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Louis van Gaal probably uttered a rueful ‘I told you so’ after one costly miss defined Danny Welbeck’s Arsenal debut against Manchester City in a match that will be remembered for the quality of finishing on show. |
Yesterday’s 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium had plenty to recommend it, with Sergio Aguero showing why his poaching skills are almost unrivalled, Jack Wilshere silencing his critics with an exquisite run and chip and Alexis Sanchez showing extraordinary athleticism to volley home.
Yet for Welbeck the shine was taken off an otherwise industrious and generally positive first game by the former Manchester United forward, when he passed up the sort of chance he would have gone to bed dreaming of receiving last night.
When a terrible back pass from David Silva played him in on goal with only 13 minutes on the clock, he was left with City keeper Joe Hart to beat. He tried an audacious chip that came back off the post when a more clinical operator would perhaps have attempted something less spectacular. “When the big chance comes he didn’t take it. I think it’s to do with ruthlessness,” United’s former midfielder Paul Scholes told BT Sport.
His new manager Arsene Wenger, however, was not going to be swayed by one moment of wastefulness so early in his Arsenal career when the rest of his all-round game showed many reasons to be cheerful. “It’s sad that he couldn’t take his chance but overall every time he had an opportunity to build up his plays he looked dangerous,” the Frenchman said. “There are some things to work on to integrate well into our game but I am happy with his first game.”
WRONG OPTION
When asked whether he took the wrong option in attempting the chip, there was a one-word response: “Maybe”. It was the manner in which he failed to find the target that will fuel the debate about whether Manchester United boss Van Gaal was right to sanction his sale on the grounds that he simply does not score enough goals.
Van Gaal offered a clinical assessment of Welbeck after he left Old Trafford behind with a record of 29 strikes in 142 appearances. “He played three seasons for the first team, but he doesn’t have the record of Robin van Persie or Wayne Rooney. And that is the standard.”
With his replacement at United, on-loan Radamel Falcao, not making his debut for another 24 hours, this was the England striker’s chance to make a point to his former manager. All the omens were positive after he came into the game on the back of two strikes for his country in their Euro 2016 qualifier against Switzerland earlier in the week.
Pundits were queuing up to defy the statistical evidence and predict Welbeck could yet be converted into a prolific striker. Former England forward Alan Shearer told the BBC that he had “an opportunity to stamp his authority on the Premier League”.
English football’s bete noire Joey Barton said England are better off with Welbeck than regular number nine Daniel Sturridge, which was as much an attack on the latter’s perceived “selfishness” as it was praise for team player Welbeck.
According to many of United’s former greats, Welbeck’s 16 million pounds ($26.03 million) departure on transfer deadline day somehow represented the end of an era and an ethos focused on nurturing youth players that underpinned years of success under Alex Ferguson. With Arsenal’s striker Olivier Giroud not set to return from injury until January, Welbeck is likely to be given a run of matches to prove Van Gaal wrong and show that there is more to his game than industry alone.
