Tag Archives: Carl Jenkinson

The demise of Carl Jenkinson

I am beginning to write this blog at half time. Arsenal are 2-0 and heading out of the League Cup. It has not been a pretty game to watch, and Arsenal have still not yet had a shot on target.

It is the performance of one player in particular that has been most worrying. That of Carl Jenkinson.

Jenkinson has been living the dream. A proper Arsenal fan from a proper Arsenal family signing for Arsenal and playing. He is doing it for every single one of us in the stands.

His career at Arsenal since joining the club in 2011 has had its ups and downs. And you just feel this down he will never recover from. We might have just seen him play his last game for Arsenal.

Signed in 2011 from Charlton having played just a handful of games for the side from Woolwich, he went from loan spells at Welling and Eastleigh to Champions League football.

19 at the time, he was a physical spicmen who needed to be moulded. At times he looked a deer in the headlights. He seemed to take one step forward, one step back.

Early indications were that he was unlikely going to be good enough to ever play week in week out for Arsenal, but he had enough ability to be part of the squad, a second choice right back, for his entire career, if he decided to go that way.

Sacrifice a top flight career to sit on the bench, but on the bench of the club he loves. Man U built success on having the likes of Wes Brown, John O’Shea and Nicky Butt. Jenkinson was in their category.

In 2012 he made his England debut. A year later scoring his first, and only goal, for Arsenal, celebrating it like a made man, like any fan would.

In 2014/15, with the big money signing of Calum Chambers, Jenkinson was loaned out to West Ham. He was fantastic. And reports of were that Arsenal rejected a £10m bid from the Hammers.

Last season he was once more on loan at West Ham, where he suffered knee injury in January that saw him ruled out for pretty much the year. He returned to Arsenal to complete his rehab.

In October, I was in Madrid on a stag do. A few of the lads there were West Ham season ticket holders. They laid it on a plate for me.

According to them, Jenkinson was awesome in his 1st season on loan, awful during his second season. To a point that when he got injured, they were not too worried. Even a little happy. He had become a bit of a liability.

They said he would never be good enough for Arsenal.

I, like many, kept the faith. He was after all an Arsenal fan. He deserved a chance. A second chance. A third chance. He might never be good enough as a long term option at right back, but he would be good back up for Hector Bellerin.

Jenkinson got himself fit. Got himself in a position to play. And he has been given the chance. A mixture of playing League Cup games and then Hector Bellerin getting injured. And he has been awful.

It is still 2-0. This will be posted in the morning. no matter the result. And it saddens me to say, Carl Jenkinson, your time is up.

Keenos
Follow @KeenosAFC

Who could replace Hector Bellerin at Arsenal?

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The leaves have started to begin to drop, the cold winds come from the east, the rain and hail from the sky, the clocks have gone backwards and the nights have drawn in. The John Lewis advert has had its first showing, Santa Clause has endorsed Coca-cola, the burning smell of fireworks night has worn off, and the Halloween sweets have been eaten. As minds turn to Christmas, it can mean only one thing. Arsenal are in the usual November injury crisis.

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Of those injured, we have the long termers in Per Mertesacker and Danny Welbeck. We will not see them again this year. The Big German might never play in an Arsenal shirt again. Lukas Perez and Chuba Akpom were only bit-part players, so their injuries will not be massively missed, and Santi Cazorla is set to return soon – probably the PSG Champions League game.

It is this weeks two injuries that are most concerning.

Alexis Sanchez has been killed by Chile, and Hector Bellerin massacred by Spain taking the Arsenal November injury list up to 7. Of the two, early indications show that Bellerin could be out for the longest, reports of at least 4 weeks will soon turn into a 2017 return.

So what options does Arsenal have in replacing the best right back in world football?

Carl Jenkinson

Since returning from his own 8 month lay off having suffered a knee injury whilst on loan at West Ham, Jenkinson has played 180 minutes of football for Arsenal. 90 minutes in both the League Cup against Reading & Ludogorets in the Champions League. They were not exceptional performances.

What Jenkinson showed whilst on loan at West Ham is he is a competent mid-table Premier League full back. Not a world beater, but at the same time not awful. He would do a job for Arsenal at right back against 60% of Premier League sides.

Over the years, Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United were successful due to having the likes of Wes Brown, Nicky Butt and John O’Shea to call upon. None were world class players, but they were all decent Premier League players, able to perform when called upon. They gave United a bit of strength in depth, and they all loved the club.

Jenkinson falls into this category. He might not be good enough week in week out for the next 5 years to be Arsenal’s 1^st choice right back, but he is certainly good enough to be our 2^nd choice over that period.

What I find interesting with his situation is the boo boys who moan Arsene Wenger does not give English players enough of a chance, will today be moaning about Bellerin’s injury, and that we should not have to be relying on Carl Jenkinson.

