In a week which saw one Frenchman confirm his exit from the club, last week ended on a high for another marking his best appearance in black and white yet. As Newcastle terminated Hatem Ben Arfa’s contract six months early, his compatriot Remy Cabella quickly set about to secure a starting place under John Carver’s watch. Not exactly the smoothest passing of the torch, when is it ever at Newcastle, but perhaps a noticeable symbol of change to excite Toon fans.
With the void of Cabaye still apparent towards the end of 2014, it’s clear that Cabella isn’t the like-for-like replacement he was tipped to become by Pardew back in August. Looking at his previous club stats, highlights and what we’ve seen of him this season, he doesn’t boast the same qualities as the PSG midfielder, more so the exiled Hatem Ben Arfa. Similar to Ben Arfa, Pardew was reluctant to give Cabella a constant role in the side as a cost of his unwillingness to track back. This inconsistency hasn’t exactly helped him settle into the physicality of the Premier League.
Alan Pardew defended his sporadic use of Cabella back in December: “He’s not ready for the demands of this division yet. The way he plays, sometimes he can get lost a little bit.”
Many have bemoaned the lack of a creative spark in midfield since the departure of Cabaye, and with the exception of Moussa Sissoko, they certainly have a solid case. Pardew may have grounded out results which saw his side push up the league, but he did so with little excitement and flair in the middle with which so many fans crave. Still without a goal and only a brace of assists to his name, Cabella has certainly shown flashes of what he can bring to the side on his day. Narrowly missing a chance to double the lead at home over Liverpool, it would have certainly seen a rise in confidence and form.
The 24-year-old’s quick turn of pace, drive and ability to shift quickly through the gears saw him put together an impressive first half highlight reel against title elect Chelsea. Completing 75% of his take-ons does show progression from a frustrating lack of a final product. Paired with a desire to win it back, Cabella looked noticeably sharper and more focused than before at the weekend. Perhaps deployed in a free roaming role against a less organised back four, he can begin to the replicate the form he showed at Montpellier. A successful partnership behind Ayoze Perez is certainly something that would whet the appetite of any Newcastle fan.
“Remy’s been a little bit frustrating, but I think he showed what he’s worth. He was outstanding in possession and every time he tried to break, somebody was clipping him to stop the momentum. He added the other side of the game which is the hard work, but he has now set a standard, it is no good just doing it on a one-off. If he performs like that then he can get our fans on the edge of their seat,” caretaker boss John Carver praised Cabella following his impressive first half display at Stamford Bridge.
At the time of writing, Remi Garde seems to be the likely candidate to take over as the new Head Coach and with the former Lyon manager reportedly a fan of Cabella, here’s hoping he gets the very best out of his young compatriot if given the nod. Patience and confidence instilled from whoever sits in the dugout should help see the young Frenchman find his feet, if not blossom, in the second half of his first season on Tyneside. Although he left with nothing to show from it, going off his performance at Chelsea, he is certainly starting to find an end product to those mazy runs. More of the same please, Monsieur Cabella.
