Arsenal boss Wenger praises ‘exceptional’ Van Persie
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger hailed captain fantastic Robin van Persie after a brace from the Dutchman helped the Gunners to a 3-0 win against Bolton at the Emirates.
The second strike of Van Persie’s double helped secure his 100th goal for the club, a milestone that led boss Wenger to heap praise on the striker.
“Van Persie is an exceptional goalscorer, he is an untypical centre forward because many times I hear ‘Why do you play him centre forward?’ because he’s not what you call the typical striker,” said the Gunners boss.
Wenger continued, even going as far to liken Van Persie to Barcelona starlet Lionel Messi:
“Positional-wise he’s a bit like (Lionel) Messi, he drifts in and out and plays five minutes centre forward then after that comes back.”
He added that Van Persie reaching his milestone came at the perfect time after a distressing summer for the club:
“The club knows he is an exceptional player but the crowd as well knows that he is a real lover of the club and he has Arsenal in his heart and they appreciate that especially with the times we have gone through.”
Reflecting on the victory, Wenger admitted that the game was a must-win after last week’s disappointing loss to Blackburn:
“It was a game we had absolutely to win and it was a question of patience as well, dominating our nerves and slowly taking over. In the second half it happened.”