With no game for Arsenal for 10 days, it will give Wenger and the fitness team time to get Jenkinson up to speed so he is ready for Manchester United.

Mathieu Debuchy

The alternative to Carl Jenkinson will be experienced French international Mathieu Debuchy.

He signed 2 years ago as Bacary Sagna’s replacement and, having replaced the ex-Arsenal player in the French national team, looked a good player. He then got hit by a terrible run of luck, and the break through of Hector Bellerin, which saw him marginalised at the club to the point where is was only injury that stopped him leaving this summer.

Fitness will be a worry for Debuchy. He has not played this season, appeared just 9 times for Bordeaux last season, and has appeared a total of 31 times in the last 2 and a bit seasons.

Now 31, how sharp will he be having missed so much 1^st team football? Will he be able to come back and put in the solid performances he did for Newcastle in 2013? And more importantly, how is his attitude towards playing for Arsenal having spent a good part of the year trying to engineer a move away from the club?

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He was included in the Arsenal 1^st team squad photo, so he has certainly not been put down yet, but it would be a big risk to play a player who has been so unhappy, so injured, in recent years.

Shkodran Mustafi

One of our stand out players this has been German international Shkodran Mustafi. The partnership alongside Laurent Koscielny is a key reason we are in the title race. Not only has Mustafi showed strength in defence, but he has also proved to be an asset bringing the ball out of defence.

Numerous times this season, when chasing the game, he has acted as an auxiliary right back, driving into the space left by Hector Bellerin allowing the Spaniard to push further up the pitch. With John Stones going for nearly £50m as a ball playing centre back, Mustafi looks like a steal.

When we signed him, there were reports that he could play right back, and had done so for Germany in their successful 2014 World Cup campaign. The truth is a little different.

He did play 3 times at right back for Germany in the 2014 World Cup. All from the bench, playing a grand total of 132 minutes.

Throughout his career, he has barely played at right back at all. Just 18 times in fact. And not since 2012/13 for Sampdoria has he done it on an even semi-regular basis.

Moving Mustafi out wide, to be replaced with either Rob Holding or Gabriel in the middle would be a big risk. It would basically be weakening two areas of the park. It would be a big risk.

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Another option for Arsenal could be to play Rob Holding at right back, and then Mustafi in the middle, but this would not be as strong as Jenkinson.

In my opinion, the best option will be Jenkinson right back, and leave the rest of the defence the same.

That way, you have a natural right back playing at right back, and inside him you have a strong centre back who is capable of pushing a bit further out to the right to protect his less experienced (but older) full back.

It would also not surprise me if, whilst Bellerin is out, we see Aaron Ramsey play on the right wing, just to give us a bit of extra defensive strength.

This could be Carl Jenkinson’s chance to shine.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Keenos
Follow @KeenosAFC

Arsenal to sell English gems

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19^th December 2012. With not much to cheers about in recent years, Arsenal announced, to great fanfair, that “Five young internationals sign new contracts”.

Kieran Gibbs (then 23), Carl Jenkinson (20), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (19), Aaron Ramsey (21) and Jack Wilshere (20). The future of Arsenal. A bunch of young British lads. At least if we did not have trophies to cheer about, we knew we had home grown lads on the field, progressing, knowing what it means to play for The Arsenal.

At the time, Arsene Wenger said “I’m a strong believer in stability and I believe when you have a core of British players, it’s always easier to keep them together and that’s what we’ll try to achieve going forward.”

Fast forward 6 months to the unveiling of the final Nike shirt.

Nike knew how to market a product, and they decided that they would use the British core to promote their final shirt.

To the 5 players who had announced a new contract, Theo Walcott was added in making it a magnificent 6.

A British core. Something that had been levelled at Arsenal for so long. Not enough English players. Well the future of Arsenal was bright. And the future of England seemed in Arsenal hands.

We are now in 2016. Over 3 years on from the announcement of the new contracts. In that time, Arsenal have won 2 FA Cups and got the trophy drought monkey off the back. Things are a bit brighter at the club, even if this years bottling of the title race has put a bit of a downer on the last 24 months. Arsenal are back on the up.

But then you look at the line ups of our last two games. A 2-0 away victory at Everton, a 4-0 home win against Watford. Two excellent performances. And yet just one Englishman started. Danny Welbeck. Who in 2012 was at Manchester United.

What has happened to Arsenal’s British core? And are we now in a situation where the 6 players at the 2013/14 shirt unveiling could all be sold and improved on?

Jack Wilshere – In 2012, Wenger clearly had Wilshere pegged as the next Arsenal captain. “Jack is certainly the best known, the leader of this group.” Just 20 years old, He was an extreme talent, showing his potential in 2011 with a world class performance against Barcelona, Xavi and Iniesta.

