Van the Man

What a difference a month, and a mercurial Dutch striker, can make. After the 2-1 defeat at White Hart Lane, Arsenal looked a club in disarray. With only two wins to their name at that point, coming against Swansea and Bolton, Arsenal had come up against a number of their competitors at the top of the table, and failed miserably at almost every hurdle. A injury-ravaged side was dismantled 8-2 at Old Trafford, humiliated at Ewood Park and beaten at White Hart Lane. Questions have been asked of Wenger numerous times in recent years, but never had he been doubted as he was in those opening weeks of the season.

In the month that has followed that defeat to Tottenham, Arsenal have begun to get themselves back on the path to a top four finish. The horrendous early season form betrays a lack of depth to this Arsenal side that rules them out as worthy title contenders, and it has made the road to Champions League football next season much tougher than it should have been. The silver lining for Arsenal and their fans however is that Robin Van Persie looks like he is finally capable of putting together a run of games in the first team without getting injured, and what a difference the Dutchman is making.

Van Persie has scored 11 this season already in the Premier League, and in Arsenal’s four win hot streak, including a massive win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, he has scored eight of Arsenal’s 13 goals in that time. Van Persie’s strike rate has never really been in question, but his fitness has. Including the 2006/07 season, Van Persie has appeared in only 117 of Arsenal’s 201 Premier League games, meaning he has missed 42% of Arsenal’s league fixtures in that time. That is a lot of football to miss and it perhaps helps to explain why Arsenal haven’t managed to sustain a prolonged Premier League challenge in that time.

Wenger has retained faith in his star man, now the club’s captain, and there can be no doubting just how important Van Persie is to the future of Arsenal. In a side that has lost Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri since the start of the season, Robin Van Persie’s stock at Arsenal has risen considerably. If they could cope to a certain degree without him before, it is hard to see them doing so now, and worryingly, he has less than 24 months to run on his contract.

As well as Wenger has done in recovering what seemed a lost cause this season, you have to question the judgment of the Frenchman to go into this season without tying the star forward to a new deal. Wenger might say he is relaxed about the situation, but he must be a little concerned after the way Nasri left the club in the summer. Van Persie has stated his commitment to the Arsenal cause, but if Arsenal fail to make the top four this season, his head may be turned by the promise of Champions League football elsewhere.

For now though, Arsenal can be pleased with the form of their captain, whilst Wenger will feel vindicated in his handling of what looked to be a series of killer blows in the opening rounds of the season. The Frenchman has for the time being silenced a number of his doubters, and with Jack Wilshere still to come back into the side, it could get better still for Arsenal as they look to get themselves back in the mix for Champions League football.

On a side note, a big congratulation to Sir Alex Ferguson on completing 25 years in charge of Manchester United at the weekend. The manager has driven United to 37 major honours. Manchester United celebrated the occasion by renaming the North Stand, the biggest Old Trafford has to offer, the “Sir Alex Ferguson Stand”, as well as commissioning a statue of Sir Alex to be placed outside the stand.