Robin Van Persie: 5 Things That Need to Happen in Order to Win Golden Boot

Before last season, nobody even thought of Robin van Persie as a possible contender for the Premier League Golden Boot. He was fighting injuries, and struggling with his form; he wasn’t on the pitch too often, and when he was, he wasn’t playing his best football.

Then, last year the Dutchman turned things around dramatically. Not only did he rarely suffer setbacks – something that he is known for – but he also played excellently and helped Arsenal finish in 4^th place.

The transition between his bad form and his good form was so sudden that he is one of the favorites for the 2011/2012 Golden Boot.

In order for him to get it, these are things that need to happen.

Fabregas Must Stay at Arsenal

One of the biggest things in football right now is the Cesc Fabregas case. Some people say he’s going to Barcelona, but others say that he will stay at Arsenal; the whole thing is very unclear.

In order for van Persie to win the Boot, Fabregas must remain in North London. Cesc, the man who pulls the strings of the Arsenal team, is absolutely crucial to the attack, because it is him who is feeding balls to the men up front.

In the 10-11 season, though van Persie scored a lot of goals, it wasn’t normally him who created the chances; he was a great finisher. Fabregas was the one who set up a few of these goals, and I don’t think that van Persie can win the Golden Boot without Cesc Fabregas playing behind the attack.

Van Persie Needs to Shoot More

Robin van Persie’s deadly left leg has been the reason for his success and his becoming a world-class striker. He can shoot very accurately, in addition to being able to bullet the ball past a goalkeeper. However, I think that van Persie himself undervalues his ability to shoot, because last year saw him being very unselfish and passing a lot.

In order to score many more goals, he needs to pull the trigger more often, and become a bit more selfish. It’s not as if shooting is a one-in-a-million thing that van Persie needs to do, because he’s very good at it, and would probably score a decent percentage from shots that he took from longer range.

As Wayne Gretzky said, “You miss 100% of shots you never take.”

Theo Walcott Has to Start at Right Wing

Theo Walcott is a very controversial topic for Arsenal fans, because half of Gooners say that he’s junk, and the other half say that he’s talented, and just needs more experience.

Though Walcott’s final ball often lacks in quality, he is so quick down the right flank that Arsenal need him there. It’s not his crosses that are so great, but it is his ability to dart by a defender, and play a pass to a teammate.

Robin will benefit greatly from Walcott’s speedy runs down the right. I think that he will have to net a few that are assisted by Walcott in order to win the Golden Boot.

Wenger Needs to Sign a Good Defender

At first glance, this argument doesn’t seem completely relevant to the main point, but it is for two reasons.

If Arsene Wenger decides to sign a defender who will improve the defense, the focus will be much less on defense than on offense. This is very important because if Arsenal are under great defensive pressure, their mindset will be completely oriented around defending. This will cause Wenger to substitute an attacker for a defender, and van Persie will have less people to help him score.

The second argument is on counter attacks. If Arsenal’s back 4 are sturdy, it means that they will have less problem transitioning from defense to offense, and van Persie will probably be able to score from that.

Van Persie Must Stay (Very) Healthy

As for many Arsenal players, injuries are a huge deal for Robin van Persie. Many say that he is made of glass, because sometimes the slightest touch can sideline the Dutchman.

If van Persie misses even five matches, he won’t be able to win the Golden Boot. If he is sitting on the sideline while others like Wayne Rooney and Didier Drogba are out on the pitch scoring goals, his chances of the Boot will be decreased greatly.

Conclusion

If these five things happen, I am very confident that van Persie can be the Premier League’s top scorer. If one of them doesn’t happen, you shouldn’t rule out the possibility, but it gets decreased.

Also, if you are a Arsenal/van Persie fan, cross your fingers so that people like Rooney, Drogba, Torres and others don’t score as much.

Please feel free to comment and tell me if there are any other things that need to happen for RVP to win the Boot!