Bendtner laughed off criticism

Bendtner: Last laugh

There was some criticism of me after the game last Saturday, but me and my team-mates have just laughed about it.

Nicklas Bendtner
Quotes of the week

Related links

Teams

• Arsenal

Players

• Nicklas Bendtner

Also see

• Arsenal fixtures
• Arsenal stats
• Super 6: Win £100k

Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner insists he and his team-mates laughed off the criticism aimed at him following last weekend's draw with Burnley.

The Danish ace came under fire against The Clarets on Saturday for missing a series of gilt-edges chances in the 3-1 Premier League success at Emirates Stadium.

Some were questioning whether Bendtner was good enough for The Gunners, but he responded in perfect fashion with a blistering hat-trick in their UEFA Champions League success over Porto in midweek.

The 22-year-old was thrilled to score his first-ever hat-trick for Arsenal and has vowed the treble will not be his last for the title-challenging north Londoners.

Laugh

"There was some criticism of me after the game last Saturday, but me and my team-mates have just laughed about it," explained Bendtner.

"They made jokes with me. That is how I look at that - I laugh. They have all congratulated me for my hat-trick and then we laughed about it - in a good way.

"It feels incredibly good to score my first hat-trick for Arsenal. It has been on its way for quite a while, but now I have done it.

"It is really one of the personal goals I have wanted so much to achieve. I'm so happy to receive the match ball as a memory.

"All my team-mates signed it and I will keep is as a wonderful souvenir of my first hat-trick - but definitely not my last!"

Striker

Bendtner is sometimes played on the flanks by Arsene Wenger, although the Danish hit-man insists that given a choice he would rather play through the middle.

"I'm happy to play as a ­centre-forward because that is my real place in the team," he continued. "I know when I am playing there I will be scoring goals.

"Early in the season, before my injury, I was played out wide and that is, of course, very fine, but it is not where I belong."