Arsene Wenger believes he has got a strike partnership which can be
as good as the Thierry Henry-Dennis Bergkamp combination that
brought so much success to Arsenal.
Gunners boss Wenger compared hat-trick hero Emmanuel Adebayor to
Henry and says Robin van Persie's artistry reminds him of
Bergkamp.
Wenger did not unleash his new deadly double act on Saturday - and
still put five past Derby.
Instead, van Persie was left on the bench and his only foray on to
the pitch was at the end when he came on to give Adebayor a bearhug
and to take part in the now customary group huddle.
Eduardo Da Silva partnered Adebayor to give van Persie a rest and
Arsenal rarely needed to get out of second gear.
And yet when they did put the pedal to the metal they were simply
irresistible, with Cesc Fabregas pulling all the strings and
leaving no one in any doubt that Arsenal are genuine title
contenders this season.
Adebayor is just 23, van Persie is 24 and, frighteningly, Kolo
Toure was the oldest outfield player at 26. Fabregas is 20 and
already one of the best players, never mind midfielders, in the
world.
There is a terrific bond in the Arsenal squad and Wenger has no
doubts that the partnership between van Persie and Adebayor can
become as successful as Henry and Bergkamp were during their golden
era at Highbury.
Wenger has almost begun to glaze over whenever Henry's name is
mentioned as he wants to look to the future rather than dwell on
the past.
But the Frenchman could not resist paying Adebayor a huge
compliment with his comparison and believes his partnership with
van Persie will go from strength to strength.
"It's funny because I thought about Thierry when Adebayor scored
the third goal.
I thought 'that's a Thierry goal'," said Wenger. "There was a
defender in front of him and he just opened his foot.
"Adebayor worked very hard and has improved a lot in his finishing.
He watched the other players and got a lot of advice, certainly,
from Thierry.
"He's not the same player as Thierry but this was the kind of goal
that Thierry scored.
Overall they are different players because Adebayor is more a guy
who uses his strength and his power, and he is good in the
air.
"Adebayor and Henry played a lot together and they were close but I
think he has a fantastic partnership with Van Persie. Van Persie is
a bit Bergkamp and Adebayor is a bit Thierry Henry.
"Another Bergkamp is not on every corner, nor is a Henry, and
sometimes you wonder what will happen when they go.
"Bergkamp played to the age of 37 but at some stage you have to
find players who can replace him."
Adebayor's work-rate is incredible while van Persie has the skill
to merit comparisons with his fellow Dutchman Bergkamp.
But in Fabregas, Arsenal also have an emerging world-class talent
who can spot passes, score goals (his second-half screamer was his
seventh of the season), and inspire.
Arsenal are a team old before their time and are the best
entertainers in the Premier League as well as sitting pretty on top
of the table. Wenger rotated his squad and still they rolled over
Derby. While they may not have the strength in depth of Chelsea,
Manchester United or Liverpool, they do have a growing belief and a
swagger of champions. Not to mention a healthy lead at the top of
the table.
They also have players who are still young enough to improve and
develop throughout the season. Gael Clichy was probably the most
improved player at the club last season, Bacary Sagna looks a
superb acquisition, and Mathieu Flamini is clearly proving a point
to Wenger that he was right not to sell him this summer.
At 21 Abou Diaby looks one of the best prospects of the lot and his
stunning 10thminute opener capped a brilliant display.
Brazilian-born Croatian international Eduardo still looked slightly
off the pace while Theo Walcott showed only flashes of his speed
and has yet to progress from right-winger into team player. But
Arsenal are a force to be reckoned with, there's no doubt about
that. Adebayor got a second after 25 minutes, dispatched a
50thminute penalty, and completed his late hat-trick with a good
finish after using his strength to hold off Dean Leacock.
Adebayor, scorer of the first hat-trick at the Emirates, said: "I'm
very happy to be part of history but the most important thing is
that we have won the game.
Difficult
"Robin and me have a good understanding. He's an amazing footballer
and at the moment we are linking very well.
"But I don't want people to think we are going to win the title or
the Champions League. I just want them to respect us for what we
are doing.
"Every single day when I read the newspapers I think people are
changing their opinion about us. In the summer everyone said it was
very difficult for us and we just want to prove that they were
wrong."