I am first of all sorry for Robin, the man, then for the player and Arsenal, as we try to look forward
It’s funny. This International break had to be one during which I wouldn’t have written anything as my policy is that if I have nothing to write, well I don’t. Unfortunately, I am forced to write something but believe me, I wished I wasn’t.
Of course by now you all heard about the news that Robin van Persie will be sidelined for months with the horrible words “tears ankle ligaments” all over the Internet this morning.
As as I said on Saturday, I was watching the game as I picked it over the Ireland-France one because of Robin and was first upset to see the Italian defender tackling like that after only 10 minutes in an International friendly and then devastated to see Robin stretchered off and in pain. In a way you can’t blame Chiellini, many complain that friendlies are taken lightly and should be reduced and then let’s face it, he took plenty of the ball.
You Need To Be Strong, Robin
As I said in the title, I don’t think of a player who suffered an injury or a team – Arsenal – which will suffer after losing a key player, I instead think about the man, a man who was doing incredibly well in his daily job, scoring in almost all games, looking forward to a long and fascinating season, having the World Cup as epilogue.
And then this.
It seems he will be out until March, maybe more considering you need time to come back strong after a long injury. It’s sad, frustrating, but he needs to be strong. He just needs to look at Eduardo, Rosicky, Nasri, all players who suffered injuries for Arsenal to understand that he can be back and why not, stronger than before.
And Indeed, We Now Need to Adapt
This morning, Steve, our new team member, published a poll in which he asked who shall start up front for us during Robin’s absence and I was surprised to see many not believing Nicklas Bendtner is up to the task. I understand he’s injured so maybe that’s the reason, but I believe we need him more than many want us to believe. Just for the record, you guys voted for Eduardo and Vela to lead the forward line.
Eduardo and Carlos Vela, according to our readers
Anyway back to Nick. You can’t expect to go on such a long season, against different style of defenders without him. He’s the only striker who provides height and especially strength in the offensive department. Have we forgotten about the amazing game he had against Manchester United at the Emirates last season and how good he did against Ferdinand and Vidic? Then of course we have Eduardo, Carlos Vela and I agree, moving one of the offensive midfielders in a more offensive role.
Eduardo hit two for Croatia in the weekend and speaking of Dudu, please, please, don’t ask me about Liverpool’s bid for him as there is no bid. Stop believing the rubbish you read on The Sun, Daily Mail and all websites/blogs who are exclusively after money. Believe only when you read an interview, a quote, coming from the player, the manager, the chairman, whoever, but stop believing the rubbish where there is no quote whatsoever.
Anyway, I believe Eduardo will see more first team action and I hope Carlos Vela does as well. These two can partner Nicklas up front in a rotation manner and sometimes play together as well, especially when you consider that they seem to be good mates.
Sunderland and Standard Liege Need To Be Experiments
It’s easy to sit down and throw names of who can replace Robin. It’s easy to say let’s move Arshavin up front as he can be a good striker. But it’s not easy until you see it. Sunderland is no longer a tricky away fixture, it’s now a very hard game against a very good team which we need to face without our best striker.
The Champions League game following that is even more important I believe. It’s not a hard game, it’s at the Emirates and that’s the game where experiments shall be done ahead of the next months. I’m not talking about trying a new combination of strikers for 90 minutes, I’m talking about trying three, maybe four different solutions, every 20 minutes or so. I believe that we’re a lot and a lot better than Standard Liege, enough to indeed use their game as an experiment ahead of Chelsea and the rest.
Looking Forward
I wish I could say let’s not be pessimistic as I did at the start of the season but I would be making fun of you if I’d say that this injury will not damage our quest for silverware.
It does and it does it badly. But I trust in Arsene Wenger to find the proper solution to this. Ultimately we may enjoy writing about this and that but it’s up to our manager to take decisions and I want to believe he will be taking the correct ones.
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I’m devastated..It would have been a perfect season for robin with at least 20 goals in my opinion..but that’s life…
I’m very pesimistic about our chances now…we are truly cursed with injuries..another key player like that and we’re done…
Be strong robin…
It turns out he’ll only be gone for 4-6 weeks with a partially torn ligament and no broken bone.
He’s had to deal with coming back frmo layoffs the last 3 years so Im sure he’ll waste very little time once he regains his fitness. We have a wealth of attacking options in the mean time although its a pity we don’t have a big target man at the moment.
Lets keep believing.
I guess this is time we need chamnk the broxs forward now. VPR can not be fit enough to play again these season.
very touching piece, Chris.
i read you often but rarely comment as you overreact sometimes but this was a very beautiful article.
thank you.
