ENGLISH PREMIERSHIP/Tottenham v Arsenal: THE FOCUS will be drawn spitefully towards Sol Campbell, yet Tottenham Hotspur should be wary of the threat lurking on the visitors' bench tonight. It is over five months since Robin van Persie last featured but the Dutchman will take his place among the Arsenal substitutes desperate for some involvement as he attempts to make up for lost time.
Van Persie’s rehabilitation from the ankle ligament damage sustained during the Netherland’s goalless friendly with Italy back in November has been painfully frustrating and hardly quickened by the controversial placenta treatment undergone, albeit only briefly, in Serbia. The striker had scored nine times in his previous 11 games before sustaining the injury in Pescara following a heavy challenge from Giorgio Chiellini, and will now seek to recapture that startling form in the run-in.
“He was at his best, yes,” said Arsene Wenger. “That is the biggest frustration about losing him, because he had started to compete as one of the best players in the world and, suddenly, he was out. You would have been talking about Van Persie up alongside Rooney, Messi and Ronaldo, of that I am sure. He would have been in that company.
“It’s been a tough time for Robin over the last five months. When you know how much he loves football, it’s been very tough. But he’s stronger and looking good for the future of his career. I’m happy he’s back and what is most satisfying for me is that, in training, he looks as if he hasn’t been out. It’d be a bit premature to start with him, but if I pick a player it means he is fit and sharp. He’s worked very hard and, physically, he is fit.”
Van Persie’s potential return at White Hart Lane is counterbalanced somewhat by the continued absence of Alex Song. The Cameroonian remains troubled by a knee problem and will also be absent for the trip to Wigan at the weekend, depleting Wenger’s options both at centre-half – hence Campbell’s inclusion tonight – and in central midfield.
The visitors will miss Song’s defensive efficiency though, even without him, Wenger conceded that the side’s challenge for the Premier League is dependent upon defeating Spurs. “To win the championship, anything other than a victory will not be good enough,” said Wenger, who has not lost to Tottenham in the league since 1999. “So we go there with that intention: to win the game. We don’t go there to draw. A point is not good enough for us to reach our target.”
Wenger has dismissed the latest proclamations emanating from the prospective new president of Barcelona, Sandro Rosell, that a €45.2 million deal to bring Cesc Fabregas back to Camp Nou has been agreed in principle. The Arsenal captain is recovering from a broken leg and hoping to return to fitness in time for the World Cup finals, but Wenger was insistent that the midfielder will be an Arsenal player next season. “You want to see the length of his contract?” added Wenger, referring to the eight-year deal signed by Fabregas back in 2006.
“Players who are at the end of their contract can sign where they want. But, with the players who are under contract, we decide on their future. We are not under any financial pressure: we are well managed and that gives you one luxury in that you can decide about the future of your players. Secondly, we want to be a better team next year than we have been this year and that means we want to keep our best players.
“I cannot stop them talking in Spain. Some people try to be specialists at making players unhappy. I believe that this team is on the way up and we don’t work for four or five years with young players – standing up for them and seeing them come through – only to sell them when they are ready to perform. That would be irresponsible.”
