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Chamakh: I still have a way to go, I’m here to learn

Written by Renzo on May 17, 2011 – 20:15

Arsenal Interactive - Player RatingsMarouane Chamakh

Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh believes he still has a long way to go before reaching the level of team-mate Robin van Persie but is ready to learn.

Explaining his move from Bordeaux to Arsenal, the 27-year old explained that he was prepared for the physical impact of the English Premier League as he worked very hard in pre-season and had little or no trouble at all to settle down thanks to the French players at the club.

Asked about securing a regular place straight away in Arsene Wenger’s line-up, the Morocco International declared it was a surprise but it was the result of injuries to fellow strikers Robin van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner.

And on being relegated on the bench for the second part of the season, Chamakh concluded by saying that it was normal after the comeback of the Dutchman, by him described as an excellent player, a “phenomenon”.

On his first season at the club, the striker said:

It’s huge here. In the way you make a run, the way you position yourself and your defending. I’ve always been good in the air, but I can still do better. As for the physical impact of the Premier League, I was expecting it and I had prepared for it.

I worked very hard in pre-season and with all the French players it was very easy to settle in. I have naturally more affinity with the French and with the Francophones in the squad, like Song or Eboue.

It’s my first transfer and I was a bit worried. When I was with Bordeaux, I used to do everything I could to put the new players at ease. This time it’s they who helped me a lot.

But you can’t hide from it, with the injuries to Van Persie and Bendtner, I found myself at the forefront of things from the outset.

When they came back, people said I had lost my place. Well, actually it’s more that Van Persie logically got his place back!

He’s an excellent player, a phenomenon. I still have a way to go yet and I’m here to learn. That said, if I can bring that little bit extra to the team, all the better!

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  • Phil23 says:
    May 18, 2011 at 1:20

    get effed

    Reply to this comment »
    • Uz says:
      May 18, 2011 at 21:16

      thanks for cheap vulgarities

      Reply to this comment »
      • ben lanier says:
        May 19, 2011 at 0:49

        shut up

        Reply to this comment »
  • lid says:
    May 18, 2011 at 11:46

    you wank!!! here’s a guy we got on a free and had us right in all competitons while he was on the park!

    Reply to this comment »
  • G 5 says:
    May 17, 2011 at 20:59

    Here to learn? You are not a 18 yr old kid. You’re 27. You should know this game by now. You are only 1 year younger that Van Persie. At the wage you are being paid, you shouldn’t have to learn anything. You should KNOW.

    Reply to this comment »
    • swe gooner says:
      May 17, 2011 at 21:13

      ”At the wage you are being paid, you shouldn’t have to learn anything.” HAHAHHAHAHAHA! So true!

      Reply to this comment »
  • Davi says:
    May 17, 2011 at 21:16

    He’s a late-developer, and it’s his first season in the PL – all players have to learn a few things when they move here. People need to calm down.
    My only disappointment with chamakh is that I expected him to stay fit for longer, and not get tired. His value to the team is in his work ethic, which is fairly unique to the squad. I hope he will be fitter next season.

    Reply to this comment »
  • Bob the Gunner says:
    May 17, 2011 at 21:32

    Marouane mate, you can’t be serious…how the hell did you score the 11 goals earlier? You got knocked on your head by Eboue and got amnesia or something?

    Reply to this comment »
  • scully says:
    May 17, 2011 at 22:07

    Dear oh dear, ‘here to learn’ what exactly, at 26 yrs or so old, I suggest you should be in or fast approaching you’re prime, definitely not what we need at the Arsenal just now.

    Reply to this comment »
  • Bonza says:
    May 17, 2011 at 22:12

    even if we went 2 up front he would only be my 4th or 5th choice next season, hence at his age he should move on.

    Reply to this comment »
  • fred07 says:
    May 17, 2011 at 22:47

    Pity he won’t improve too much at 27 anymore…

    Reply to this comment »
  • Bouba says:
    May 17, 2011 at 23:14

    One fan here said that Chamakh was not Arsenal material… News flash… half of our squad are not Arsenal material…!!!

    We are now officially going to the qualifying stage of the CL ( Man City will finish third ) … I am totally disgusted…!!!

    Reply to this comment »
  • 49Unbeaten says:
    May 17, 2011 at 23:26

    I don’t know why everyone is surprised by this?!! This guy has avaraged 8 goals per season since turning pro’. He must must be on the longest learning curve in history. By the time he’s 40 he might just be nudging 13 goals per season….

    Reply to this comment »
  • Shedrack says:
    May 17, 2011 at 23:29

    arsenal fans plz understand dis guy chamakh scrng 11 goals 4 da first time transfer, he is gud wht abt torres?

