In the 30 months that Carlos has been at Arsenal he has only managed to start 18 games, only 3 of those in the Premier League. Inf act Vela has never started 2 consecutive games for Arsenal regardless of the performance

 Inconsistent, Lack of End Product, Lightweight, No Desire, No Steel…….Wenger Get Rid!

These are some of the criticims that were thrown at Theo Walcott just as recently as last year. Theo started the season with a good goal against Blackburn got injured, came back and struggled for a good amount of time. His inconsistency at times was infuriating, capable of brilliance one moment and sunday league quality the next.

For every piece of magic, like the run against Liverpool or the brace against Birmingham there were a hundred aimless crosses, countless moments where Theo would lose control of the ball trying to dribble at the speed of light.
Us fans wanted to see consistency the quality that made Wenger shell out all those millions all those years ago.

Slowly but surely Theo has developed and is beginning to show consistency as we saw against Newcastle. Wenger stuck by Theo even when his performances left alot to be desired. The opportunities still kept coming even if they were not taken and the experience was gained even if it did not show immediately.

Hola Mr Chip & Pin……Senor. Fish & Chip

Carlos Vela has been out our lovely club for just about 2 and a half years in that time he has shown flashes of brilliance every now and again. The odd chip here, a fanstastic nutmeg there. Ask around the terraces and Im sure no Arsenal fan does not enjoy the site of Carlos teasing an onrushing keeper with his fish and chips to make it 4-0 to the Arsenal.

But is that all….

Carlos like Theo has struggled with consistency, we again have seen flashes but not often enough.

Inconsistent, Lack of End Product, Lightweight, No Desire, No Steel are are all criticisms that have been levelled at the mexican. Can he compete at this level, is he good enough for the Premier League or should he be shipped out to La Liga? It might “suit his style”.

Being lightweight does not mean that you can not challenge in this league, the lieks of Modric, Lennon, Arshavin and Walcott have all adapted and become accustomed to this league with time. It takes some getting used to but those with the quality wlll get used to it.

People question him because they have seen the things he can do and we have seen players like Fabregas. How many young players have developed at the rate that people like as Cesc, Messi and Ronaldo have without any dry patches or stale periods.

There are FEW and I mean FEW players that develop at the rate that those players develop at. They are World Class young players who perform on a weekly basis but how many more can you honestly name.

How many wingers score 40+ goals in a season aged 22, one of those goals in a CL final (C Ron), how about 47 goals all competitions last year for Barcelona aged 22?

And how can I forget our own European cup and World Cup winner, consistent world class performer, Captain aged 23.

Players just dont do this on a regular basis at that age, what was Drogba doing aged 21/22, how about Xavi, Iniesta, Torres?

Exactly.

Rarely will players show all their cards at such young ages and keep them on the table for the rest of their careers. While there are a few factors that I believe are hindering Carlos’ level of developement.

Consistency

Consistency is key to any player in terms of development. In the 30 months that Carlos has been at Arsenal he has only managed to start 18 games, only 3 of those in the Premier League. Inf act Vela has never started 2 consecutive games for Arsenal regardless of the performance. That is chicken feed to be quite honest, ask any footballer and they will tell you that the best way to develop and show consistency is play games regularly. Playing 20 minutes here and there will not go a long way into helping a player get over their issues with performing on a consistent basis and getting used to the hussle and bussle of Premier League defenders.

Wenger stuck with Theo through thick and thin and Theo was given regular opportunities even if he didnt take them and even when he performed poorly. We are now starting to see the rewards of this persistance.

Confidence

All young strikers thrive off confidence its what they need, its the basis of their game. Young players are not at the level yet where they can be having  a poor game but still be decisive. Arshavin has mastered this ability but he is a seasoned pro, he has seen alot and experienced alot. 45 Mintues of missed placed passes is completely forgotten if he is in front of goal with a good oopportunity.
This is not usually the case with youngsters and I am actually of the belief that Carlos is lacking in confidence. Chips aside Vela’s game has changed he doesnt take on defenders as often as he used to. In fact on many occassions you will see Vela pass up the chance to take on a defender even though he has the ability to and will instead opt to find a simple pass and move on.  Fear of making a mistake maybe?
I definitely believe this is hindering his game and like Theo when confident you will find a whole new player.

Time & Patience

Its all about time and patience with players like Vela. Rarely will you see players developing at the level of the likes of Fabregas, Ronaldo and Messi. They are anomalies and let that be set straight. How many players can you honestly name apart from those few who have achieved or are achieving what they have done.

42 goals all competitions (including the opener in a CL final), as a winger aged 22….
How about 47 goals all competitions (including the 2nd goal in a CL final) for Barcelona, aged 22…….
Ooo How about European and World Cup winner, Arsenal Captain, World class consistent perfromer aged 23………Exactly.

These you will not see in every team, you cannot and should not expect any player to develop at that rate or anything near it, where was Drogba, Torres, Xavi, Iniesta aged 21/22/23? They certainly werent winning World cups and scoring winning goals in Champions League finals. They were developing steadily like top class players normally do.

Of course we expect the best 24/7, we support the Arsenal but this rate of consistency and developement are basically one in a million and time and patience need to be given to the likes of Vela.
In time Vela will learn to shield the ball better. In time he will learn how to deal with brainless PL defenders who think physicallity is the only way. In time he will learn how to make the most of his abilities on a regular basis. All in time.

Like Theo I am confident that Carlos will show what he has in his locker. Not so long ago people were questioning whether Theo even understood the game of football, let alone perform well in it, I dont hear much from those people anymore.

Same way people will criticise Carlos but I hope and I sincerely do that like Theo before we will feel a sense of Déjà vu when Carlos flies past opposition defenders and lifts the ball over the keeper into the net for the 3rd week in succession.

Then I hope we have a feeling of Déjà Vela.