Well, he scored two goals. I think you have to analyse the game a little bit to see how important he is. The first goal was a good display of the team and the second chance he made the difference just because of his skill, which was exceptional.
on the game...
We started well for the first 25 minutes and then when they equalised you could see that we were wobbling a bit with confidence. At half time the team regrouped and then the second half was all us. I have seen a few games over the weekend and I must say that of all the teams away from home Sunderland were 100 per cent committed, played with six midfielders and four defenders and fought for every inch on the pitch. I did not see many teams doing that yesterday so I believe that they deserve a lot of credit. They made life difficult for us.
on free-kick opportunities…
We didn't make enough of our free-kicks, that's an area that we can improve. If you consider the number of free-kicks we had today in interesting zones and the corners we had in offensive positions I feel we have to make more of our set-pieces.
on growing confidence…
We have now won five home games on the trot. If we can put another two or three results together it will help confidence because you can feel that the attitude and spirit of the team is great. Even at half time we had a good response. The motivation is there and the quality too so we should eventually get there.
on Van Persie's captaincy credentials...
Many people question his leadership qualities but I believe he is completely committed for the cause on a daily basis. What's even more important is that he does the job on the football pitch.
on his status as a free-kick taker...
Yes he among the best in the league, with Sebastian Larsson. I think Larsson is maybe the best free-kick taker in the league.
on Van Persie's contract…
It depends what you call commitment. For me commitment is not about how long you are at a club. As long as you are at a club you will give 100 per cent until the last day of your contract. That for me is what you call commitment. The length of a contract is completely different. For me you have players who have ten-year contracts who don't give full commitment, and for me it is not about the length of a contract. He knows that we are ready to talk about it but the most important thing is today and how much you are committed to the cause as long as you are at the Club.
on a new deal for Van Persie being the 'ideal situation'…
Unfortunately the ideal situation in football does not exist often. The ideal situation is that he extends his contract but if he doesn't you have to respect that. You know what is important is that he plays like he plays because we are all here to see special football players and he is a special football player.
on Marseille…
Marseille is a good team but they are under pressure a little bit like we are in the league because they didn't start as strong as they would have expected. That puts more pressure on you. They have done well in the Champions League, certainly, because it is a competition where there is a bit less expectation and they are less under pressure. They are a quality team.
on Kieran Gibbs and Aaron Ramsey…
Gibbs has an inflammation of his stomach muscles. Ramsey has a small chance to be in the squad, he had fatigue of his hamstring but it is a very, very minor one. I wanted to give him a breather. It would have been a gamble to play.
Source: Arsenal.com on 16 Oct 11
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