If Arsenal had a most-improved player of the season award there’s no doubt Joel Campbell would make the shortlist.
The Costa Rican’s rise to first team prominence may not match the surpriseyness* of the Coq’s 2015 resurrection nor Hector’s out of the blue ascent from the youth team, however, it’s been eye-catching all the same.
After his latest energetic showing against Manchester City the winger spoke positively about Arsenal’s tactical intelligence and the club’s chances of winning a first championship in 11 years.
“There are games that you have to be intelligent,” he told Arsenal.com. “We know the capacity of Manchester City. We could not give them space. We try to close gaps and to counter-attack with our forwards.
“City are a great opponent but we know that in this league you can lose at any stadium. It’s a very competitive league. We did a great job to win against a great opponent.”
He continued: “It was a great game, we got a good result and now we have to look forward, there is still a lot of work to do. This is a big step. We are in the fight for the Premier League title.
“We hope to continue this winning streak. We are closer to the leaders, who are currently Leicester, and we must respect them. They are a great team who have proved a lot this season. We go step-by-step.
“The Christmas period is going to be very competitive. There are four games in 10 days and after winning the first we hope to do the same in the coming three.”
We here at Arseblog News aren’t the only ones to whom Joel has recently been force feeding slabs of humble pie.
As things stand the winger’s energy and defensive discipline is keeping Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain out of the team (who’d have predicted that?) and there’s a chance – should the Gunners maintain their decent momentum – that he could emulate Gooner namesakes Kevin and Sol in grabbing himself a title medal.
__
* It’s definitely a word.
As long as he doesn’t emulate Sol in joining the Tory party, I’m all for it.
That picture. Is he crying?
He’s not crying. He’s sweating buckets of blood for his team. Another mad dash back on defense will try it off.
So happy he’s proving so many of us wrong…!
And so many of us right, called it!
Like blogs, I confess i am one of those that is happily eating the humble pie….well done Joel!
I’m also on the humble pie list. “Ever so ‘umble, Mr Campbell.”
Is it just me or has anyone else actually rated this guy before his rise this season? I’m not sure what you guys are on about but that goal he scored against United while on loan at Olympiakos is absolutely superb. He turned Rio Ferdinand of all defenders. I always thought he had something since then.
I think a lot of people rated him after his Olympiakos season and the World Cup, but then deemed him too lightweight after he showed almost nothing last year, neither in his few appearances for us nor while out on loan.
My surpriseyness is huge.
The most Englishly(?) named Costa Rican on the planet. Dick Law knows!
I believe that there are plenty of Costa Ricans with English names…a legacy of their history.
I don’t really pay attention to or mind trolls, but just to clarify in case you didn’t maybe spot my whole post from way up there on your moral high ground, I didn’t say he was the only Costa Rican sporting a English name.
I thought Campbell was a sottish name…..
Scottish even….
Etymologically Gaelic even…
A little Surpriseyness embiggens even the smallest man.
even Arshavin?
Of course. Arshavin is a perfectly cromulent individual.
Surpriseyness is not a real word
And goonerify is a word
A name like goonerify and you don’t even speak Sottish, the fair and slur-ry tongue of the sot? I am completely shockereyed!!
Most improved? He needed a consistent run of games to prove himself and he has done it. The potential was there all along, we just didn’t see it because he wasn’t playing.
I suspect that Arsene – now that he’s seen some of what Campbell can do when given a proper run in the team, and the opportunity to get on the same wavelengths as the first team players – has been pleasantly surprised at just how much of a gem he has got on his hands.
Well said Sam, well said.
How many of the vackup players we’ve had and didn’t rate only needed a run in the team to start doing what Wenger knew they could do? The trouble is, every game is a cup final when you’re serious about winning the league, you can’t ease off in any game, and playing a guy who won’t really show what he cam do until he’s played 3 or 4 games means we would be weaker than we might like for 3 or 4 games… so unless injury forces a change, some of the poor buggers never get more than the occasional… Read more »
How did we not realise this before?
It’s so obvious…
A title winning side, has to have a dude called Campbel…
Surpriseyness or surpriseiness?
Surprisiness I think you’ll find is the traditional English spelling.
“And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said with greatest surprisiness, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.”
