11. Robin van Persie

If Arsène Wenger was granted one wish before the start of this season, he might well have asked for a fit and firing Robin van Persie.

A broken metarsal, knee ligament problems and a persistent thigh injury all played their part in restricting Robin to just 23 club appearances between January 21, 2007 and the end of last season. He is due a big slice of luck as far as fitness is concerned.

When he is fit, few strikers are more reliable than Robin. He was Arsenal's top scorer in 2006/07 and hit seven goals in his first 11 games last term before injury struck. Robin has bags of skill and is prepared to shoot from anywhere. You can't blame him - his hammer of a left foot means he is a threat from anywhere in and around the box. The departure of Thierry Henry has seen Robin, understandably, take up set-piece duties too.

The emergence of Emmanuel Adebayor meant Arsenal just about coped without Robin last season but the prospect of that pair teaming up is a mouthwatering one. If the Dutch half of that duo stays fit, he could be the key to a successful campaign at Emirates Stadium.

"For me, Robin van Persie is world class, top, top class," says Arsène Wenger.

The Premier League has been warned.

 

MY YEAR

October

Robin was one of Arsenal’s outstanding players in October, turning in a number of quality performances throughout the month. The Dutchman scored the second goal in the 3-1 win against Everton on October 18 before a superb display in the 4-4 draw against Spurs when he set-up goals for Mikael Silvestre and then William Gallas before firing home the Gunners’ fourth of the evening.

September

The Dutchman built on his encouraging August form with a healthy return of three goals from the six September matches. Robin hit the first in the 4-0 rout at Ewood Park when he latched on to a Theo Walcott through-ball to slide Arsenal into a ninth-minute lead. His blossoming partnership with Emmanuel Adebayor gathered momentum in the month’s final fixture against Porto at Emirates Stadium. Both frontmen hit two goals each with the Dutch half of the duo hitting the first and third goals in the 4-0 rout.

August

After spending the majority of last season on the sidelines, many might have forgotten the explosive start Robin made to 2007/08. The striker hit seven goals in the opening 11 games last term and if his performance against Newcastle on August 30 is anything go by, the Dutchman should easily eclipse that tally this time around. The 25-year-old slammed home a 19th-minute penalty before doubling his tally in the 40th minute. After an Eboue back-heel, Van Persie slid in to power his effort into the roof of the net.

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