Arsenal: Chuba Akpom Frustrated With Minutes Situation
Arsenal put together a comprehensive win against Nottingham Forest and Chuba Akpom as on full display. But is the lad frustrated at his lack of minutes?
The hodge-podge of players that Arsene Wenger sent out in Arsenal‘s starting XI had many asking questions. Would the experience of Granit Xhaka, Mohamed Elneny and even Lucas Perez mesh well with the youthful exuberance of Emi Martinez, Jeff Reine-Adelaide and Chuba Akpom?
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The answer was a resounding ‘yes’. It was seamless, you could say. This team looked complete, composed and incredibly comfortable playing together.
While we were right to expect (and receive) quality performances from the likes of Xhaka, Elneny, Lucas and even Gabriel and Gibbs, what we were mostly here to see was how the youngsters acclimated to the fray.
Chuba Akpom, who did not go out on loan this year (more on that later) is suddenly buried on the totem pole of strikers and was forced to play out wide. Although he did interchange with Lucas fairly frequently.
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Despite not scoring, Akpom put up a strong display, showcasing his unselfishness, his team work and his striking ability. It took several good saves to deny him a goal and it was clear that there is still reason to be excited for this young man.
However, after the game, Akpom was more than clear that his situation is a bit frustrating. Although he didn’t say it outright, you can see it in his comments. The lad wants minutes.
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“I think right now I’d play anywhere, I’d play in goal just to get minutes, just to be involved in the team,” he said, via the official website.
Perhaps ‘frustration’ isn’t the best word, but you can tell that there is a bit of tension there that he is having to struggle so hard to get minutes. And now he can’t even get them at his preferred position.
To a certain extent, he has a right to be frustrated. He chose a loan last year when Wenger advised him not to. It was a year that would have seen much brighter prospects than this year, as last year he would have only had Giroud and Walcott to compete with.
This year, he is competing with Alexis and Lucas, as well as Giroud when he returns. It’s not the best situation.
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Yet, with a team like Arsenal, in order to get the best out of everyone, you can’t just hand out favors. If Akpom truly latches onto his talent and proves it, there will always be room for him.