It truly has been an annus mirabilis for Van Persie, who arrived in north London as a young shaver seven summers since for a cut-price £2.75m. In contrast to Shearer, Van Persie is not a traditional centre-forward but, like Thierry Henry before him, has been transformed into one of the highest calibre thanks to the keen eye of Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager.
The similarities with Henry abound. At Feyenoord, Van Persie managed 14 goals in 61 league appearances, and was subjected to dispute over his best position long after his departure. Henry endured similar analytical debate during spells with Monaco and Juventus when, with a one in five goal-to-game ratio, he was sent to pasture on the left. To their respective Arsenal sides, however, they became central figures: fulcrums and captains.
Henry's Arsenal were Invincibles, his best yearly yield the 34 converted in that golden 2005. Van Persie, meanwhile, is flourishing in a work-in-progress. But following a sixth win in seven unbeaten top-flight outings, Wenger acknowledged their shared attributes.
"At the start they were not goalscorers, they were footballers," Wenger reflected. "You expect them to create and not have to score too many goals. You have some players like Alan Shearer who was a goalscorer but Thierry and Robin are more link players, creative and not at the end of things. People ask why Robin plays at centre-forward, because he is not a centre-forward, but players like him have the intelligence to be in the right place at the right moment.
"It is very satisfying to have seen him come through from a young age. Unfortunately we bought a few young players and they went but he has been remarkably consistent with us.
"He was always talented and focused and he is now a leader of a big club like Arsenal which is not easy. And he does it remarkably well.
"In a way, you wish that 2011 doesn't finish for him. But we are already in December. Can he get the record? Why not? But you have to focus on things that are important and what is important is that the team plays well. Robin played well in an outstanding team performance and overall, if the team plays well Robin will score."
It is unlikely Van Persie will get the chance to add to this season's tally of 22 goals in 24 matches for club and country tomorrow night when Arsenal take advantage of early progression from Group F of the Champions League, by fielding a shadow XI in the final match at Olympiakos. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Emmanuel Frimpong are those among the younger fraternity expected to start in Greece.
Stability courses through Arsenal, in stark contrast to two months ago when, reeling from the departures of Cesc Fábregas and Samir Nasri, dissenting voices from the stands aimed their words at Wenger. In the first week of October, Arsenal sat two points off relegation; now the two-point differential is to the top four.
"It is always hard when you join a club that has changed five or six players," said Mikel Arteta, one of the new recruits and beneficiary of Ali al-Habsi's hurricane-through-a-haystack moment for Arsenal's 28th-minute opener. "The boss had plenty of confidence in the players as he knew we had ability. We now have no option but to keep winning – and it will not be easy."
A second soft goal within 90 seconds, Thomas Vermaelen's innocuous back-post header, doubled the advantage and Wigan's exposed net invited Gervinho and Van Persie. "He's so good he makes it look like he's not trying," was Arteta's assessment of the latter – to crown fine approach play after the break.
Wenger's refusal to compromise his principles appears to be bearing fruit in an attempt to qualify for a 15th consecutive season of elite European club football. Roberto Martínez, the Wigan manager, has ventured down the same route to limited success. "I would say to him 'enjoy your game'. He is a football lover," Wenger said.
In contrast to the previous two corresponding fixtures, when rousing comebacks denied their more illustrious opponents, Wigan sank without trace, back to the bottom of the table. But Martínez countered: "We are not going to be judged on a result against Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester United. A positive result against those sides is a bonus." Worryingly for the Lancashire club's supporters, meetings with the other two are scheduled before 2011 is out.
Source: Richard Gibson, The Guardian on 4 Dec 11
No comments:
Post a Comment