I heard that van Persie thinks himself to be out 4 to 6 weeks. (he’s on Dutch tv now) That’s the first diagnosis in the Amsterdam hospital. Well, that’s positive, innit? He said he takes another test tomorrow, elsewhere. He seems rather positive about it, under circumstances.
Million thanks for the update mate, glad he’s positive after what happened.
I hope this galvanises the team.. it will be a test of character of all the players to see how they deal with losing a pivatol player such as RVP. I’m gonna be bold and dashingly daring by predicting a six goal drubbing of sunderland come saturday. Go Go Gunners!
i love your spirit mate INCREDIBLE!
No problem Chris
Not completely sure how true the 4 to 6 weeks are. RVP said the hospital said it, but you can also really hope things to be true. Hence the second opinion tomorrow will bring a bit more closure, I think.
Just want to give you this update on the news as published in Holland:
According to the Dutch press agency ANP Robin van Persie are the ligaments from his ankle only partially torn. This has an examination shown in the hospital Sunday evening. The KNVB said the player has no operations. The diagnosis shortly after the game between Netherlands and Italy was correct. The Arsenal striker will be out for about 2 months.
Thanks Walter – a bit of hope to hand on to!!!
You’ve heard the saying “don’t shoot the messenger” – well if you’re right mate, I’d like to change it to “let’s give the messenger a big girlie kiss!!!”
YEP ITS CONFIRMED ON SKY SPORTS NEWS, ROBINS OUT FOR UP TO 6 WEEKS, THE DAMAGE IS RUPTURED ANKLE LIGAMENTS THANK GOD HE WON’T NEED ANY SURGERY. HOWVER IF YOU CONSIDER HIS FITNESS AND ARSENE’S PATIENCE WITH THESE KIND OF INJURIES I CAN’T SEE ROBIN COMING BACK VERY QUICK SO I HOPE TO SEE HIM FULLY FIT, REVING TO GO WITH A SMILE ON HIS FACE, AROUND JANUARY THE 10th OR HOPEFULLY A DAY BEFORE THAT WHICH IS THE EVERTON GAME AT HOME. THIS IS WHERE THE REAL TEST STARTS FOR US, QUICK AND DIFFICULT AWAY GAMES COMING UP AROUND JANUARY LET ALONE DECEMBER, TIME FOR SPIRT, BELIEF AND CHARACTER TO BE SHOWN INCREDIBLY. COME ON ARSENAL!
BE STRONG AND STAY POSITIVE ROBIN
Some good news finally ….
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=699080&sec=england&cc=5901
He may be back even in a month’s time …. I am feeling positive ….. this 4-6 weeks we need to play for RVP …. so that once he comes back we are still in the title quest …. may be ahead of the others ….. and he can resume from where he just went out.
Cheer up mates …. Go Gunners.
I also saw that story. 4-6 weeks is a long time, but nowhere near as bad as it could have been. He’ll be back by the New Year, and I feel Eduardo, Vela and the others can ‘hold the fort’ until then.
The only question is how long it will take him to hit top form again after the injury, and of course the chance of a setback. Fortunately ankle ligaments aren’t usually recurring injuries, so I’m hopeful this won’t mean a whole new set of fitness injuries. He’s had enough already!
Van Persie is strong, determined and doesn’t like injustice. He will be back sooner then we think. We have players to compensate. This is an excellent chance for Eduardo and Vela to get to thier best, in which case when Robin returns we would be stronger. If anything the team may have to pull closer, work harder and become stronger. If we want to prove we are the real deal the oppurtunity has just been thrust upon us in a sense.
The Dutch FA later confirmed the ligaments in Van Persie’s right ankle had been ‘partially torn’.
I keep seeing this qoute, so if its only a partial tear in one ankle maybe we can be slightly more optimistic.
Damn … really devastated … i feel for RVP .. he has the season start very bright in both personal and team result …
I am not worry about Arsenal not getting the result …. I am just sad that we’re going to lose one of the most influential player that makes Arsenal game so beautiful to watch …
I just hope this won’t be a bad turn around like what we had when we lost Eduardo a couple years back
Well you should be worried about getting the result!!!!
Van Persie was on fire and on a very good run…
I am not going to talk about the CL as we are already qualify(we still need first spot)… But we have 2 important tests with Sunderland (should be ok) and Chelsea…
With Bendtner and now Van Persie out,who do we play up front???
Edouardo? well,I am sorry to say so,but I have not seen his potential yet…
Looking at our squad it is the only replacement we have…
Let’s just hope that Fabregas does not get injured in the next “meaningless” international as well as Sagna,Edouardo and the rest…!!!
