Robin van Persie has been the talk of the league all season – having thus far scored 27 Premier League goals for the Gunners – and so it is no surprise really that he has been named the league’s best player.
What is worth noting – as van Persie himself notes – is that he has been named the best by his peers in the Professional Footballers’ Association:
”If other people are saying it, it is special, but it is even more special if your opponents are saying it,” he said. ”It is very special because you are playing against them week in week out and every single player does everything to win and in the end if they make up their minds that I’m the best player it is a big honour.”
And now we’ll get to see if the league’s best player can hold onto his scoring race lead – after yesterday’s brace, Wayne Rooney is just 1 goal behind him now – and if the Arsenal captain can help his team hold onto a third-place Champions League spot, with Newcastle hot on their tails.
With Wayne Rooney and Sergio Aguero both scoring braces on the weekend, Robin van Persie goes into today’s game against Wigan perhaps feeling a bit of pressure to keep scoring goals.
Rooney now has 24 goals, while Aguero has 21, to van Persie’s 27.
It wasn’t that long ago that everyone had conceded the goal scoring title to RVP. But now all of a sudden with 4 games to go in the season, there has appeared the possibility that the Arsenal man could get caught.
Of course, the big pressure on RVP is to simply get Arsenal the win – and further secure a Champions League spot for next season. But his team are in a pretty good spot relative to the others who are fighting for fourth. So how much real pressure is there, team-wise?
I’m wondering if actually the circumstances aren’t perfect for a bit of a van Persie explosion at the Emirates today.
Wigan like to play attractive, attacking football – and the floodgates could open for an RVP who both wants to help his team and help himself.
Could RVP end up scoring enough goals today to finally close the book on Rooney and Aguero?
This just in from the Anfield pressroom – Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed > what we wrote earlier: that striker Robin van Persie is among the world’s best players:
”He is playing under big pressure in every game because he knows he has to score – that is excellent development not only as a player but as a human being. He is up there among the best players in the world.”
Another interesting tidbit to come out of the post-match interview was Wenger making the somewhat believable statement that the club was not interested in selling it’s star:
”We will do anything possible to keep him,” said Wenger. ”I cannot say much more because I have said that many times.
That would be a new development – Arsenal finally not selling it’s stars. I would like to see that.
In fact, here’s what I tweeted to Bacary Sagna in that regard after the match:
“@Sagnaofficial well done today. Nice cross on first goal. Make you a deal: stop selling your best players and I’ll start watching Ars again.”
You have to say that not only is Robin van Persie in top form but he also has to rank as one of the best players in the world these days.
Van Persie came into today’s game at Anfield leading the scoring race in the Barclay’s Premier League and that should have given his Arsenal team some swagger. But it was Liverpool who looked the most dangerous on the day – for much of the game. Luis Suarez was his tricky self and drew a penalty, while Dirk Kuyt caused all sorts of problems for Arsenal, including hitting the post just before half-time.
Arsenal did not really look like they could win this one at the notoriously intimidating Anfield ground.
But win they did – on the back of two goals from Captain Van Persie.
Van Persie scored a fine header on a wonderful cross from Bacary Sagna in the 31st minute and then shocked the home crowd in the 90th minute with a sublime volley from a delightfully floated pass from Alex Song.
Liverpool fans might have been surprised by that second goal but the proof is in the goal scorers chart this season with Van Persie. He’s not the leading scorer for nothing and maybe now he’ll get the credit he deserves as being one of the best players in the world.
Robin Van Persie Arsenal 25
Wayne Rooney Manchester United 17
Sergio Agüero Manchester City 16
Demba Ba Newcastle United 16
Yakubu Aiyegbeni Blackburn Rovers 13
Edin Dzeko Manchester City 13
Emmanuel Adebayor Tottenham Hotspur 11
Frank Lampard Chelsea 10
Grant Holt Norwich City 10
Clint Dempsey Fulham 10
Steven Fletcher Wolverhampton Wanderers 10
Mario Balotelli Manchester City 10
Danny Graham Swansea City 10
– is that he has been named the best by his peers in the Professional Footballers’ Association:
