Keep Your Feet On The Ground!

Marko Arnautovic is amongst the most promising strikers in the game. At FC Twente, he began to show his promise. The young striker bagged twelve goals in 28 league appearances in the 2008-2009 season for the Eredivisie side, and also added five league assists. Many of Europe’s biggest clubs took a keen interest in the Austrian striker, but in the end it was Italian champions Inter who secured his services on a loan deal with the option to buy.

After failing to make an impact with the Italian champions after being frozen out of the side by then-manager Jose Mourinho, he was sold to Werder Bremen and was promised a first-team place. After a strong start, Arnautovic has become the subject of much drama and controversy. His constant run-ins with the Werder Bremen management and board have made him an unpopular figure at the club, but his latest transgression is likely the one that will end his time in Germany.

After Werder Bremen’s 6-0 loss on the weekend at the hands of a resurgent Stuttgart side, Arnautovic called Werder Bremen ‘a dump’ in front of cameras, and stormed off the pitch. I don’t care how good he may or may not be; that kind of attitude can’t be accepted at the professional level. He’s certainly got it in his head that he’s amongst the best in the world at the moment, but he certainly hasn’t shown it on the football pitch.

So many of the game’s promising young players go down this road. Mario Baloteli and Robinho are two examples I can think of off the top of my head. Joey Barton is another. The fame and the money at such an early age can be a big problem for some of these players, who go from having relatively nothing to have too much for their own good. And, as is most usually the case, the people they surround themselves with are never looking out for their best interests. It’s a sad end to what looked like a promising beginning for a player I’ve admired over the years.