Van Persie Gets Injured Again
The Dutch Football Association has confirmed that Robin Van Persie injured himself in the match against Blackburn. He would be out of action for a few weeks, because of a twist in his ankle.
The Dutch striker is a nightmare case for any football player. Every year much hope is associated with him but he fails to deliver on it. This is because of his fitness issues, as he has shown himself to be extremely injury prone. He often spends a lot of months without any action, which has become problematic for Arsenal.
Every season, Arsenal’s progress is hampered by some unforeseen event. Most of the time, an injury to a big player causes ripples in the team, whose effects are felt throughout the season. The biggest problem is being faced by Van Persie, who usually spends a lot of time on the sidelines because of long injuries. Last season, he was injured on international duty; as a result Persie remained away from football for five long months.
This time also the same thing seems to be troubling Arsenal’s manager Arsene Wenger. Although, he bought Chamakh this season, but Van Persie is irreplaceable. He is the one who carries the responsibility of entire strike force for Arsenal, while sometimes he even plays as a lone striker for Wenger, especially in away matches. So, when the injuries hit Van Persie, Arsenal always faces problems to cover-up for him. Previously, there were no such problems with the presence of Adebayor in the squad. But since the Togo international left Arsenal, there have been no significant improvements in the striking options at Emirates Stadium.
Wenger purchased Chamakh on a free transfer from French league. Chamakh has a potential to be a great striker, but he doesn’t possess the quality of playing as a lone striker right now. Also, he is still new at the club which means that he would take some time adjusting there. Meanwhile, Nicholas Bendtner is also injured which means that Wenger’s options are more thin. Also, Bendtner hasn’t been able to live up to the expectations and has turned out to be an average player. He has exhibited no signs of a match-winner, which is again a great loss for Wenger.
Apart from these options, Wenger also has the liberty of playing some youngsters in the role of strikers, especially Carlos Vela. Although, the Mexican youngster has shown some good form, but due to unknown reasons he is still not able to break into the first team. All in all, it is obvious that Van Persie is vital for Arsenal’s trophies quest. He is the only well-known striker in the squad, while all other players have failed to make any significant impact. Persie also has a quality to play well under pressure and in big games, as he has scored for Arsenal against a number of big English clubs.
Realizing Persie’s importance for the squad, Wenger has said that he only had a twisted ankle, which meant that he would stay out no longer than two weeks. However, this was an initial assessment, while the new assessment by Netherlands suggests that the injury might be greater than expected. This means that Persie might stay out of action longer than expected.
On the other hand, Arsenal are currently playing well in the Premier League and Theo Walcott has finally started to show his true talents, as he is currently Arsenal’s and League’s top scorer with four goals. The real problem would be faced by Netherlands, who would have to call Van Nistelrooy for their matches against San Marino and Finland.
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