Your long-time #1 Arsenal fan in Philly is in da house! Phillydawg says: fret not. A Chinese proverb: crises offer opportunities. With RVP’s injury, Wenger will not buy a striker in January. Why should he? He’ll continue to keep faith with his inhouse youth policy; and well he should. It’s graduation rate into the first team has stood Arsenal in good stead and saved a fortune, as well as earning a tidy sum through the sale of very polished players.
Eduardo and Vela are well and good. But the opportunity in the RVP crisis, the real wild card/joker already is in the Arsenal deck. A natural center forward with blinding speed. That’s right, Theo Walcott. Play him in the center of the park and his speed and the team passing game will create space. Imagine Wolcott flanked by Arshavin and Eduardo constantly interchanging positions. The thought is dizzying; they would dissect any defense.
No, the offense will be fine. It is the defense. Scary is the thought of Senderos and Silvestre as backup center backs. No, in January that Monsieur Wenger must buy a stud center back defense insurance policy, so as not to wear/burn out Gallas and Vermaelen. Above all, the defense must remain stout and tough for the end-of-season April/May title push. Come January, me thinks there’ll be a number of good value defenders on the market.
Looking forward, the Chelsea game, particularly with their injuries and our geometric and clinical passing, is another one in the win column, and by a wider and easier margin than assumed. By the Liverpool game that team will have altogether imploded; another win. Man City Carling Cup? Please. The Arsenal Carling Cup team that faced Liverpool, in terms of speed and passing, will give Man City’s full squad more than it can handle.
Phillydawg says: Once we beat Chelsea, and with a game-in-hand, stay on cruise control, don’t drop any points to lower tier teams, and we’re top of the heap, king of the hill into the new year.
By then, RVP and then Bendtner will be back, as will Arsenal’s restored strike force which, when all are healthy, amounts to an embarrassment of riches. With another smart Wenger find-and-sign gem of a defender like Vermaelen and Arsenal, and Arsenal just might have another team for the ages and potential dynasty.
Let’s hope so!
Phillydawg says: ruff ruff
Over and out!
Wenger was scared before these international games kick-off.However this injury of Robin is a check point for new combination of Arshavin and Eduardo to be hitmen.
I’ll wait carlos vela
Watever happens i keep the faith i know we have enough depth to counter RVP absence !COME ON GUNNERS!
He is the proxy of our team.i trust wenger he is going cave out a deadly striker frm d squad no problem.mis u quick recovery.RVP!!
It’s a shame RVP is injured,but trust me,we wont miss him much.Yes he’s our top scorer,but Robin has been quite wasteful in that top striker role.He is a much better player coming from the wings ,absolutely fantastic.With either Asharvin or Eduardo upfront,i’m pretty convinced we are going to put atleast 3 past chelsea in 2 weeks.Wait and see.
arshavin-eduardo-nasri(walcott-when he will back)
Now that Nasri is back, play Eduardo and Arshavin up front.. Vela in for Eduardo in the second half.
Believe me guys…
It’s a real tax to lose RVP for two months….
Still I trust we have a FIERCE team.
Can’t you see the other teams tremble?
Let’s win now.
I don’t understand why you consider the game against Standard easier than the one against Sunderland.
For memory, last year, Liverpool and Everton (better teams than Sunderland) didn’t get a victory in 4×90 minutes against Standard (home and away: 3 draws and 1 defeat for english clubs). And without the ref’s complicity in Liege (hands and offside when Vermaelen egalized in the 79th), I’m not sure Arsenal would have won or draw this game.
In Liege, everybody’s thinking that Standard could win the 24 november’s game.
We’ll see. I’m hoping yes: Standard deserves more than Olympiakos to go to the 1/8.
Olivier (from Liege ^^ – you understood it)
Hi Olivier.
We always appreciate comments from the other “side”
Well I think the away game clearly showed that even a below par Arsenal was enough to secure all three points. I’ve seen Sunderland play this season and believe me, they mean business.
‘Have we forgotten about the amazing game he [Bendtner red.] had against Manchester United at the Emirates last season and how good he did against Ferdinand and Vidic?’
Are you being serious, Chris?! He played like five kinds of sh.t, missed two sitters and contributed absolutely nothing to that game except headaches for the fans.
And he’s out for a couple of weeks too so we’re probably best off not counting on him anyways.
I’ ve heard of another offer for cesc from barca…50 mil + yaya toure and bojan… hope is another fake rumour
hi…nice blog…really…why don’t we exchange links? visit mine and let me know if you are interested in it
Riccardo
Sport City-Calcio
http://sportcity-ricio.blogspot.com
Thierry Henry – what a disgrace!