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Another match, another 90 minutes on the bench for Hatem Ben Arfa. 
After immediately endearing himself to the Newcastle faithful with a brilliant performance against Everton last October, the Frenchman has become more mythical creature than man at this point. Though Newcastle dominated the ball and threatened the goal for practically the entire first hour of today’s match at Swansea, their attacking approach had started to become a bit predictable.
But even in a game that seemed ideal for Ben Arfa’s influence, you’d probably have been more likely to see Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster strolling onto the pitch in a black and white shirt.
In truth, Ben Arfa’s omission from the Newcastle starting lineups is not much of a mystery. Alan Pardew clearly prefers having two strikers working together, and the partnership of Demba Ba and Leon Best has been a bright spot all season. The same goes for the center midfield pairing of Cheick Tiote and Yohan Cabaye, two excellent possession players who can take the ball off the opposition and start a quick counterattack with a well-chosen pass.
It’s been more frustrating for fans that Pardew’s refused to slot Ben Arfa in on the wing, especially in place of the equally frustrating Gabriel Obertan. It’s debatable how much defensive support Obertan (or his frequent replacement, the young Sammy Ameobi) actually offers, but that support is certainly something Pardew values in his wingers. He doesn’t trust Ben Arfa to show the same commitment to the defensive side of the ball, as indicated by his blunt comments in an October interview: “My view is that he can’t play out wide. He has not got the relish for it and his best football comes through the middle.”
So when evaluating Ben Arfa’s place in the team, there’s really only one conclusion to draw: his manager sees him as a classic, play-making number 10, while not using an approach and formation that suits such a player. And given the notoriously frugal Newcastle ownership, that quickly leads to a prediction--the talented 24-year-old will be on his way out of the club soon. Like many of the team’s stars, he was originally bought at a relative pittance, likely somewhere in the £5 million range. Because of his undeniable quality, it's easy to imagine a club offering Newcastle something like £8 million for Ben Arfa. It's even easier to imagine Mike Ashley signing off on such a deal if it were offered.
With the departure of Ba to the Africa Cup of Nations in late January, I’d expect Newcastle to hold onto Ben Arfa in the upcoming transfer window. Whether he starts during that stretch, or continues to watch from the bench as Leon Best partners Shola Ameobi up front, remains to be seen. Before today, I would have thought it crazy that he wouldn’t be given a temporary starting nod while Ba is away. Now, I’m not so sure. And I'd be quite surprised if he remains at St. James' Park next fall.
But even in a game that seemed ideal for Ben Arfa’s influence, you’d probably have been more likely to see Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster strolling onto the pitch in a black and white shirt.
In truth, Ben Arfa’s omission from the Newcastle starting lineups is not much of a mystery. Alan Pardew clearly prefers having two strikers working together, and the partnership of Demba Ba and Leon Best has been a bright spot all season. The same goes for the center midfield pairing of Cheick Tiote and Yohan Cabaye, two excellent possession players who can take the ball off the opposition and start a quick counterattack with a well-chosen pass.
It’s been more frustrating for fans that Pardew’s refused to slot Ben Arfa in on the wing, especially in place of the equally frustrating Gabriel Obertan. It’s debatable how much defensive support Obertan (or his frequent replacement, the young Sammy Ameobi) actually offers, but that support is certainly something Pardew values in his wingers. He doesn’t trust Ben Arfa to show the same commitment to the defensive side of the ball, as indicated by his blunt comments in an October interview: “My view is that he can’t play out wide. He has not got the relish for it and his best football comes through the middle.”
So when evaluating Ben Arfa’s place in the team, there’s really only one conclusion to draw: his manager sees him as a classic, play-making number 10, while not using an approach and formation that suits such a player. And given the notoriously frugal Newcastle ownership, that quickly leads to a prediction--the talented 24-year-old will be on his way out of the club soon. Like many of the team’s stars, he was originally bought at a relative pittance, likely somewhere in the £5 million range. Because of his undeniable quality, it's easy to imagine a club offering Newcastle something like £8 million for Ben Arfa. It's even easier to imagine Mike Ashley signing off on such a deal if it were offered.
With the departure of Ba to the Africa Cup of Nations in late January, I’d expect Newcastle to hold onto Ben Arfa in the upcoming transfer window. Whether he starts during that stretch, or continues to watch from the bench as Leon Best partners Shola Ameobi up front, remains to be seen. Before today, I would have thought it crazy that he wouldn’t be given a temporary starting nod while Ba is away. Now, I’m not so sure. And I'd be quite surprised if he remains at St. James' Park next fall.
It's up to him. He'll get another chance to prove himself - he just needs to take it. If he'd performed better against ManU and Chelsea he'd still be in the team with Best watching from the bench
Posted by: M | 12/18/2011 at 06:58 AM
undeniable quality? I'm still yet to decide on HBA. He's only played one good game for us vs everton. Time will tell.
Posted by: Deana | 12/18/2011 at 09:28 AM