Exodus 3:2-3 KJV
That settles that question then
Calamine lotion is good for burning bush. Very soothing, I’m told.
He’s doing well and the way he busts his butt to get back and help defend is very impressive. Pleased for him (and the team).
I’ll add this, though, and thumbs-down be damned! Joel, we don’t want THAT kind of diving at Arsenal, you’re better than that, AFC is better than that. Thank you.
When did he dive? If you are talking the Kolarov incident, which is the only one that sprung to mind yesterday, The first hit by kolarov is mild he continues on, but the forearm comes back again in his face and you can actually see his face smush in slow motion. He got hit, he got hurt, he got up. Can’t really ask for much more.
What’s his butt?
Campbell is known to embellish a bit when tackled here in the CONCACAF region. Sometimes though we need that set piece advantage, we need that bit of dirty costa-esque evilness on the pitch as long as he doesn’t get caught.
I don’t agree. If you accept the premise that cheating is a necessary tactic then nothing Costa did, or Suarez even, can be viewed as unacceptable. Then you may as well start filling suitcases with money, and filling players with steroids, because it’s not sport any more.
What dive? When? Were you watching la liga? Chelsea?
Not too bad all things considered. 15 people who know how to watch and critique a game of football and 16 fraggles peeping out from under their rocks! :p
Seriously, though, if ya don’t think Campbell dived Busquets-style then it ain’t my job to convince you. I guarantee you someone will have a word with him though. It’s not the Arsenal way, thank fook.
You give too much credence to the crap commentators who said he was diving and “we don’t want that”. As others have said, he was given a good smack by Kolarov (who hasn’t been?) and went down, I suspect as much in surprise as in pain. Then got up and got on with it.
The same commentators correctly called the dives by City players, to be fair. Even Yaya Toure (who’s normally given too much respect by commentators) threw himself to the ground without any contact at all.
It’s got to be a good omen having a Campbell in the side. Good to see him carrying on the tradition of also being pretty good which many of us, including me, were skeptical about.
Love our current crop of south american players. Campbell’s work rate and hunger is brilliant. Its not so much a dig at ox as it is heaping praise on Campbell but I think that’s a large reason he’s now keeping the ox out the side; even if Campbell does give the ball away or miss a chance, you can bet he’s going to bust a gut trying to correct that mistake. Hard not to appreciate that.
FYI…I believe that Costa Rica falls within Central, rather than South, America.
Regards.
The mans like totally megaqualz now. This time last year i was sure he would be snuffed out at Arsenal and bemoaning all that time spent by DL chasing him and feeling powerless I couldn’t advise him personally to buck up his ideas.
There was a young man named Joel. Clowning opponents is just how he roll.
The skills he now share. Encourage a fearful despair.
Watch him dance up the line.
But track back just in time.
My word, the toes of Fred Astaire.
There was a young man named Campbell
He was better than Titus Bramble
His workrate was great
He atoned for mistakes
unlike Titus Bramble who ambled.
There was a young man ‘Glasgow Gooner’
Who should have ended his limerick sooner.
It was all going fine
but then too many lines.
Still, I hope he has a nice afternoon………(er)
There was a young mouse they called Danger,
Who took the piss out of a stranger.
I have no more good lines,
and nothing that rhymes,
but poor mousey you dropped a big clanger.
(ouch)
To be fair to Joel it’s more of being given a real chance to play than being “improved “. There are games where the boss wouldn’t even trust him off the bench when we needed an attacker off the bench and he was the most attack minded seated there. If it hadn’t been for the injury curse he’d be on his way out and everyone knows how we’d have remembered him. The same goes for Le Coq. He always looked the part in his first stint at the club and I remember him being the best player on the field… Read more »
The Ox started getting regular games and he started looking good, then he was off the pitch a while, and came back looking like he’d regressed. This happens regularly to him, and yes, every time he starts to look good he loses his starting place and regresses again. Any player will look a shadow of his former self if his games only come a handful at a time. Match fitness doesn’t come any other way but constantly playing matches, and match fitness gives you the edge you need to play at your best. You could keep a squad of players… Read more »
Yep i was a doubter and ate humble pie after the last three games in a row.
