(Reuters) – Arsenal’s on-fire striker Robin van Persie is the “perfect captain” who owes as much to his team mates as his own talent for his sizzling run of form, manager Arsene Wenger said yesterday.
The Dutchman netted a hat-trick to inspire a stunning 5-3 victory at Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday, taking his tally to 28 goals in 27 league games and propelling him to the top of the scoring chart.
He hopes to continue his form when Arsenal host Olympique Marseille today in a Champions League Group F game where victory would put the Londoners through to the last-16, but Wenger was keen to stress it was not all about the Dutchman.
“When he starts to score goals people ask are you not too dependent on him?,” Wenger told a news conference on Monday.
“Let’s say there’s no coincidence when a player scores goals it’s when the whole team does well. I have never seen in my life a player who scores goals when the team doesn’t create chances.”
He added the fact that Van Persie had managed to stay injury-free had also played its part since the forward has often been hampered by knocks.
“It’s impossible to survive at the top level today if you have not a regular presence in the team,” the manager said.
“That’s why suddenly people discover he is exceptional — for me he was always but for the first time he has played since the start of the year.”
