he is at times, arrogant. He’s even told football journalists that he hates the same boring questions about football and has demanded that they think of something intelligent to ask him.

One might even say that for a 25-year old who has much to prove, he’s extremely cocky. But Nicky B thinks otherwise. “I do not believe I’m over-confident. I believe I have the confidence I need in my ability. And if you ask me I am going to tell you straight.”

And to claims about him being the “Greatest Striker in the world”, Bendtner said. “If you ask me if I am one of the best strikers in the world, I say yes because I believe it. When I see that other strikers score a lot of goals, I realise I need to score those goals. But I think everything else in my game is right. Even if I believe I can still improve. But the goals are the last thing I need to add and when I do I believe I will be the player I want to be. One of the best.”

Whether he’s really humbled down or not, only time will tell.

But until then, with the number of injuries constantly plaguing the Gunners, Bendtner might actually be an important part of Arsene Wenger’s plans. And if he does not perform now, he might run out of time and opportunities. He’s been given another chance to harness his qualities and prove his worth, and with his contract expiring in May 2014, it’s now or never for him.