Chamakh’s bad form continues with Morocco and he discusses his Arsenal future
The Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh has been suffering from a massive loss of form since the middle of last season, but it was being hoped that a sequence of starts for Morocco at the African Cup of Nations may galvanise him to recapture some of his undoubted ability.
But Morocco’s opening game ended in a 2-1 defeat to their North African rivals Tunisia, and Chamakh contributed very little to the game, so little in fact that he was taken off in the second half.
The under-fire Gunner was interviewed by a (cheeky) Kingsley Kobo from Goal.com after the game, and this is how it went:
Goal.com: Are you disappointed with Morocco’s 2-1 loss to Tunisia?
Chamakh: Yes and no. Yes, because we needed to win our first game to ease the path towards the rest of the completion, and no, because we tried our best but Tunisia were a better side.
Goal.com: Many pundits had tipped Morocco to carry the day; can we say they failed to live up to expectation?
Chamakh: I don’t think so. We tried our best. Tunisia were strong and competitive. They had a very good defense and goalkeeper and they did not let us develop play in the midfield. You know, a meeting between the two north African sides is always a cracker, and maybe we will learn from this once more.
Goal.com: Fans and some officials say you didn’t play well, that you were almost invisible throughout the game. What really happened?
Chamakh: To me, I played my game. I tried to contribute my quota of energy to push forth the team, but it didn’t work out. Losing a match doesn’t mean one did not perform well. So many things can be the cause.
Goal.com: But your side began playing better after you were substituted in the second half with El Arabi Youssef, which later brought the goal?
Chamakh: You think so?
Goal.com: That’s what we saw.
Chamakh: (Laughs) Well, it’s team work and everybody can contribute. I’m not indispensable.
After such a bad performance it is now likely that Chamakh will be left on the bench for the next game and may not get another chance to find his form before returning to Arsenal, and Goal went on to ask him about the performances of his Arsenal team-mates back in London.
Goal.com: Back to the Premier League. How do you judge Arsenal’s recent losses?
Chamakh: Naturally it’s painful because it’s my club, but there’s nothing I can do really.
Goal.com: Nothing you can do really because you are at the 2012 Afcon or because you no longer get enough playing time at the Emirates Stadium?
Chamakh: None of the above. Arsenal have good players to do the job in our absence, so being here makes no big difference, to me.
Goal.com: So, by the end of the tournament, will you get back to London and still be sitting on the bench, or will you seek to go to where you can be more useful?
Chamakh: (Laughs) I can’t answer that question.
Goal.com: Why?
Chamakh: For now you and I are in Gabon. Let’s finish the event here before talking about my future at Arsenal?
Goal.com: But your fans in Africa and beyond want to see you play as in the old good days in Bordeaux, and not warming the bench.
Chamakh: We have so many good players now and I think the coach is the best person to choose who comes in or not.
Goal.com: Do you personally feel you are not good enough, or others are better than you?
Chamakh: (Laughs again) It’s left for you to judge.
There seems to be little hope of Chamakh becoming his old self in the near future, and if he is left on the bench for the rest of the tournament his confidence could take another dive. I think it is time for Wenger to seriously look at bringing in a capable replacement in the summer, if not right now!
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We are getting what we paid for, which sadly speaking equals to zero.
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
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Unrelated to the article, but I really think the only way to lose our status as a selling club is to move on from the youth policy. Youngsters see this as a place to grow and move on to a bigger club. So let’s just buy experience that don’t think like that.
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when rvp leaves, wenger should buy podolski and guidetti from feyenoord (19 year old striker, 13 goals in 14 games). Sell chamakh and park
Opinions divided. What do you think?
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I genuinely believe chamakh will get back in form when we need him towards the end of the season if he gets more support from the fans. You need passion, hard work, skill, and good vibes to succeed so its up to provide the vibes to kick start chamakh back in form. Come on gunners!
Opinions divided. What do you think?
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*to us
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people need to understand the “transfer market”
is there for this types of situations
chamak done very very well when he come in at the club
won us alot of games
but like arshavin his lost his way and its to late for them to change and there to old for us to wait on them.
this is why there transfer market is open twice a year
players fall out of form top clubs replace them with players who are hungery and can make a diffrence.
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
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Sell him..!
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hopefully african cup of nations will help him inprove his form but i doubt it sell him in summer bring in podolski and martias Suarez both strikers who can play on wings and podolski can play cf to both better more versatile to.
