Arsenal’s UnSONG Hero: An Improved Alex Song Leads The Gunners

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: October 26, 2010

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When people think of Los Galácticos of Real Madrid, they typically rattle off the names of Zidane, Raúl, Ronaldo, Figo or Roberto Carlos before mentioning the MVP of that era, Claude Makélelé. 

When Spain won the Euro 2008, it was Marcos Senna who enabled Xavi to be the player of the tournament.  Since the arrival of Sergio Busquets, FC Barcelona and Spain have been the best teams at the club and international level.

Coincidence?  No.

As much as we love to see fancy dribbling and tiki-taka passing, one of the most under-appreciated positions is the defensive midfielder—the link between the defense and the offence.

Since the 2009 season, "Gooners" all over the world have seen the emergence of Alex Song.  As valuable as Cesc Fàbregas, Robin van Persie and Samir Nasri are, it is Song who has become the most important player on the team.   

 

Early Days at Arsenal

The cousin of international star Rigobert Song (appeared in '94, '98, '02 and '10 World Cups for Cameroon), Alex joined Arsenal in the 2005-06 season when he was only 18 years old after coming up through the youth ranks for the French club Bastia.  During the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons, Song's appearances were limited, as he only played in matches when Wenger wanted to rest key players. 

To gain more experience in the EPL, Song was loaned to Charlton Athletic for the 2006-07 season.  Upon returning to Arsenal for the 2007-08 season, he was used sparingly, as Mathieu Flamini was the primary defensive midfielder of choice over the aging Gilberto Silva and the still young and unproven Song.  In what turned out to be a double whammy, Arsenal lost both Silva and Flamini at the end of the season. 

 

2008-09 Season

With Silva and Flamini out of the pic...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

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