There is likely to be a lot riding on the shoulders of the Arsenal and Costa Rica forward Joel Campbell this week, as far as our hopes of staying in this season’s Champions League competition goes anyway. With no Alexis Sanchez and after Oxlade-Chamberlain’s very ring-rusty performance against Sunderland, Campbell is almost certain to start on Wednesday.
So I thought it would be a good idea to start our new weekly player review pieces with him and look at how Campbell is doing as he tries to fight his way to a regular place in the Arsenal first team. I must admit that I had just about given up on the 23-year old and thought it was just a matter of time before he moved on for good.
But fair play to Campbell because he has stuck at it and is now starting to find some good form. His goal yesterday was well taken and his run to get on to Ozil’s through ball was excellent but it was also typical of his play throughout the game. He showed some great footwork and his passing and link up play was surprisingly good.
His stats, on the Squawka.com website, for this season in the Premier League and Champions League are quite impressive too, with two goals from just three EPL starts and two games as a sub. His passing accuracy, chance creation, shooting and taking players on are all good enough to suggest he really is coming good.
Perhaps he just needed a run of games and some confidence and that first goal of the season against Swansea has clearly helped. He is not the finished article by any means though, and don’t forget that we really should have got a point at West Brom when the young striker spurned a glorious chance.
This week could be a key game for Campbell, and the whole team of course, as he returns to Olympiacos where he enjoyed his best loan spell and scored 11 goals that season, including a brilliant one against Man United in the Champions League.
But if he can play on Wednesday like he did against Sunderland and if he can get some consistency then I have a good feeling that Campbell can be a very handy squad member for years to come. What do you guys think of Campbell and his improvement?
Good player. Needs to make more use of his thunder left foot. He will score again in the CL game.
i sincerely hope Arsenal owns “Costa-rica” for the sake of this young man(campbell)!
He just needs time to adapt to Arsenal’s style of play, he didn’t get any game time for a full year and so many haters expect him to play like Walcott or Sanchez. He’s clearly talented and all he needs is to develop confidence and feel like he’s a part of the team, he’s already proven capable of using his vision on the wing and he’s a good dribbler that still needs to work on timing his runs.
In the past he was too impatient and wanted toget put straight into the first team. Hopefully now he knows he has to work hard in every chance he gets. I’m not sure if he will take well to being dropped again when Sanchez comes back.
@G-Rude
Him, Theo and Alexis up front would have Ozil droolin and opposition defenses goin nutz…
welbeck!
He is starting to click with the team.
He is getting there and improving with every game, hope he keeps on excelling!coyg!
Newcastle 2-0 liverpool wow! Shocker of the weekend results!
Campbell is like Coquelin.
They have only been used
because of the injury crisis.
To be fair Campbell was behind Walcott
Ox Ramsey Sanchez Wellbeck Rosicky + Adelaide.
Now Cambo is showing he can hold the line till
the injured come back. A valuable squad player
at the very least and maybe more.
Campbell is no different to any other player at Arsenal,
He will be applauded when he performs well and slatted when he doesn’t!
The young feller has definitely got the fire in his belly,
To succeed and fight for a place in the starting 11.
He loves Arsenal, the club is his dream and he has waited patiently for nearly 3-4 years to come to the club,
He chose to stay and fight, instead of being loaned out in the summer.
Campbell is more experienced than most give him credit for and once he adapts to the premier league, he will show his true worth. Don’t forget it’s taken Ozil nearly two years to adjust and he already was a World class player before he arrived.
Good luck to Campbell the 3rd
Sol… Kevin and now Joel ?
kudos to campbell……….he’s done well so far… He can only do better………back in the day , i recall him carrying olympiakos on his shoulder!
inconsistent EPl this year and if we do not ADD two bodies needed (DM and ST) then we will never win it…many names but mines are Shakhtar Donetsk forward Alex Teixeira ahead of Lacazette..this brazilian boy has speed and is like Douglas Costa from Bayerm..and Carvallo as DM..believe me this is what’s missing in this team for the last 6 years. If we spend 50 millions in January for those 2 then we do not need to spend much in summer when all those crippled come back into action maybe a decent CB for about 15-20 millions..but to win the EPL Mr wenger it is NOW or NEVER .. “ACT NOW” no more excuses
Really? I never knew it’s as simple as that.