    Reply to this comment »
  • Danish Gooner says:
    May 17, 2011 at 23:35

    If Wenger had spouted this nonsense at the GM i would have spat at him.How arrogant and smug can one man get and when are the board gonna wake up,lesser games.Wba raped us in the ass,Toon made us look like a washed up pub team,lesser teams it is simply beyond comprehension how much bull this man gets away with.He is almost as powerful as Napoleon once was and noone questions the utter drivel he comes up with.

    Reply to this comment »
  • Aussie Jack says:
    May 17, 2011 at 23:52

    I try not to get involved in naming names and endeavour to make my comments of a general nature, sometimes that`s not possible, but I try.
    Chamakh is a good player, it is up to those who know better than I if he is `Arsenal material` or not. What I do know is there are some players who could be off loaded and not replaced just to ease the wages bill.
    Outside `the will to win` Arsenal are in need of a captain. They need someone out there calling the shots and stopping them from fragmentating in the third period. They need someone with a total awareness of the danger from set pieces and make his voice heard. I`m a bit deaf and I`m in Australia but I want to hear him loud and clear.
    Ideally I would like this captain to be English around 29/30 years. There would be no communication problems and those who don`t fully understand the English language would soon learn.(all the swear words first, of course). He would have an English sense of humour, most important in the communication skills. Make `em laugh at themselves, then kill the opposition. Having found (and bought) this Messiah we can then tinker around with other positions either via the cheque book or from the ranks.
    That`s how I see it anyway!

    Reply to this comment »
    • timroy says:
      May 18, 2011 at 2:21

      modest comment ,thumps up for you.There are many guys who talk or comment on player
      ratings who are no good in themselves.Instead they abuse players and managers without reservation,they are no good for the sports.Let me tell you Chamachk and Bendner are excellent players who need more playing time to breathe that air of confidence.They will be excellent players come next year

      Reply to this comment »
      • Uz says:
        May 18, 2011 at 11:29

        And when bedtner was given more playing time,what was the outcome?He didnt improve and thats it! Get used to the fact that he and chamack are not good enough.
        Ask your AW to sign a great finisher and see the outcome.

        Reply to this comment »
        • james says:
          May 18, 2011 at 16:01

          bendnter is a liability in the team and should be replaced by anyone. i dont care who, james dean who lives opposit me, plays for burgess hill town, he’ll do.

          Reply to this comment »
          • Bob the Gunner says:
            May 18, 2011 at 17:58

            At this rate, he is slowly becoming a Jeremie Aliadiere.

            Reply to this comment »
  • Hunter says:
    May 18, 2011 at 1:19

    I’ll take Chamakh over Bendtner any day. At least he doesn’t have a garbage first touch and a terrible attitude. After hearing him talk up going to Barca, United and now Spurs I don’t ever want to see him in an Arsenal shirt again. He is an average player at best who thinks he is a god. Chamakh proved in the beginning of the season that he can be useful. He might not be first choice but he definitely is good off the bench and works hard for the team.

    Reply to this comment »
  • The Shining says:
    May 18, 2011 at 1:27

    Chamakh IS Arsenal material, his technique is very good and he is hardworking, the player with whom we can compare him is Anelka. But he was introduced in a wrong period with lots of losers and kids in the squad, and thus could not understand the values of the club, maybe. He sees everyone learning around him, eventually he’ll look at matches for a way to learn to play, not to win it. I’m sure if we had the likes of Vieira, Henry, Bergkamp around him his mentality would be a winning one.

    Reply to this comment »
    • Hunter says:
      May 18, 2011 at 1:49

      Totally agree. He is also one of the few in our squad who has actually won something.

      Reply to this comment »
      • quanvu says:
        May 18, 2011 at 3:15

        He’s good, he was just mistreated by wenger who put him down after RVp came back.
        chammakh was criticized at the time our midfielders were messy, cant give him the ball.In the first half of the season, fab,nasri were fresh and chammakh fired impressively.

        Reply to this comment »
        • Hunter says:
          May 18, 2011 at 5:48

          Agreed.

          Reply to this comment »
    • Alian says:
      May 18, 2011 at 20:01

      I’m pretty sure viera henry and berkamp. could make the averageness of marouane chamakh look good too. infact i bet those 3 players could make even ME look good, sadly those legends do not play for us anymore. so we have to be a bit more realistic, and accept that we need better strikers in the team

      manure: rooney – hernandez – berbatov

      chelski – Drogba – torres – anelka

      arsenal van persie.- chamakh -bendtner

      Manure and cheski are the teams we must not only catch up to but take over in order to win significant silverware. in my view the other two teams mentioned have 6 world class strikers between them (hernandez is questionable because it’s his first year but all the signs are there)
      we have one, in robin van persie. bendtener and chamakh are NOT world class my friend. its highly unlikly either of them ever will be. especially chamakh who is now 27. Chamakh is aresnal material if you never actually want to win anything. but if you do we need better strikers.

      Reply to this comment »
  • Jaysixx says:
    May 18, 2011 at 9:05

    C’mon gooners give this man a break, i know all yuh sore because we gettin 4th place.
    But Chamack did his part, the first half of the season he was our main striker, because of injury prone VanP. The guy did really well for his first season in the EPL.

