On The Wings Of Icarus: Can They Withstand The Spotlight?

“The sun began to beat down on the wings of Icarus, and slowly they began to melt. Icarus noticed the wings coming apart, but in his joy kept on beating the wings faster and faster bringing him ever further towards the sun. Soon all the feathers had fallen from the wings of Icarus and the boy plunged down into the Aegean Sea.“ -The Flight of Icarus

At 18, they become the next Messi, Zidane, Ronaldo, Drogba, etc… When they are 19, they show the flashes of brilliance that deserved the comparison. By 20, they received international caps and call-ups, but at 21, they have been frozen out of the starting squad for performances, melting away on the bench (or worse…The Reserves). The media sets unattainable expectations for these Icarus-like stars whose falls begin as the spotlight begins to shine.

Will these stars continue to fly ever closer to the spotlight, or will their wings melt?

Edinson Cavani

The 24 year old Uruguayan led Napoli’s charge for a Champions League spot, and a crack at the Serie A title. With 26 goals in 35 appearances this past season, Cavani appeared to be the signing of Serie A as Napoli surged up the Italian table. While chasing the like of Samuel Eto’o and Antonio Di Natale for the Golden Boot, Cavani was not just knocking in the goals, but 9 of his league strikes came after 85 minutes of play. Cavani was consistently the deciding factor for Napoli this season.

Unfortunately, Cavani has not been able to replicate his club form for country. With 9 strikes in 30 appearances for Uruguay, it would appear to be a decent return, but Cavani has not scored since the Bronze game against Germany in South Africa. This was his only goal during the tournament in South Africa. Much of the blame does not rest solely on Cavani’s shoulders as it seems that Oscar Tabarez is insistent on the Diego Forlan-Luis Suarez partnership up front, which obviously will reduce Cavani’s time of the pitch.

With his best strike ratio of 14 goals from 35 appearances, discounting this season, I am not entirely convinced that Cavani is the definite article. I do see his goal total diminishing to around 20 goals next season, but those are hardly Emile Hesky numbers.

Samir Nasri

Like much of Arsenal’s squad, Samir Nasri has been billed as the “Next Best Thing” to happen to French football since Zizou. Nasri did not pop out of the footballing wilderness to set the world alight, but the consistency and impact of Nasri’s play in the first half of the season was a revelation. As impressive in Cesc Fabregas’ presence as he is without, Nasri has been treated as Fabregas’ replacement as Cesc (somewhat inevitably) heads home to Barça. With 15 goals and 5 assists through 46 matches, Nasri has given leadership and a spark to the young players surrounding him.

Unfortunately for Arsene Wenger, Samir Nasri’s history with Arsenal has been littered with injuries, often during key moments (Champions League Round of 16), which has had a debilitating effect on the player’s development. In addition to his tendency to crock, he has begun to create personality problems in the locker room as he lobbies for a move to a bigger, or in this case, wealthier club.

Nasri during this season has been mesmerizing in the Arsenal midfield, but as injury prone as he is, I do not see him producing more than he did this past season. Now that he has become unsettled I feel it will take him off his game even more. Samir Nasri and Icarus may have a lot in common next season.