The striker is prolific and has an admirable work ethic but, as in the match at Parc des Princes, has a habit of falling short when his team need him the most
The two things that nearly everyone agrees on are he is dashingly swoonsome and that is irrelevant. Beyond that there is constant debate about the usefulness of a high-scoring striker who will attempt to deliver a decisive performance at the Emirates on Wednesday. We are talking – before anyone launches into another dissertation on Olivier Giroud – about Edinson Cavani.
It is easy to forget that Cavani opened the scoring when Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain drew 1-1 at Parc des Princes in September. Because what really sticks in the mind from that game are the four clear chances that the striker managed to miss. After netting with a smart header in the first minute he lapsed into a bathetic farce, once firing wide after rounding the goalkeeper, twice shooting straight at David Ospina when clean through and another time killing the ball immaculately on his chest six yards from goal before falling backwards as if he had trodden on a rollerskate.
Related: Arsenal need to show we can win against a big team, says Arsène Wenger
Continue reading...