Loads of people have been questioning the effectiveness of Robin Van Persie as an Arsenal player since he is forever on the sidelines. Also, with the successful introduction of Chamakh into the Arsenal ranks, many would like to dispense with the services of the Dutchman given his limited playing time due to injuries. The other big question is how Arsene Wenger can integrate the two players into the current line-up.
The answers to all those questions were an emphatic yes, going by the performance against Fulham. We saw for almost 30 minutes that both Van Persie and Chamakh can play together. During the match, Van Persie was playing in the “Bergkamp role” and not his usual main striking position, which was left to Chamakh. I think the change suited him fine as he was dropping deep and finding the spaces with his vision. It also makes him harder for defenders to mark him.
Although he did not score, his contribution to Nasri’s second goal was a reflection of how big a difference he can be to the Arsenal attack. As Arshavin pass the ball to Van Persie, you could see how he drag two Fulham players into his sphere as he lined up a shot with his majestic left foot. This created space for Nasri to run into his layoff and the end result was for all to see.
That is why Van Persie is such an important player to Arsenal. He has missed almost half a season with the team (as he usually does) so based on past records, we can expect to see him throughout the rest of the season. With his contribution, I have no doubts we are going to be challenging for more honours this time around.
Submitted by The Arsenal kid