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Scezney
Vertenghon Kochelny Vermalen Sagna
Song Gotze Willshire
Hazzard Van Persie Chamberlin
around 60 mill it is possible sell deadwood players plus summer transfer kitty and money left over from last summer dont see why not
plus buy podolski can play st lw and cf just what we need incase of injuries
this would put us back in tittle race
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
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So many players come to Arsenal with great propects but never make the cut.We could easily list ten players and more who simply should not be there, there seems to be a voodoo about the place. Let`s hope this doesn`t affect Wilshere and Ox-Chamberlain.
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well i think admin and the interviewer should add that Chamakh scored in the friendly match a week before AFCON started
what a disrespectful interviewer, disrespectful to Arsenal and Chamakh.
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
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Here is our version of “Wayne Bridge”.
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i agree with pp
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Going going GONE!! That’s all…..!! Another wasted cheap buy! Get the real stuff AW. Not cheap unknowns. We need stars.
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The problem with chamack is the manner in which he came into Arsenal.He came in as a free transfer.There is no this tension to justify every penny spent on him.
This is mostly the case with every players that came in as a free transfer.The worst is that he has developed this Am-not-that-good attitude.
Flamini is a perfect example.
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My advise to Chamak is to move back to ligue 1 in france. He is not eligible to play for our club anymore, he proved to be a bullet-less gun among our Arsenals. “Go back to where u come from, it may help your confidence nd u country”
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3 
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I watch some french football being french. Chamak is at his best when he has a creative attacking midfielder playing behind him. In france he had Yoann Gourcuff, and when he arrived at arsenal he had nasri. Nasri became shit and Chamak followed. Jack is the only player now in our team that can revive the Chamak we saw in the 1st half of his 1st season.
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But the difference between the two flops of Torres n Chamak is 50mill!!!!
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Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Out of tune?. Like or Dislike:
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I have to say that the journalist was harsh and insensitive zedane would ve done a head butting in the middle of that interview
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Often interview. I think we need to move Chamakh on, but to kick a man when he’s down is below the belt. He’s obviously out of form. What’s he going to say in an interview like that “I’m rubbish?”. That was an ambush, not a journalist looking for facts. No respect whatsoever for the interviewer. Bad form really.
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
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Fact is that Chamack though decent in france was never good enough for any serious top team in the prem where the tempo and physicality of the game is more intense.
People talk about his initial good start at Arsenal but look at the teams he was scoring against, mid to low end relegation fodder.
You don’t always have to score to have a good game but when was the last time Chamcrap gave an opposing defenve a torrid time with presence pace or movement?
Not being negative but his stats say it all. We’ve been wengered.
* ‘wengered’ – the act of looking for a bargain but coming unstuck when said bargain turns out to be a bad purchase, despite claims that the product is being misused. Leaving the owner unable to sell on at a decent price.
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all very well saying sell all the under-performing – overpaid – long term out of form – surplus to requirements – constantly injured so called stars…..
january window…no queues round the block to pick up a ‘bargain Squillacci’ or a ‘one time special offer Almunia’
they are all happy to just collect their 40 – 50 – 60k a week and give an inward smile….or if its Arshavin a broad full fledged grin – as he sends yet another one over the bar
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God what have we done to deserve this?u promised not to denounce your people please come to our rescue and save our dear arsenalfc.
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Although chamake isn’t performing, this article does nothing but disrespect him. Well done, you’ve just knocked him down more!
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At some point last Summer, Hazard was only 15m, Gotze 25m and Juan Mata 18m. Wenger’s indecisiveness made us lose the opportunities. Right now Kalou 3m, Esteban Granero 8m, Cahill (recently) 7m, Juan Manuel Vergas 10m, Farfan – a trade off against Arshavin. We certinly will lose out on all these options. He perhsps think that any team buying an underperforming player is maliciously scheming on how to maximise the abilities that he could not use. To this extent, he has also started scheming on underperforming players from competitors.
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That was though…
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sell’im!
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A player that can’t actually play with his feet. Wengers genius in the transfer market continues……………..
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He is good in the air and we are not an in the air team. Wenger wanted to add this dimension to the team but didn’t want to change the formation or playing style. A little unfair on Chamy. Same with Bendtner except he is an ungrateful twat and Chamy has only ever had good things to say about our club despite his decline.
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Chamack Doesn’t Have chance with Arsenal and when he played with Morocco he didn’t nothing and all of that is cause of wenger , chamack forgot how play football cuz he doesnt play with arsenal
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