Euro 2012 / Dave Farrar / 12 April 2012 /

Hatem Ben Arfa's solo effort against Bolton on Monday was a stark reminder of the talent the Newcastle player possesses. But his reputation as a moody maverick from his teenage years and lack of action for France so far means we may not see him at Euro 2012, says Dave Farrar.

It was pure Diego. Simple as that. Tim Ream played the part of Terry Fenwick, and the rest of that hapless Bolton backline trod water just as Peter Reid and Terry Butcher had done 26 years earlier. Watching Hatem Ben Arfa's wonder goal for Newcastle on Monday made you realise just what a special talent he is. Walking on water, never leaving footprints in the snow. Ben Arfa came back from a career-threatening injury in October, but it is in the second half of the Premier League season that he has found his form. He has been rewarded for his bravery and patience: Newcastle for taking a risk on a seemingly wasted talent. The question now is just how much impact Ben Arfa will be allowed to have on the summer's European Championship.

He has won eight caps for his country, and scored twice in the process. That seems an impossibly low total of caps when you consider the hope that was placed in him as a young player at Lyon. He and Karim Benzema were supposed to be the future, proof that the system was continuing to work, and it wasn't hard to imagine the two of them, plus Samir Nasri, giving France the flair in forward areas that they had enjoyed with Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet. And yet, while Ben Arfa has been reborn at club level, he hasn't played for his country since he scored in a friendly defeat against Norway back in 2010. Some of that absence can be explained away through his injury, but now it is down to faith: does Laurent Blanc believe that Ben Arfa can help win Euro 2012 for France?

Le Bleus are trading at [14.5] to win Euro 2012, and, once again, that is a matter of faith. If the right personnel are in place, with the right system, then France have an excellent young team and a pretty favourable draw. Doubts remain, though, over whether France's best players will actually be in the side come that opening game against England on the 11th June. France, incidentally, are [2.82] to win Group D, with England [2.74]. Given the personnel available, I find that extraordinary.

After their friendly performance against a hotly-fancied German team earlier this year, there's no question that France can win the European Championship. Blanc's team ripped Germany apart that night in Bremen, and while you could argue that the Germans were missing several key players, it should also be remembered that Karim Benzema was out for the French as was Loic Remy. Olivier Giroud's club form for Monpellier, and performance that night, means that he is certain to go to the Euros as the second striker behind Benzema, and with Samir Nasri, Franck Ribery, Remy, and Marvin Martin all looking like being on the plane, Blanc is going to have a difficult choice to make with regard to Ben Arfa.

I think that the way that French life works makes it hard for the national coach to pick a player who had previously been discarded. I worked in France for four years, and there's no question that a sense of having served time in a job is far more important than having the talent to do it.

I lost count of the number of times that I saw gifted and brilliant people lose out to those with experience, and I fear that it may happen with Ben Arfa. Blanc has already stated that the Germany friendly was the last chance for players to make an impact, and Ben Arfa was nowhere near that squad.

The coach will have to go back on what he has previously said and make a difficult decision: possibly leaving out Florent Malouda to incorporate Ben Arfa. I strongly believe that it's a call that SHOULD come down in favour of the Newcastle man, but I'm not sure that it WILL. Best to stick with the tried and tested, the man who has served his time. The only hope for Ben Arfa fans is that Blanc remembers Aime Jacquet's decision to pick Thierry Henry at the World Cup in 1998. It was something of a surprise at the time that Henry was included in the squad, and look where that decision led. If Blanc has a long memory, then Ben Arfa has a chance.

The other issue that will shroud the selection of Ben Arfa is his attitude. He has, by all accounts, been a good team man on Tyneside, but at Lyon he was all ambition and edge. A nasty piece of work as a teenager, and guilty of some appalling behaviour. At the time, his rift with Karim Benzema was perceived to be all about mutual loathing, but on reflection the truth would seem to be that Benzema was innocent, Ben Arfa a constantly goading presence. Ben Arfa has grown up, but it still takes another leap of faith to see Karim and Hatem leading France to glory.

France showed in Bremen what they are capable of, now all that they need is a coach who has the guts to make the big calls, and a nation to get over itself. Joachim Low seems certain to take a chance on Marco Reus, and England may well look to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Will we see Clamart's Maradona in the summer, or will he sit at home fuming, regretting, and wondering what might have been? The tournament would be all the poorer without him.

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