Ben Arfa: Not a winger, but is he a singer?Speaking in a rare interview, Newcastle United manager, Alan Pardew, has declared that French-Tunisian wonder winger, Hatem Ben Arfa will have to show more “flashes of brilliance in training” before he’ll give him a first team start.
In a somewhat surprising change of tack from his recent gushing about the player’s abilties, Pardew said of his training sessions:
“He likes the group and he trusts us. Now it is a matter of when he is ready. He shows flashes of brilliance in training, but I want him to do it more often in training before I bring him in.
Although Ben Arfa has spent much of his career as a mostly left sided winger, impressing many of the great and the good in football in that role, Pardew is not impressed by the player on the flank, saying that he could only see him in a central role, continuing:
“My view is that he can’t play out wide. He has not got the relish for it and his best football comes through the middle.(more…)
Pardew: Wise to mislead fans?In another interview, Newcastle United manager, Alan Pardew, has said that French Tunisian wing wonder, Hatem Ben Arfa is aiming to make a return on July 4th, a story that has already been covered by my collegue, Hugh, earlier today in this ‘blog.
However, interestingly, in the same interview he also admitted that he knew all along that Hatem Ben Arfa would not be returning for the last few games of the season just gone, despite saying in an interview in April that he could see him making his return before the season was out. On this he revealed:
“I know we made noises that he might play in those last three games but realistically, I never gave him a chance.
“I was trying to keep the boy’s head up to be honest. I don’t want him to see negative press so I said he might play in those three games.”
Going back to the first week in April, he told the media in an interview:
“You lose Leon Best and you gain Hatem Ben Arfa – that’s basically where we are. I don’t think he’ll be involved for a while, and Liverpool will possibly be his first inclusion in my thinking.”
In another interview four days before that, he also said:
“If he can play one, two or three matches before the end of May, it would be fine both for us and him.”(more…)
Ben Arfa: Ace in the hole?Newcastle United manager, Alan Pardew has been most forthcoming about how he will utilise crocked French-Tunisian wonderboy, Hatem Ben Arfa, when he finally returns from his long injury layoff.
Speaking in two interviews, one for the French publication, “L’Equipe”, and one for North East weekly, The Sunday Stun, Pardew revealed that he saw Ben Arfa playing as “a playmaker, a number 10, just behind one forward”. The manager also revealed his thinking on how he would be cautious about the final stages of Hatem’s rehabilitation, going slowly to make sure that he gets the best out of the player in the long term. This would be a refreshing change in the wake of several Newcastle United players returning from injury, only to return to the treatment table again after being rushed back too soon.
In the first interview, the one with L’Equipe, Pardew said of not rushing Ben Arfa:
“After such an injury you have to be patient. We don’t want to burn him out.(more…)
