Wenger: RVP similar to Messi

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger thinks Robin van Persie is the London club's answer to Lionel Messi.

Van Persie brought his Arsenal goal tally to 100 when he bagged a well-taken double to help the Gunners end a difficult week on a high, with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over 10-man Bolton at the Emirates Stadium.

Van Persie racked up his ton in 239 appearances, 64 of which have come from the bench, and he is only the 17th player in the club's history to pass the 100 mark.

The 28-year-old's achievement is made all the more impressive by the fact that he started his career at Arsenal as a winger.

Over time, Wenger moved the Dutchman further up the pitch and he now operates as the focal point of the team's three-man attack.

Van Persie is far from the typical targetman, though. He sometimes drifts and drops deep, picking up the ball and penetrating defences.

That, according to Wenger, makes him a similar player to Barcelona's Messi, the world player of the year who scored 53 times last season.

"I see similarities positional-wise with Messi. He comes deep, he likes to turn up up front as well," Wenger said.

"Positional-wise he doesn't play like a real centre forward. But when you look at his movement around the box he's very intelligent, goes on diagonal runs.

"I always thought his first touch was so good that he can make a difference even in a tight space."
Van Persie took over the captain's armband from Cesc Fabregas this summer after the Spaniard opted to join Barcelona.

The move was anticipated given the midfielder's ties with the club, but nevertheless still left a big leadership void to fill.

Van Persie's previous bad-boy image had made him a risky choice in some people's eyes, but Wenger thinks the former Feyenoord man has matured well since taking on the role.

Wenger said: "He has matured from the boy who was a little bit emotionally impulsive when he arrived to the guy who is here today.

"That was difficult to predict. But he is intelligent, speaks his mind and you can speak to him as well. He takes advice and overall he has developed very well."

Van Persie is understood to have sought assurances from Wenger this summer that the club's future was still bright following the sales of Fabregas and Samir Nasri, who refused to extend his contract and was sold to Manchester City.

Wenger understands why Van Persie was worried about the club's direction.

"If you're in Robin's place and you see Nasri going, Fabregas going, then you can be worried of course," Wenger said.

The club could be faced with a similar problem to the Nasri one if Van Persie does not sign an extension to his current contract, which expires in 2013, but Wenger is not concerned.

"Now he (Van Persie) is out? No, I don't think that really. Robin is not from Barcelona," Wenger quipped.

While Wenger had the rare joy of going home happy on a Saturday evening - "It has been a long time," the Frenchman admitted - Bolton boss Owen Coyle is feeling the heat following his team's poor start to the season.

After an encouraging 4-0 hammering of QPR on the opening day of the season, Bolton have lost five consecutive league games, leaving them bottom of the table.

They have had a tough opening few games, but that will not ease with next week's visit of high-flying Chelsea.

Coyle, who cut an upbeat figure despite his team's heavy defeat, is refusing to panic, however.

He said: "I want to win as much as the next man. Just because I'm chirpy doesn't mean I'm disappointed by the result. I don't want to feel sorry for myself, I want to get back on the training ground and rectify it.
"You have to give some balance to it, though. It's football pressure, it's not pressure of a dad with five kids who has to work to feed his family."

Source

"Now he (Van Persie) is out? No, I don't think that really. Robin is not from Barcelona," Wenger quipped.

Wenger is OBSESSED with Barcelona ffs.

style of play, comparisons.

Why cant we be our-own-selves!

If someone plays good football, what's wrong with following their style? After Fabregas left, you can't help but my comparisons about it.

We will always fail in our expectations if we are comparing our players to Barcelona's.

Wilshere > Xavi

Jamin wrote:Wenger is OBSESSED with Barcelona ffs.

style of play, comparisons.

Why cant we be our-own-selves!

this, I love RVP to dead but Messi is once in life time kinda player.

This is where I want to bring up the Messi-playing-Stoke-away-on-a-cold-December-afternoon-without-Xaviesta-behind-him-feeding-him-lollypops comparison.

srigooner wrote:This is where I want to bring up the Messi-playing-Stoke-away-on-a-cold-December-afternoon-without-Xaviesta-behind-him-feeding-him-lollypops comparison.

Xaviesta gas?

RVP is better because he can play independently and I can see him turning CAM as he loses his pace and still playing with world class quality.

Wenger was only comparing about them being central strikers and coming deep to take the ball..
So now the stupid media has something to mock at...
And the quote "..he is not from Barcelona.." is really a funny but well directed one... A poke on Barca and doubt even on Cesc ?

MJGunner wrote:RVP is better because he can play independently and I can see him turning CAM as he loses his pace and still playing with world class quality.

frankly speaking.. You cant compare them at all.. Messi is way ahead...

Wilson37 wrote:

MJGunner wrote:RVP is better because he can play independently and I can see him turning CAM as he loses his pace and still playing with world class quality.

frankly speaking.. You cant compare them at all.. Messi is way ahead...

It's easy to think that way but I think RVP does better independently than Messi does

He is our Messi, but the real Messi is from another planet.

Raptorgunner wrote:He is our Messi, but the real Messi is from another planet.

Earth?

I think he's just comparing their importance to their respective clubs. We'd be like without a testicle without van Persie, and so would Barcelona without Messi.

beatrixasdfghjk. wrote:

Raptorgunner wrote:He is our Messi, but the real Messi is from another planet.

Earth?

RVP is the earth Messi and the real Messi is from a planet that will take 100 years by a airplane to get there .

Sushi Master wrote:I think he's just comparing their importance to their respective clubs. We'd be like without a testicle without van Persie, and so would Barcelona without Messi.

Or he is trying to tell the board we must pay him what he wants and give him a big contract, RVP should retire at Arsenal.

Sushi Master wrote:I think he's just comparing their importance to their respective clubs. We'd be like without a testicle without van Persie, and so would Barcelona without Messi.

Our women's team does alright without testicles

Raptorgunner wrote:

beatrixasdfghjk. wrote:

Raptorgunner wrote:He is our Messi, but the real Messi is from another planet.

Earth?

RVP is the earth Messi and the real Messi is from a planet that will take 100 years by a airplane to get there .

And Messi was like cyrogenically frozen for the trip, I take it?

Raptorgunner wrote:

Sushi Master wrote:I think he's just comparing their importance to their respective clubs. We'd be like without a testicle without van Persie, and so would Barcelona without Messi.

Or he is trying to tell the board we must pay him what he wants and give him a big contract, RVP should retire at Arsenal.

No doubts on that. If Mertesacker who's a newcomer is reportedly on 90kpw, then I'm sure RVP will breach the 100k barrier. If we're to ever catch up on the world wage structure, the least we can do is give our key players wages they deserve.

Sushi Master wrote:

Raptorgunner wrote:

Sushi Master wrote:I think he's just comparing their importance to their respective clubs. We'd be like without a testicle without van Persie, and so would Barcelona without Messi.

Or he is trying to tell the board we must pay him what he wants and give him a big contract, RVP should retire at Arsenal.

No doubts on that. If Mertesacker who's a newcomer is reportedly on 90kpw, then I'm sure RVP will breach the 100k barrier. If we're to ever catch up on the world wage structure, the least we can do is give our key players wages they deserve.

Inflation

Lol he's not quite as good as Messi but he is still a special player.

He is comparing his Positional Sense to messi and how they both drops deep and then goes up.

He's just comparing them by position; how they both can seemingly play as a number 10 and a number 9 at the same time. Obviously Messi is on a whole new level, but the "Messi role" is something that's not seen much in modern football. So I think he's just saying van Persie plays in a similar way.

the earth centres around rvp? the sun goes around him