Robin van Persie hopes that he can build on the stellar performances he produced in the second half of last season, but has philosophically reflected that he will need to avoid injury if he is to play his part in ending Arsenal’s trophy drought.
The Dutch international was sidelined with an ankle problem between August and December but returned in the New Year to scored 18 goals before the end of the campaign. His performances were all the more impressive given Arsenal’s stuttering form at the tail end of the season with the 27-year-old setting a new record for consecutive strikes away from home.
Reflecting on a rollercoaster last twelve months as he prepares for the start of the new season, the hitman told the Arsenal website:
“I was 27 last year and everyone would think that you have an amazing start to the season and then maybe grow from there. But I had an injury and needed time to get back to fitness.
“The second part of last year, I scored 18 Premier League goals so it’s strange. You can’t really tell beforehand whether you are going to have your best year because you don’t really know what is going to happen. If it goes your way, I do believe that this could be a really good year for me.
Having seen the early years of his career ravaged by persistent injuries, Van Persie also stressed that he would like to continue playing well into his thirties as he looks to add silverware to his potential.
“The way I see it is that I am halfway through my career now. I have been playing for ten years and I’d like to play for at least ten more years. Of course I want to win things but winning things doesn’t come from out of the blue. I’m just a part of the whole story, it depends on many things.”
Having surrendered a 4-0 lead against Newcastle United last campaign the Gunners travel to St James Park on the first day of the season with the harrowing result still fresh in the memory. Eager to make amends for the collapse, Van Persie made clear that the road to redemption begins in the North-East:
“It’s very important [to make up for that] because if you throw away a 4-0 lead, it’s mad.
“I don’t think it ever happened in the Premier League and I’m not sure it will happen again. We need to set something right there and show that it was a mistake and it’s not something that will happen more often.
“Going away to Newcastle is very tough, they have great fans who are very noisy and it’s going to be very tough. If I could choose, I would always go for a home game in the first game. In the first couple of games, it’s more about getting your real fitness from the games and growing into that.”
Basically he wants to come into form just as he goes into his last year of his contract…
What a moronic thing to say. RVP has been one of the few players you can see actually gives a fuck, and in my opinion, puts in more effort than any single player at the club.
It’s not just Cesc. We owe it to RVP to sign some quality players too.
Couldn’t agree more – him and youngsters Jack and Aaron.
Oh for goodness sake…bloody doom mongerers!!!
Well, we don’t have the best history of keeping players when they come even close to their contract expiry do we?
We’ve got Walcott, van Persie and Vermaelen on last 2 years. If we don’t get them signed up i.e. pursuade them, then we’ll have the same Nasri problem as we had before but 3 times as worse! Further to that Arshavin is on his last year too.
It’s not doom mongering, it’s genuine concern based upon information from past and present.
your a fucking cry baby cunt
Cheer up goth
I hope RVP remembers the 1-0 capitulation to Newcastle by Arsenal and the bizarre 4-4 draw between the gunners and the magpies. I hope RVP also knows that “profit maniac” Arsene Wenger is still in-charge at Arsenal and is comfortably heading into the next EPL season with an unchanged back-line – with Kocielny and Squilllaci as his purpoted central defenders. Oh, yes there has been a change in defence – the departure of Gael Clichy. And then there is the “small issue” of Wenger keeping Bendtner and Chamakh as “strikers” at Arsenal. What RVP (now 27 years) could be implying… Read more »
What a pile of bollocks! He is saying he has had injuries over the years, he was finding form after managing to get a run of games without injury in the second half of last season, and he thinks if he can stay fit he can continue to hit that form. It’s a simple as that. Reading into it the way you have is exactly the sort of thing hack scum do, and twist the words and print a back page saying”OMG RVP tells AW to FUCK OFF!”. To be honest I don’t even know what point you’re trying to… Read more »
Complete rubbish, his first sentences have no bearing on anything with Robin and his last sentence was baseless.
Oh common William areyiy saying everyone with less than 2 years on their contract we should be shitting ourselves about? And are you suggesting rvp will only try his best to secure a move away.
Damn even our most loyal players are getting it now from the doom merchants and bell ends
Moses
What?
Come again?
Moses I’m being picky but it’s not called the EPL, its the Barclays premier league or BPL in new money, Swansea are Welsh
Fuck me what have we become this is just what hitler would have wanted us turning on ourselves, in arsene I trust he has a plan I know he does and if it doesn’t work fuck everyone else I’m still a Gooner and that’s a winner in the game of life!!
RVP for top goalscorer in the League next season.
Bromley Gooner, that is possibly the best comment I’ve read on any message board. There’s sweet FA any of us can do about the team so we may as well sit back and enjoy the ride.
I love RVP – he’s a class A dude.
RVP is a bit of a square outside of football, but a bloody loyal professional on the pitch
hope he plays at least 3/4 the games this season…