The Constant Failings of Nicklas Bendtner

Arrogance Personified

Those shocking pink Nike Mercurials , the self perceived confidence rating of 10 out of nine and that heart-breaking miss against Barcelona were what came to mind when I thought think of Nicklas Bendtner a while back.

Now I see more, far more.

The huge Dane has dropped out of Arsenal‘s fan favourites Unlike the rest of other drop-outs he’s is still with the club and has not left in pursuit of money or trophies. So why do we dislike Nicklas Bendtner so much?

As most teenagers promoted by Arsenal into their first time he showed immense talent. A huge presence in the box and an enviable scoring record for the reserves, Arsenal fans expected great things from him.

At first he did not disappoint but gradually the showy centre forward began to let the club down greatly. Constantly misfiring for quite a long period of time, Bendtner never did much to relieve Arsenal’s injury-induced striker crisis. He must be given his due credit as he stayed at the club, fighting for a starting spot when first team appearances were hard to come by. When his time did come he never was the star both the fans and he himself wanted him to be.

He does not see this though and that is the greatest reason for the waste of the talent he is.

Bendtner is infuriating, to say the least. For a person with such confidence, an insatiable appetite for goal and with a good strikers instinct to back it up, he was earmarked for greatness. Confidence does a great deal for a forward. Which Arsenal fan can forget Marouane Chamakh‘s scoring ways he first moved here. Now his lack of confidence translates to him having become a below average reserve striker in the first team.

But this confidence which Bendtner has comes at a price too. Whether it’s in life or on the football pitch a successful person is one who learns from his mistakes and is willing to adapt. the Dane who once proclaimed himself to be the greatest striker in the world will never learn and hence I do not see him ever improving. This arrogance translated off the pitch too with drunken spats and love for the city’s night-life.

Watching him at the Euros, I was impressed with his playing for Denmark. Until he showed his ‘Paddy Power boxers to the world, and that small spark of hope I had vanished.

Whether he does not appreciate his God given skill or is just plain foolish I cannot say but the end result is evident. He is repeatedly failing as a top player. If there is one thing I’ve seen with Arsenal, is that arrogant players never last long in the club. Bendtner too currently is on loan and doesn’t seem to be coming back to first team action at Arsenal.

About his loan deal with Juventus, I was baffled when I heard he had a ‘weight’ problem. In today’s football where the rigour and demands are many times what it was in years past, how can a footballer let himself go like that? If he wants to stay competitive if there was any actual intent to improve, he would be keeping fit and concentrating on improving and not flashing brands on his underwear and insulting his parent club from afar. Arsenal may lack ambition but Bendtner lacks a brain.

I know Arsenal fans who want him back. At his best, he is a potent aerial threat and has impressive link up skills. those fans say we need him back. I will argue by asking you who is the better striker between him and Olivier Giroud. Giroud is a more humble and willing version. That is probably the mindset you develop when you come from the lower leagues and make it to the top and not have everything as a teenager. I am not criticizing Arsenal’s youth set up and the high wages the young stars are played but it did not do any good to Bendtner’s already bloated pride.

There are reports that he would be open to switching to Tottenham. I say let him go. he is not half the player Adebayor was and look at how Spurs have worked out for the big man from Togo. ‘Whats the score Adebayor’ is a delightful Emirates stadium chant and I am sure it would not take much imagination to come up with a rhyming word for Nick.