Wenger applauds ‘special’ RVP
Van Persie opened the scoring after 29 seconds with an 18-yard
drive on Sunday before hitting a late winner for the Gunners with a
wonderful curling free-kick after Sebastian Larsson had equalised
for the Black Cats. It is the second time in three weeks that van
Persie has scored a brace to help the north London side clinch
victory in what has so far been a poor start to their campaign. The
last time he bagged two, in the 3-0 win over Bolton last month, he
caused concern among Arsenal fans by insisting that he was in no
hurry to extend his current contract, which expires in 2013. That
prompted fears that the club would be forced to sell the
28-year-old in the same way that they had to let Samir Nasri go to
Manchester City after the midfielder refused to sign a contract
extension this summer. Van Persie moved to allay fears about his
future in his programme notes before the game, insisting that he is
totally committed to the Arsenal cause, and Wenger is also not
worried about the former Feyenoord man’s relaxed attitude towards
penning a new deal. “The ideal situation is that he extends his
contract and if he doesn’t you have to respect that. What is
important is he plays how he plays,” Wenger said. “We are all eager
to see special football players and he is a special football
player. “For me commitment is [giving your best] as long as you are
at the club, not how long you are at the club. “If you give
absolutely 100% until the last day of your contract, that is what I
call commitment. “For me it is not commitment to have a long
contract. “He knows that we are ready to talk about it (a new
contract), but the most important thing is what you do on the pitch
and how much you are committed to the cause as long as you are at
the club.” With Nasri and Cesc Fabregas now out of the door, and
Jack Wilshere sidelined until the new year through injury, van
Persie is arguably the only player capable of turning a match for
the Gunners. The Holland international would have had a hat-trick
on Sunday had his delightful first-half chip not bounced out to
safety off a post. Wenger was in no doubt that his team would have
struggled without van Persie’s telling contribution. “Robin was
exceptional. When you analyse the game you see just how important
he is,” the Gunners boss said. “The first chance was created by the
play of the team and, with the second chance, he made the
difference with his skill.” Sunderland had a few opportunities to
take a 2-1 lead after Larsson had scored a spectacular free-kick to
equalise. The best of those opportunities fell to Lee Cattermole,
who headed Stephane Sessegnon’s cross straight at Wojciech Szczesny
from close range just before the break. Black Cats boss Steve
Bruce, who is under pressure with his side sitting just outside the
relegation zone, felt the midfielder’s miss was key to the outcome
of the match. “It was an awful start but Larsson got us back in the
game with a wonder goal,” Bruce said. “The big turning point for me
was Lee’s miss just before half-time. “It’s a great save, but I
would be disappointed if I had missed from that range.” Wenger,
meanwhile, could be without Aaron Ramsey and Kieran Gibbs for
Wednesday’s Champions League match against Marseille. Ramsey was
left out of Sunday’s game with a hamstring problem and Gibbs came
off five minutes in to the second half with a stomach injury. The
Arsenal boss, who is already without key defenders Bacary Sagna and
Thomas Vermaelen, says Ramsey and Gibbs have only a “small chance”
of playing in France.