Robin Van Persie has suffered more than his fair share of injuries in an Arsenal shirt. The Dutchman is arguably the finest player in our squad yet whenever he appears to be on the verge of establishing himself as one of the top strikers on the planet he inevitably, inexorably seems to suffer a serious and potentially season ending injury.
Given Van Persie’s injury record and the fact that he started every single match for Holland on their way to the World Cup final Wenger would be well within his rights to rest the Dutchman at the start of the season. I would rather see Van Persie used sparingly for a few weeks or even months and finish the season strongly than witness him suffer yet another injury just as he is gaining form and fitness.
Cesc Fabregas has made more than his fair share of headlines this summer and I offer him my congratulations for winning the World Cup and my sympathy that his dream move back to Barcelona did not materialize. Fabregas has always been honest about his ambition to play for his home town team and I don’t think fans can ask for anything more from a player. He has given several years of service to the club and is within his rights to want to move on.
Now that the move to Barcelona is definitely not happening Fabregas needs to demonstrate that he is one hundred per cent committed to the cause. He can start by demanding to be named in the starting XI for the game against Liverpool on Sunday. While the stresses of the World Cup campaign might well have taken a mental toll on the young Spaniard from which he needs time to recover, I do not accept that he is physically incapable of starting the Premiership season.
Fabregas played a grand total of 93 minutes for Spain in South Africa. That amounts to almost exactly one game of football. Of course he was still training with his team mates every day in a highly stressful and pressured environment while the likes of Abou Diaby and Gael Clichy had long since gone on holiday but I do not accept that he deserves an extended break from football.
If Fabregas is fit, and I have heard nothing to the contrary, he needs to lead his team out at Anfield on Sunday. With Abou Diaby, Alex Song and Denilson all looking doubtful for the season opener this is no time for our captain to be given a rest. This is the time for Fabregas to stand up and be counted, to put in a performance which says, ‘Yes I wanted to leave but while I am here I am going to give my all for the Arsenal cause’.
His days at the club might be numbered but that does not necessarily make them meaningless. Barcelona could easily emerge from this season empty handed while Arsenal are good enough to believe they can win every single competition they enter.
Give Van Persie a break. He has earned it and the likes of Marouane Chamakh and Carlos Vela can step up in his absence. Fabregas should be thrown into the fray immediately, our captain has a point to prove and I hope Wenger will give him the opportunity to prove it at Anfield.
Source: James Goyder, The Online Gooner on 14 Aug 10
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