Wenger: There’s more to Arsenal than reliant Robin
ARSENAL vs MARSEILLE
ARSENAL manger Arsene Wenger insists there’s more to his side’s recent resurgence than the remarkable goalscoring exploits of Robin van Perise.
The Dutch striker took his tally for the calendar year to a remarkable 28 goals in 27 matches with a hat-trick in Saturday’s epic 5-3 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
His form has led some critics to claim Arsenal are now too reliant on the 28-year-old and there have been suggestions they will struggle if he suffers an injury.
But ahead of tonight’s Champions League clash against Marseille, Wenger claimed that Van Persie’s goal spree is a result of the team performing well as a unit to bring the best out of their captain.
The Frenchman said: “Robin is an exceptional player who takes advantage of the team playing for him.
“When you have a centre forward who doesn’t score people ask ‘why do you not buy a centre forward,’ then when a player scores lots people say are you too dependent on him.
“It is not so long ago that people asked me why I played him as a centre forward.
“He is scoring goals because the team works for him and he has an extraordinary talent to take those chances. He was out for a long time with injuries. Now he is back people have discovered he is a great player but I always thought he was.”