Mention the name Gabriel Obertan to many Football fans and they’d probably give either of the following responses – “Who is he?” or “A flop”. With Manchester United being 1 of, if not the, most popular Football clubs in the world, United fans are anywhere and everywhere; Thereby giving rise to the aforementioned 2 likely outcomes of that hypothetical question on the young French attacker*. That said, there has to be some substance to Obertan’s game for the esteemed Clairefontaine academy, 2 big French clubs(PSG & Bordeaux) and 2 big English clubs(Manchester United & Newcastle United) to have signed him at one time or another. For an attacker who seems to have everything needed to make it big, Gabriel Obertan has, in recent times at the very least, tended to give people the impression that he has “nothing”.
*While Obertan is widely regarded to be a winger, he has, on occasion, played through the middle. Used as an impact sub, his pace has caused problems for the opposition – for example, scoring his first goal for Newcastle United on 1 February 2012 against Blackburn Rovers after being subbed just 4 minutes prior. In that match, Obertan was tasked to play through the middle to make the most of his pace and Blackburn’s need to reduce the deficit.
Obertan has played for France from U16 level to the U21s. This illustrates Obertan’s talent, as not many players have been called up for all of France’s youth sides, U16s and upwards. With his pace, ball control, dribbling ability and strength – all of which would signal a player capable of shining at the top level – one would wonder why Obertan has yet to really make his breakthrough and take his game from being a “hot prospect” to a “top class attacker”.
23 appearances(17 in Ligue 1) and 1 goal in a then 17-year-old Obertan’s debut season in Bordeaux’s 1st team, after just 1 season in the reserves, gives an indication of how much Obertan had impressed then Bordeaux head coach Ricardo Gomes. While it has become increasingly common for teenagers to play relatively frequently for a club’s 1st team, one would expect a 17-year-old to only make his 1st team debut, let alone feature on 23 occasions. Obertan managed 3 goals in 37 appearances the following season(2007/08), when a Laurent Blanc-led FCGB went on to finish in 2nd place. Obertan’s mid-season loan to FC Lorient in 2008/09 showed his determination in making it at Bordeaux. “But I made the choice so that I can play more in a team with a real positive philosophy”, Obertan said, “Then, I will have to make a decisive decision. I will have five months before coming back to Bordeaux in which to make a name for myself.”
For someone with a reputation(of developing young talent) like Christian Gourcuff to have the desire to sign Obertan, albeit on loan, is a sign of Obertan’s burgeoning reputation then. Christian Gourcuff’s proteges include the likes of Marseille trio Jeremy Morel, Morgan Amalfitano & Andre-Pierre Gignac, Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny, France international striker Kevin Gameiro as well as PSG right back Christophe Jallet. With such stellar names in Gourcuff’s records, one would expect Gabriel Obertan to follow in the footsteps of Gameiro, Koscielny et al. For a moment, that seemed likely to happen, with Obertan’s move to Manchester United in 2009 for a reported £3 million. While his move to England came after his impressive match-winning display against England U21s(the video further down), one would be foolish to think that a club of Manchester United’s stature would sign a player based on a single performance, however brilliant the performance.
While Obertan’s time at Newcastle has not lived up to the expectations of both the neutrals and St James’ Park faithful alike, he has shown flashes of quality. A notable performance would be in an away match at the Britannia in 2011/12. Obertan posed a real threat to Stoke. Among others, he provided a good cross to pick out Demba Ba(Ba’s 2nd goal out of 3 that night). Thus far in this 2012/13 season, Obertan has produced 1 good performance. That would be when his former club Bordeaux came to St James’ Park for a UEFA Europa League group stage fixture. Obertan took the game to Bordeaux and provided an assist en route to a 3-0 home victory. That said, Obertan’s spell in the Northeast has been blighted with injuries and inconsistency. He has split opinions amongst the Toon faithful and has been frustrating more often than not.
Most importantly for Gabriel Obertan, Newcastle manager Alan Pardew still believes in him.
Obertan’s game in a nutshell:
Judging from the video of Gabriel Obertan’s dazzling display against England for the French U21 side, where all his skills and attributes are clearly seen, it is clear that Obertan has the talent to make his mark in the world of Football.
*For the layman – That video(Obertan vs England U21) would be the best(most complete) highlights video of Obertan’s skill set.
In the videos linked in this piece, one can see that Gabriel Obertan has the prerequisites needed to make it at the top level. He has time and again proven that he has the flair, trickery and pace – in short, the ability to take on opposition players – that one would look for in a winger. An often neglected point is that Obertan – standing at 6 ft 1 in tall(or 1.86 metres) – is of a larger build than most modern day wingers and fullbacks. This size/strength advantage is one that Obertan should very well take advantage of. It adds another dimension to his skill set, but would ultimately mean nothing if he doesn’t capitalise on it.
However, as aforementioned, those are highlights – which can make any player look good. Perhaps a critic would twist that point and say “That’s it. Obertan is another one of those ‘Youtube Wonderkids’ “. Conversely, Obertan has, previously, caught the eye of Clairefontaine and Manchester United coaches/scouts. That is proof enough that he has everything needed to make it at the top level of Football. Obertan has tended to start off well on a dribble, but the crucial decision-making ability is evidently not quite there. He has tended to take an extra touch(when that’s unnecessary), make a pass when there’s none to be made or continued on a dribble when he should’ve passed or taken a shot – You get my point. Into the future, does Gabriel Obertan go down the path of Manchester United flops David Bellion, Liam Miller, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake et al OR does he follow in the footsteps of Villarreal star and Italian international Giuseppe Rossi?
Now, it all depends on him.
For his sake, hopefully we don’t have to say – “Adieu, Gabriel!”.