The in-form Dutchman took his tally to 19 for the season with a sublime volley which secured a 1-0 win for the Gunners against Everton at Emirates Stadium in a match which marked the club's 125th anniversary celebrations. Van Persie has come a long way since arriving at Highbury as a raw youngster in May 2004 from Feyenoord, where he had fallen out with then coach Bert van Marwijk - now his manager in the Dutch national team, the pair having reached the World Cup final together. Wenger feels that is a credit to the man van Persie has become. "Robin is more mature. When you are 22, you don't have the best of games, you rush your moments a little bit. When you are 28 you can keep focus and if you get a chance, try to get it away," the Arsenal manager said. "[When he first joined Arsenal], Robin was nervous, he was impatient, like every young player. "Now he is completely different. He has something that explains his complete change. "He can be impulsive, but he listens to people, but he is honest speaking and doesn't bear a grudge afterwards. "You can sometimes be hard with him, but if you are right he thinks you are right. "He speaks his mind, but that is why I believed he has changed so much." Wenger added: "Robin is not arrogant. He is intellectually honest and intelligent. "I give the most credit in my job to those who can change, because that is the most difficult thing. People who change maybe make the biggest improvement in their lives." While Wenger accepts "football mathematics are not always completely logical", the Arsenal manager remains confident the club can keep their talisman, who has yet to agree a long-term contract extension. Van Persie's form has coincided with the Gunners' rapid climb back up the Premier League table, as seven wins from the last eight games having rocketed Wenger's men into the top four - albeit perhaps temporarily as Chelsea host leaders Manchester City on Monday night. It is some turnaround from the outlook in October, when four defeats had plummeted Arsenal into unfamiliar territory at the other end of the table. Wenger reflected: "We play every game under massive pressure. "Maybe [the turning point was] when [Andrey] Arshavin scored against Swansea, when the goalkeeper gave him the ball and we won 1-0, because that was a game we absolutely had to win. Then the victory against Chelsea helped confidence," the Arsenal manager said. "We finished top of our Champions League group, but we never got credit because when people decide you are a bad team, you are a bad team. "But we have to work slowly and let people talk."
