Football Update: Robin Van Persie Called Up For Netherlands’ Squad
As Arsene Wenger was trying to hide his frustration after the Champions League defeat against Shakhtar Donetsk, he has been infuriated with yet another bad news. His striker, Robin Van Persie, has been called up for International duty.
Robin Van Persie has been injured for the most part of this season due to an ankle injury. The brilliant striker seems to find himself in trouble with injuries in the past seasons as well. Last season, Persie remained out for five long months after an ankle
injury suffered during an international fixture. Due to his injury problems, the striker has not been able to shine for his club in any of the seasons so far.
Ever since the injury, Arsenal’s striker has not been able to make his way back into the squad. He has been sidelined for a long time now; therefore, he is on the lowest levels of match fitness. However, neglecting all the issues with the player, Bert van
Marwijk, Dutch coach, has called the player for international duty for a match on November 17. Along with Persie, injured Dirk Kuyt has also been called for the friendly against Turkey.
Now, all this is very frustrating for Arsene Wenger, who is under constant pressure to deliver the results for Arsenal. However, due to some unforeseen injury issues with his players, Wenger has always fallen short of the target. Some of the time, it is
the national team that causes problems for his players, as the games are more physical and less technical in nature.
Even at the start of this season, as Theo Walcott was flying high with maximum number of goals for Arsenal, he got injured in a qualifying game for England. At that point, Arsenal started to struggle a little, as Persie and Nicklas Bendtner were also out
because of injuries. Nicklas Bendtner injured himself in the World Cup, while representing his Denmark side. Therefore, Wenger has always blamed the national teams for putting extra burden on his players, which cause fitness and fatigue issues.
This time, Wenger was again worried about his player, who is not fully fit according to the manager. The real problem here is that the physiotherapists of Arsenal and Dutch football contact each other inquiring about the conditions of their players. In this
case, there seems to be some kind of a problem in the communication, as Wenger certainly did not want his player to leave. So, either Arsenal’s specialists have failed to communicate or their counterparts in Dutch side have failed to understand the conditions.
In this episode, one must also consider the problems being faced by Van Marwijk. The Dutch coach has limited options in attack when his main players have been injured for a while now. Robin Van Persie and Dirk Kuyt are both important parts of Dutch National
side, and they are hard to replace at this moment. On the other hand, Van Marwijk has the reputation at stake, as he is representing a runners-up side from the World Cup. Winning is very important for Dutch team, who are constantly on a rise now. Therefore,
manager had no option but to call the players even when they seem doubtful about their participation.
Wenger, on the other hand, is getting his frustration out, which was built during the Champions League defeat. At this moment, Arsenal is no longer dependent on Van Persie, as everyone else is scoring goals for the team. Even Maraouane Chamakh seems to be
a good replacement for Persie. Bendtner and Walcott made a great comeback, as if they had never been away because of injuries.
So, when Persie comes back, he would have to fight for his place back into Arsenal’s squad. Also, it would be better for Arsenal if they allow Persie to play some football for his national side, which would help him to boost his morale when he returns for
his club.
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