In 2012, there were already warning signs about his future. He had missed the entirety of the previous season injured. And had already been involved in numerous off the field incidents. Arrested in 2010 after a fracas outside a bar. Given a police warning in 2011 for spitting on a taxi driver.

Roll on 3 years and history is repeating himself. He has once more missed an entire season injured. And news yesterday breaks of him again being involved in a night club brawl were police had to intervene.

Clearly a good player, but he is now 24.

I am not massively concerned about his off the field antics. He should be making headlines for his on the pitch performances, but we have had worse at the club. I am concerned about his injury record.

It was at 24 we gave Abou Diaby a new 5 year deal. He had played 76 games in his previous two years. It is a contract offer which 3 years down the line caused a lot of fans to attack Wenger. In the last 5 years, Wilshere has played just 91 games.

Do we continue giving him a chance, or do we learn from the mistakes we made with Diaby and cut our losses?

Verdict: Sell

Aaron Ramsey – Ramsey is certainly the ying to Wilshere’s yang. 3 years ago it looked so bright for the pair. They could become our Scholes and Keane. The new Vieira and Petit.

Wilshere had the silkiness, Ramsey the engine. Wilshere the nastiness. Ramsey the calmness. They would have complimented each other brilliantly.

In 2013, it seemed like Ramsey had finally arrived. After recovering from that leg breaking assault by Ryan Shawcross, he was our player of the season in 2013/14, cumulating in scoring the winning goal in the FA Cup Final. Since then, he has digressed.

He stopped playing his simple game that saw him become so successful in 2013/14, returning to back heels and Hollywood passes.

Over the last 2 seasons, he has had many minor injuries, resulting in him struggling to put a run of games together.

He has gone backwards in the last 2 years. But is still an important player. Into next season, he needs someone to get hold of him and say these 3 words. Keep it simple.

Verdict: Keep

Theo Walcott – In 2013 when that shirt was unveiled. Walcott was the father figure of the group. Despite only being 24 himself, he had already played nearly 200 Premier League games.

The year leading up to the shirt unveiling, he was exceptional. Scoring 21 goals in 43 games, adding many assists as well. He had finally arrived as a player.

Then the injuries returned. And now, 3 years later, he is a shadow of his former self. He looks scarred. He hides. He does not want the ball.

His time is up.

Verdict: Sell

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – The most overly hyped up player of the magnificent 6. People used to say Walcott did not have a footballing brain. Oxlade-Chamberlain is no better.

Another who’s recent years have been hampered by niggling injuries (seeing a theme here!). He is a player who has never impressed me. Plenty of talent, but no end product. That might be good enough for someone like Crystal Palace. But not Arsenal.

Cash in before the rest of the Premier League realise he is a myth.

Verdict: Sell

Kieran Gibbs – Another who just has not pushed on over the years. I remember him playing for England under 21s many a moon ago and he looked a class above. The issue with him is he was always older than we thought. When he was put forward alongside the others as the future in 2012, he was already 23. People were going on about his potential, but he should have already been established.

At the time of signing that contract, he had played barely 50 Premier League games. OK for a 19 year old. Not OK for a 23 year old.

At the start of next season, he will be 27. He has not yet made 100 Premier League starts.

His career is disappearing before it has even gotten going.

No longer can he be considered as the future long term solution at left back. The heir to Ashley Cole’s throne. Nacho Monreal is comfortably ahead of him. And there is a point when we will have to start thinking about giving a younger option a chance.

For now, Gibbs is worth keeping as back up to Monreal. But as soon as the next youngster shows any promise, it is time to move him on.

Verdict: Keep

Carl Jenkinson – The least known of the 6. At the time, you felt he was just an add on. A spare part. Like the bloke in the boyband who is always at the end but never has a solo.

And with the rise of Hector Bellerin this has been the case.

Jenkinson however was never bought to be an Arsenal regular. He was always destined to be a squad player. And with Debuchy likely to leave at the end of the season, Jenkinson will be 2^nd choice behind Bellerin.

Worth keeping around as he is a Premier League standard player. Would surely rather be sitting on the bench of Arsenal, the club he loves, then playing week in week out for someone like West Ham or Crystal Palace.

He could become a Wes Brown type player at Arsenal.

Verdict: Keep

3 years ago Arsenal were the future of England. Now it is natural to glance at Spurs with a hint of jealousy. Harry Kane, Eric Dier, Dele Alli, all performing for their country. It is time now for Arsenal to be ruthless. If the British core are not good enough, not reliable enough, cut them loose and replace them with the quality that is needed to win the league.

Keenos
Follow @KeenosAFC