Why Kieran Gibbs is a cause for concern
The only downside to an otherwise wonderful 4-0 Arsenal victory over Newcastle in Wednesday’s Carling Cup clash was that about 30 minutes into the game Arsenal fans had to watch their Left Back Kieran Gibbs hobble off the pitch sporting an injury. It’s been a tough year or so for the young Englishman. On the 24th November 2009, Gibbs broke a metatarsal in his right foot which saw him sidelined for the remainder of the season.
He featured frequently in pre-season this year, putting in a number of performances that led Wenger to announce that he expected Gibbs to make a number of starts over the course of the season. Whilst Clichy’s form withered and waned, Gibbs went from strength to strength and was slowly but surely becoming Wenger’s first choice Left Back.
Unfortunately, disaster struck Gibbs once more as he suffered a suspected break to a metatarsal in his left foot in extra time against Spurs in the Carling Cup. In a small change of fortune it was later discovered that no metatarsal was broken on this occasion and that Gibbs had only suffered severe bruising to his left foot. He made his return only a week later against FK Partisan.
All of which leads us to the ligament damage that Gibbs received against Newcastle. Thankfully the Arsenal website reports that the scan on Gibb’s foot was positive and that his “absence will be relatively short term”. In realistic terms I think we could see Gibbs back in 2-3 weeks time.
But Gibb’s case is a sad one. If not for injuries, it’s possible that he would right now be holding down the Left Back position at one of the biggest clubs in Europe. Thanks to his bad luck, each time he returns from injury he has to prove himself once more and stake another claim for the position.
The consistency of his injuries is a real worry. To develop as a young player you need as much game time as possible, yet in the last year or so, Gibbs has spent far more time on the treatment table than he has the football pitch. You only hope that he’s not another case like Robin van Persie, who has never really had an extended opportunity to show just how great a player he is thanks to a career blighted by injury.
Gibbs doesn’t come across as a frail or brittle player. Perhaps he’s just incredibly unlucky. As an important prospect for both Arsenal and England, there’ll be plenty of people out there hoping that his luck will change soon.
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the boy is young and having growing pains as all players have, remember Clichy had similar problems before he replaced A.Cole
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I don’t think its a cause for concern as much, the kid tackles like a kid, someone who’s yet to understand the limits of his body, goes into every challenge as though he’s invincible, and less about how to use his physique to his advantage. add to that, he clearly has alot more bulking up to do, something which usually happens around 23-24 years of age. Its to be expected in all honestly, Jack Wilshere has some of the same problems, flying into tackles instead of excercising other effective options. Its apart of beign a young player, and in future, he will find ways to protect his body more. Ashley cole had the very same problems when he started out as backup to Lee Dixon. His issues with injury aren’t yet a cause for concern in my opinion, and i also don’t think Gibbs would currently be ahead of Clichy for Arsenal or ahead of Cole for england. The kid is still learning his trade, as while his performances are admirable, they are still riddled with small errors. give him time to mature, and stop expecting too much too soon. so far, he’s still on track to be the future of Arsenal and England in his position. forcing it too soon can present more harm that good.
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the ligament damage is of his knee not foot. we all hope he recovers soon as he is a great talent no doubt.
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not about how he tackles…no player want to be injuries or want to warm the beanch..it’s about how he had been tackled by other side…
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I like this kid,i like the aggresive aproach to his play, he reminds me of a dog and ball, he wants it and dos’nt give up till he gets it, also a pleasure to watch him go forward, shows commitment and eagerness to get the ball in,lays it off and is allways ready to receive it back,lads got a great future,he’s getting bigger and sronger and wants that Number one spot.
Needs a good run without injury and he’ll be hounding Cashly and Clichy for years
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