Hector Bellerin followed the path first trodden by Cesc Fabregas in leaving Barcelona for Arsenal at the age of 16 but he has also now quite literally accelerated beyond the footsteps of even Thierry Henry and Theo Walcott.
The club 40-metre sprint record is a matter of some prestige at Arsenal. The course is carefully laid out at the club’s training ground and timing gates are set up to measure respective speeds over the first five metres, from five to 15 metres and finally from the start to finish. When Henry set a time of 4.82sec, it was thought to be as safe as his all‑time club goalscoring record. And then Walcott came along and lowered the record to 4.42sec. Could that be bettered? Walcott discovered the answer while still recovering from his knee surgery last summer when Bellerin, then only 19, shaved one hundredth of a second off his time.
Hector Bellerin celebrates scoring Arsenal's opening goal against Liverpool
“It was really unexpected,” Bellerin says with a smile. “I worked a lot on my speed and power with the conditioning coach last year. The work that you don’t see, in the shadows, really shows on the pitch. We were just having a test and then they told me I was the fastest at the club. I did not beat it by that much. There was a bit of banter and he is trying to beat me now.”
Walcott acknowledges that it was a “big thing” in the dressing room and believes that pre-season will provide the ultimate showdown. He is now 26 but still thinks he can go faster. “Did he have the wind, was it downhill?” Walcott asks. “We’ll wait until the summer and the perfect conditions like he had.”
• Meet the Charlton teenage defender linked with switch to the Emirates
• Petr Cech could be Arsenal's game-changer
Alexis Sánchez, Danny Welbeck and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are also not so very far behind. Sánchez’s strength is apparently over the first 15 metres whereas Welbeck and Oxlade-Chamberlain are at their best when the distance is slightly longer. Mesut Özil and Serge Gnabry are apparently also in contention and, while the identity of Arsenal’s slowest player over 40m remains secret, it was not Per Mertesacker.
Pace, though, is obviously only a starting point for any footballer. Gary Neville, the former Manchester United and England right-back, says that it “gives you a chance” but what has been most impressive this season is how Bellerin has grasped that opportunity.
Theo Walcott used to be the quickest player at the club
He had been on loan at Watford last year under Gianfranco Zola and the former Italy striker has become one of his mentors. Arsène Wenger readily admits that he did not expect Bellerin to be in the first-team this season but there is now a legitimate question about whether he will keep Mathieu Debuchy out of the team once the France full-back is fully recovered from shoulder surgery.
Bellerin has played in the recent wins against Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool and clearly developed vastly since his debut against Borussia Dortmund six months ago.
Upon meeting Bellerin, it is hard not to be struck by just how polite he is. Any stereotype of brash young footballers can be quickly consigned to the bin.
His first reply is “thank you very much” when asked about his improvement and he then explains, in perfect English, how Wenger’s confidence rubbed off on him.
Did you know Telegraph Sport has an Arsenal Facebook page?
Wenger has never been afraid to risk young players or convert midfielders into defenders and, while Bellerin did look exposed on his debut, his reaction was not to hide but to grow, learn and get better. “Every single minute you play helps you a lot and gives you experience,” he says.
“I am happy that now, after not so good performances in the beginning, the coach has still put confidence in me and given me minutes. The chances always come through injuries, which is not a nice thing. Now we are going to have Debuchy back and I am happy for him, but when you get your chance, you need to do the best you can. I have done my best to take this opportunity.
The young Spaniard had looked exposed earlier in the season
“The back-up of the players we have makes you look good as well. They have helped me since the beginning and are my family. They have been young players as well so they help you in everything they can. They make you feel like one more in the dressing room. We are lucky in this club, we young players get the opportunities and it is important when you get them that you need to take them.”
• The player the Premier League's big six all want to buy this summer
The 4-1 win against Liverpool on Saturday still highlighted the calculated risk that Wenger had taken. “I picked Bellerin for his pace and low centre of gravity,” the manager said. “Raheem Sterling changes direction very quickly and Hector is short as well.”
Bellerin brings down Raheem Sterling to concede a penalty against Liverpool
After cutting inside from the right, Bellerin opened the scoring with a wonderfully taken left-footed finish. Then, with Arsenal leading 3-0, his mistimed tackle on Sterling conceded the penalty that gave Liverpool a flicker of hope. It was a rash moment but one from which he should learn. “I am glad people are seeing this improvement,” Bellerin says. “It is a bit of everything that has got better but the defending really as I was always a winger in my younger career.”
That younger career, of course, was shaped between the ages of eight and 16 by Barcelona’s fabled La Masia academy. He joined Arsenal in the same summer that Fabregas returned to Catalonia and, as part of that deal, it is understood that Barcelona waived any future sell-on clause. An improved long-term contract is expected later this year. Like Fabregas, Bellerin joined Arsenal because of the greater prospect of first-team football at this pivotal stage of his development.
Like Cesc Fabregas, Bellerin swapped Barcelona for Arsenal as a teenager
“It was difficult because I left my family, my friends, but my dream has always been to be a footballer, not play at Barca,” he says. “Sometimes the train passes and you take it or not. Many people called me crazy when I left, but I'm showing that I was right. Life does not end at Barca.
“It’s great to play at home and have everything where you’ve grown up but sometimes you’ve got to get out of your comfort zone and discover new challenges. I have been here for a long time now, this feels like home, but I am still Spanish, with all of my family over there. If I had stayed in Barcelona I don’t know if I would have got to the top, the elite. We’ll never know. I have Arsène Wenger to thank. He has been the coach that has given me a great opportunity.”
0 nhận xét:
Đăng nhận xét