    Plus who is there to deliver decent crosses for him. His strongest weapon is his head, but none of our wingers can deliver a good ball in the middle. So ask yourself whos fault is that!!!

    Reply to this comment »
  • imax says:
    May 18, 2011 at 10:13

    the problem with Chamakh is he doesnt know the Britons mentality, he just talking and talking without being careful of what he is talking about and what it means to Britons fans.

    Reply to this comment »
  • Fruss says:
    May 18, 2011 at 11:20

    Yu bafooon-no logic-all yu do is worry about the look of hair-yu are rubbish

    Reply to this comment »
  • Paul says:
    May 18, 2011 at 13:15

    What he means is that he has to learn the PL
    he came from a french league less physical less challenging
    you dont expect all players to do wonders when they come here
    he did well through his first half of the season got the goals we needed and contributed
    to some assists since VP came back he never got his time back and when he was on the field he has done his best he assisted VP against Stoke he should have had a goal against Aston Villa but the ref ruined it
    so next year is gonna be a fresh year with Chamakh doing well i see it

    Reply to this comment »
    • Uz says:
      May 18, 2011 at 14:35

      Let him learn how to confront defenders and not run from them.Let him learn how to shoot if he sees the chance.He is not paid to shy away from defenders

      Reply to this comment »
  • james says:
    May 18, 2011 at 15:57

    lets be fair, he got 11 goals in half a season, thats enough for me, next season he will score even more, i like this guy.

    Reply to this comment »
  • Alian says:
    May 18, 2011 at 19:48

    The debate over chamakh and a lot of fans wanting him to leave already does not suprise me in the least. I studied in france for two years and house shared with two Bordeaux fans. I remember sitting down with them to watch my first Bordeaux game and looking forward to seeing this player Marouane Chamakh they had raved about, By the way they spoke of him I expected to see the new Didier Drogba, boy oh boy was I disappointed. He ran around like a headless chicken chasing defenders and getting no where near them and playing short 5 foot passes all game. I gave him the benifit of the doubt though and thought maybe it was just an off game. After watching the next 5 or 6 games and seeing no vast improvement I began to wonder why he was a fan favourite there I discovered he joined them when he was a young lad and basically came up through the ranks they saw him as one of their own. Despite being clearly average a large part of the time and occasionally playing spurts of matches looking a bit above average he could not put a foot wrong in the eye of the Bordeaux fans. my point here is he was hugely over rated in france. I think many people mistake the reason why he was a fan favourite in france and lead many people over here in england to believe it was because he was a great player when it was infact more because he was a homegrown player. I never thought when all the rumours surfaced of Arsenal being interested in him that AW would actually sign him. Because to me after watching him play every week for two seaons it was clear he really wasn’t THAT good. I wonder if wengers signed him as a type of a financial investment more than anything else. “Sign him on free and keep the fans quiet because ive done some business this summer then sell him on in a season or two at a profit”

    Those of you expecting a lot more from him next year will be sorely disappointed. His shooting is absoluetly woeful it always was at Bordeuax. He doesn’t have much pace. I dont recall him actually beating a man on any occasion ive seen him play for either Bordeaux or aresnal (and believe me a lot of the defending in the french league would make blackpools defence look like world beaters) He wastes most of his energy running in circles chasing defenders as they pass the ball around him. energy he should probably conserve to get into the six yard box more often since thats the only distance from which he can actually score.

    Reply to this comment »
    • Uz says:
      May 18, 2011 at 20:56

      Great comment.Great!

      Reply to this comment »
    • Paul says:
      May 19, 2011 at 8:59

      I hear you alain, but I still think Chamakh gives us something we need, and I don’t think you portray his time at Bordeaux with completeness, he was their featured striker and they won the league and he scored vital goals for them, he’s got a shot – medium range very accurate but not the most powerful, but his new surroundings has awed him a bit, it’s not that simple a situation with him.

      I did not watch him live at Bordeaux but watched some games and he’s got qualities that are useful to us, and he isn’t injured most of the time. Having watched him carefully at Arsenal and how well he slotted in in the beginning of the year I say it’s best to hold onto him, his goal scoring ratio, while not amazing, is still by far better than most strikers in the premiere league and his attitude is excellent, he only ever spoke about playing for us even as other clubs jostled for his signature, he just needs a bit more aggression.

      Bendtner on the other hand, has been with us for seven years now, and yeah winger is not his ‘preferred’ position, but can you say he’s improved from seven years ago? If he has it’s the best kept secret in the prem. I believe Chamakh would have done a much better job on the wing.

      Reply to this comment »
  • Paul says:
    May 19, 2011 at 9:02

    I should also state that he’s too old to be considered purely an investment to be sold off, doesn’t really make sense to me.

    Reply to this comment »
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