Les Ferdinand: Arshavin looks quality but Eduardo is Arsenal's key man

Premier League / Les Ferdinand / 17 March 2009 / Leave a Comment

Betting.betfair.com's new recruit Les Ferdinand talks us through the merits of Arsenal's six strikers and tells us why it is Eduardo who holds the key to a Top 4 Premier League finish and potential Champions League success.

There were a few raised eyebrows when Arsenal went out and bought another forward in Andrei Arshavin during the January transfer window when many thought what they really needed was a centre-back or a holding midfielder. But Arsene Wenger knew what he was doing. It was anyone's guess as to whether Eduardo would return the same player he was before that horrific injury, Bendtner was going through an indifferent run of form and Van Persie has a history of being injury-prone. So he needed to make sure he had sufficient cover up front.

And from what I've seen of the little Russian, he looks a superb signing. It's easy to get carried away about a player you see having two or three cracking games at a European Championship or World Cup but performing week in week out in a division like the Premier League is a different story. When he arrived at The Emirates he obviously wasn't completely match-fit as the Russian season hadn't started yet so the manager did the "Wenger thing" and eased him into the side gradually, as he does so well with youngsters. He'd already put in a couple of impressive performances before this weekend but on Saturday either Blackburn were exceptionally poor, or Arshavin was just on fire! When you work the channels like he did, it's very hard for defenders to pick you up and that's what he did all game, creating chances for the likes of Bendtner and Eboue and scoring a super goal of his own.

The issue Wenger now has to deal with is who to play when all of his five senior strikers are fit. Adebayor is your typical old school target man and the one who's best at leading the line. He brings others into play and is by far the strongest of the lot. The problem he has is that he never really recovered from the transfer speculation linking him to the likes of Milan, which he never went out of his way to deny, and I think the Arsenal faithful never really forgave him. Van Persie is an exceptional talent and has one of the best left foots in the league, but he's never gone through a whole season without missing matches through injury.

Eduardo is the predator amongst those and in my opinion, the pick of the lot. An out-and-out goalscorer who seems to just sense where the ball is going to be. He's the sort of player you'd put your last tenner on if it came to backing a player to score from a good chance. There was always the possibility that he'd never fully recover from his broken leg but he's looking good already and will only get fitter. Finally, there's Bendtner who has the size and stature to be a real handful but the truth is he just doesn't score enough goals. Fairplay to him for getting into the positions he does and sniffing the opportunities out in the first place but his goals-to-chances ratio just isn't good enough for this level, unfortunately. He's young and I'm confident he'll become a good player but that may well end up being at somewhere other than at the Emirates.

Then of course there's Carlos Vela who looks an exceptional talent but he's still very young and I can't see him featuring too much this season other than in the odd cameo appearance as a late sub.

If I had to pick two to start from those six, whether it was for a Premier League or Champions League tie, it would be Eduardo plus another every time. That's how highly I rate the little fella. Like I said, Adebayor is a handy player to play alongside because he's so strong and can take the pressure of the physical side of the game off his strike partner, but on the other hand Van Persie creates more chances for you. Arshavin is cup-tied for the Champions League, having already played for Zenit so it may be a case of him playing all the Premier League matches and the others rotating in the Champions League depending on who they're up against.

I see Arsenal are now just [1.4] for a Top 4 finish on Betfair with Everton [10.5] and Villa [3.5]. I've praised Arsenal' s strikers and I don't think that's where the problem lies. Players in other positions haven't quite performed as Wenger would have hoped for so far this season and Arsenal have the toughest run-in of these three teams, including trips to Anfield and Old Trafford, and playing hosts to a revitalised Chelsea. I'm not sure which of Everton or Villa I fancy to finish above them so my suggestion would be to lay the Gunners and have both of them on your side.

In the Champions League "Best of British" market Arsenal are the [5.6] outsiders to go furthest of the English teams and I can't say I'm surprised - yes they can be brilliant on their day but can they also be poor, whereas the other three have shown to be a lot more consistent, and I don't just mean this year. Of the prices on offer, I wouldn't put anyone off backing Liverpool at [4.5] in that market after their last two performances. We all know what they're capable of when Gerrard and Torres are both fit. But I think the best bet of the lot is to back an all-English final at [2.6]. I know Barcelona look like they can do no wrong right now but any one of those English teams can knock them out over two legs on their day.