Arsenal: The curious case of Gervinho

Gervinho. Currently an in form player, who once received stick for not finishing easy chances, is now living up to the expectations of Gunners. In the last game against WBA, Gervinho got the assist to the thumping header scored by Tomas Rosicky, which opened the account for Arsenal. Some will say that the shot was going wide or it was not meant to be a pass for Rosicky, but it was important for Gervinho to get that assist to boost his confidence.

At the start of season 2012/13, he had a decent run of form; scoring 5 goals by the first week of October in all competitions. But after that, the spiral of negativity began. He was stretchered off during the 1-0 win over QPR at the end of October, Wenger losing him for more than a month. Gervinho returned to regular training by 2^nd week of November, like a shadow of player he was when he started the season.

Not finishing the easy opportunities, losing possession in crucial moments, dribbling without end product were the shortcomings of Gervinho’s play, which got him stick from his own supporters. It was suicidal not to support a player who only performs & gives his best when confident. In December, in a match against Bradford, he missed an open goal opportunity, only angering Arsenal fans hurling abuse towards him.

In January, he flew to African Cup of Nations, stating he will come back stronger. And he did have an amazing tournament! First, he scored in a friendly against Egypt, while getting a goal against Togo & Tunisia in the following matches. What his fellow countrymen had seen over the tournament were the best versions of Gervinho: mocking defenders, a man thinking one, two or three moves ahead.

He returned to Arsenal after Ivory Coast was eliminated from the African Cup of Nations. He was a different Gervinho, full of confidence, trying to prove his worth to the Arsenal fans. He was trying too hard but luck was not with him. He missed another sitter against Blackburn Rovers. Nothing was working for him, but Wenger kept faith in him. In Munich, when Wenger brought on Gervinho for Walcott, Gervinho instantly showed glimpses of a confident player. Since then, he never looked back. In the next game against Swansea, he came on for Oxlade-Chamberlain, creating chances for others; he did score with a cool finish. In the next home game against Reading, he scored a simple tap-in from Cazorla’s shot, which, if not confident, he would have definitely missed. He also had 2 assists that day, getting a standing ovation when substituted for Oxlade-Chamberlain. In the absence of Theo Walcott, Gervinho was played ahead of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and he proved his worth in the crucial game at the Hawthorns where he kept his composure & provided important assists for Tomas Rosicky.

In a recent interview, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said, “Gervinho finishes much better than when he arrived & he will get better and better. But his finishing is linked with his psychology.” If confident, Gervinho can take on defenders, dribble past them & score. Gervinho is not a clinical finisher of the ball but he is the dribbler who likes to dribble past 2 or 3 defenders and create opportunities for his team-mates.

Without Theo Walcott, this could be the chance that Gervinho craved for to dust off his critics. If Gervinho continues to play like this, Walcott will find it hard to come back straight into the playing XI. Gervinho started just 11 games this season, and made 5 substitute appearances in the Premier League. His encouraging run of form will only get him rewards. After all, one thing is for sure. Gervinho is not useless, he’s just used less.