Sep 23, 2019
that time our long bean won PFA player of year
seen from United States
seen from Canada
seen from Kazakhstan
seen from South Korea
seen from United States
seen from Australia
seen from Peru
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Russia
seen from Singapore
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from Mexico
seen from Canada
seen from United States
seen from Türkiye
seen from United States
seen from Türkiye
seen from United States
that time our long bean won PFA player of year
regram @atif_91 #CFC #EdenHazard #PFAPlayerOfTheYear titles imminent, let's keep this momentum going!! #KTBFFH
Arsenal's Talisman - Robin Van Persie
"I never thought I would end up as a main striker. I actually never played there before - I did it a couple of times at youth level, but it was nothing really special".
His cup runneth over with modesty. Every season, the Premier League always unearths a new talent that becomes the shining light of a team. We've seen it with Wayne Rooney, Didier Drogba, Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry and Alan Shearer. That one season that can catapult the status of a player from very good, to world class. This year was the turn of Arsenal's talismanic Dutchman, Robin Van Persie.
To me, the stat about RVP scoring 30 goals last year seemed to creep up out of nowhere. Everyone was expecting big names in the City, United or Chelsea squads to perform but quietly, on a pitch in North London one man was consistently brilliant. Everyone knew of his quality, but the latter part of 2011 shone a light on it, he hit that magic 30 mark (an unbelievable achievement) and has been delivering ever since.
At the beginning of the season, the immediate future of the gooners looked bleak. They lost their captain to (arguably) the best league club in world, and their second best player (again, arguably) could not turn down the prospect of £180,000 a week. Let's not mess around, loyalty was completely lost on Samir Nasri and he almost bit the Sheikh's hand off at the prospect of triple salary. But I digress, the prospect of Champions League football looked a mountain to climb, but one man saw things differently. Arsenal look the safest bet to secure third place in the Premier League and it is thanks to RVP and his supporting cast. Arsenal have had some key players in Song, Arteta and Szczesny playing their part in key games, but without the Dutchmen at the helm Arsenal would have not have had half of the success as they have had.
The hinge on which Arsenal's season have swung on, in my opinion have rested on two key games. The home game against Everton, and the away fixture against Liverpool. I want to start with the former.
The game itself was not a classic by any stretch of the imagination, but the goal scored by RVP encapsulated everything about him this season. The assist from Alex Song, embodied the quality of assistance in the Arsenal midfield. That ability to pick a pass when lesser teams would have capitulated and watch opportunity sail on by. And the finish, my word what a finish. A pinpoint volley, guided into the bottom corner with such precision, a master marksman would have admired. Finally the scoreline, 1-0. The scoreline where the maximum spoils are won by the most slender of margins. The ability of one man to snatch victory from the jaws of parity.
Now on to the away fixture against Liverpool. In the first half of the game, Arsenal did not play well against one of the worst Liverpool teams every to play in the top flight. After the Koscielny own goal, Arsenal looked dejected and Liverpool looked in the ascendancy. But two moments of brilliance changed that game, and they both involved the Dutchman. A cool header from a quite brilliant cross, and then a goal scored of unbelievable quality. Much like the goal from the Everton game it oozed quality, and the celebration afterwards. RVP ran towards the Arsenal fans, his arms outstretched and the smugness on his face seemed to contradict the above quote: He's good, and I think he knows it.
The plaudits for him have come thick and fast, being awarded the PFA Player of the Year and the Football Writers' Footballer of the Year. Now the speculation rests on where the man who has scored 37 goals in all competitions in this season will be next season, will he partner the latest addition to the Arsenal ranks Lucas Podolski? Or will he set sights on pastures new? With the blue moon lurking, there may be another twist in the tale yet?
Whatever happens there can be no doubt that he has been magnificent this season and is deserving of his accolades. However, he still has a long way to go to reach the higher echelons of the game currently occupied by a certain Ronaldo and, on an even higher level, a certain Messi.