Lets hope like his namesakes he can bring us that little bit of good luck our last half a dozen seasons have definately been lacking.
Not being funny, but if people couldn’t see that boy had something before he’d even kicked a ball for Arsenal, then I seriously wonder if we are watching the same sport.
We ain’t seen nothing yet, as his confidence continues to grow and he feels at home in this team, he will only get better.
COYG
Attackers who defend first and defenders who attack when needed. I like the look of this humble yet much more stubborn group.
Cohesive, aren’t they…. and everybody was laughing at that idea in September.
What do Arsenal and Leicester have in common? They each play as a team, for the team.
Why can Arsenal beat them to the title? Experience playing and training together which brings familiarity, understanding and cohesion.
Wenger bloody well Knows, I tell ya.
Glad that JC is showing what any reasonable football fan should know, and that is simply that you cannot judge form, ability, impact, effectiveness or potential in a functioning team without a significant run of games to acclimatise.
He was a contender for motm for me yesterday for his off the ball work and superlative defensive work rate, and his incessant and dogged determination to break through opposition lines.
He reminds me of Eboue, but on a very very good day, and technically far superior.
Gogogo Joel Campbell. Proud you are a goner.
That’s “gooner”. Pesky autocorrect
I think it’s great that he loves using the word great.
Use the force young Campbel
I always had faith in Joel Campbell even when everyone had doubts, I can say I told you so :p all he needed was a run of games and he got it. He has really taken the opportunity he was given to show how good he can be. Keep it up Joel you’re doing great!
Campbell has officially done a Coquelin
Who is going to do a Bellerine..?? Unbelievable Jeff or Iwobi
It is NO SURPRISE that Campbell is performing. It was no surprise that Wenger made room for Bellerin to make the step up whilst hedging with Debuchy AND Chambers in lieu of Sagna’s departure. It was also no surprise that Couqelin stepped up when everyone was calling for a top world class DM. I mentioned that Wenger had retained Coquelin for a reason. Simply put, if you have been following our journey, Wenger has been reconstructing this team (painfully) since he realised the Denilson generation was a false dawn (admitedly slightly belated). He added first Arteta and then Metersecker but… Read more »
Well said mate.
I think the noun where “surprise” is concerned is “surprise”. ?
It’s a perfectly cromulent word
On a different note, I find it absolutely mind boggling that some cretins decided to boo Sagna when he was on the ball. The man played his prime years at Arsenal with utmost professionalism without going on strike (Cesc), without talking behind the club’s back (Cole), without openly questioning the club’s ambition (Van Persie). He had a job and he did it admirably even when the team hadn’t won any trophies. What more do you want? In the same way, the hatred/grudge towards Flamini is unintelligible. This whole ‘running down the contract’ being a negative thing is ridiculous. These people… Read more »
Couldn’t agree more, well said. I also appreciate how Sagna has had the courtesy to become much worse at football since leaving Arsenal. Top lad.
Agree with you about Bac. He is one of the very few players who left us who I still have nothing but love for. He was a wonderful servant to the club, an absolute warrior, who always gave his all for us. And ultimately freed up the development of Hector. Bac is an Arsenal man for life.
How many of you think, OX’s time is over with us?
No yet anyway. He needs a good sequence of games. Also having to compete with Joel will be good. We need cover in that position as Tomas will probably leave soon. Finally. He Joel might be able to cover the Centre Forward position.
Also, I think the Ox’s position will ultimately be in Central Midfield.
Pleased for Joel Campbell took his opportunity and is playing well put OX out of the team. Though just want to say people have forgotten behind Sanchez last season the OX was our most influential player on the pitch I.e city game comes to mind. I still think Wenger plans to use him in the centre eventually so give him a break when he looses the ball by dribbling it’s his style of play similar to Sanchez.
I don’t envy players in Campbell’s situation. It’s obvious the lad is talented but it was hard for him to get a string of games to property display said talent. Anyways, very happy for him and long may his good form continue. It’s always good to see hard work reap rewards.
Could never really understand why Blogs didn’t rate Campbell at all… he clearly had pedigree at Olympiakos and the World Cup… giving players a run of games is so hard to do, but the potential is clearly there. What is so refreshing is that he puts in the effort of two men. Storming!