Is Alex finally in tune ?

Alexandre Song where shall we begin. The young Cameroon defender started his trade in France with Bastia playing at the heart of the defence and it’s at Bastia were he earnt a reputation for ability to read the game at such a young age, Being in the right place and getting his foot in at the right time but his inexperience that told in the end when in high pressure situations but the potential was there and Europe was well aware. He made his move to Arsenal on loan initially making a small 5 appearances before securing a deal permanently the following season. During his full season with us there was an expectation as per normal but that’s just to be expected with Arsene finding and fielding a player at a young age but alot was left to be desired, He put in a number of very poor performances that left the fans in rage at times, He was off the pace, he was feeling the pressure, The ball wasn’t being released quick enough and the fans including myself just had to question was this a young player to far?.

Song was loaned out to Charlton Athletic during the winter transfer window in hope he could prove to Arsene he can cut it out in this league, Well his loan spell at Charlton was an unsuccessful one for the club but for the players development it was a big step, He proved why he has what it takes and took his potential from Bastia to the next step. Playing in the centre of midfield for a team who’s struggling for survival in the league he was the bright spark, the tackles were being timed well, He was building in confidence with every game and really progressing as a player, if anything he was carrying that midfield in the last part of the season. I always remember Arsene saying he looks for a player that’s playing well in a team that’s doing bad and Alex certainly did that.

Alex returned to Arsenal this season with some rough experience and high optimism ahead but with the signing of Lassana Diarra I’m sure deep down that was short lived. During this season he has a number of games and a few tough away ties and has looked a different player to the one that left months ago. He’s been chucked in at centre back and thrown in midfield and has delt with the problem remarkably well something he couldn’t off done a year ago, He has certainly come on as a player you can tell by his presence on the pitch he has a calm feeling about him and knows what is required to be at this club. The thing that inspired me to make this post is his performances in the African Nations, He wasn’t thought of as a main player in the squad and maybe just there because of his relations to Rigobert but I’m not having that. Alex came on in the second half of their 4-2 defeat in the 1st game of the tournament and just stole the show he was absolutely everywhere you name it he done it from play making to defensive beast and took the heart of the midfield unlike a certain player could do in Makoun, A guy who was a £10 million transfer target for Manchester United few season back. How could Otto Pfister change around such a drab start from Cameroon? Simple really put Song in the heart of midfield and give him the ball , He certainly done that and Song enjoyed being a key figure for such a high pressure situation and just take the Ghana game for example , Semi Final of a big tournament against the favourites and hosts he out fought , out muscled and out battled the so called machine Essien and done his fair share of getting his Country into the final but you can be assured that Alex Song , The man with no expression , The silent warrior has a big future with us .