Arsenal News: Robin Van Persie Savors His Current Form and Success

Thirty-four goals in 34 Premier League games this season. This is Robin Van Persie's success story.

A well-taken penalty at Aston Villa, that looked for a moment as though it was headed for the roof of the stadium, put him on par with Thierry Henry, who until now held the club's record for the most goals scored in a calendar year.

Van Persie needs just two more goals to equal Alan Shearer's record of 36, set 16 years ago. With two more matches to play before the year's end, there's a big possibility that the Dutchman might get the two goals and even more.

The striker has put his success down to the unprecedented fitness he has enjoyed this year. This is the only season in which he has started almost every match, having been plagued in the past by too many niggling injuries. More playing time naturally means more possibilities and opportunities to score.

But fitness has been the key.

It has allowed him to take more risks and try new things in matches, he says.

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I didn’t miss one Premier League game [this year], and in most games I played 90 minutes, so when you have a good run and feel fresh and fit you try things. 

You take a few more risks than perhaps you would when you are coming back from injury. When you don’t have a run, you don’t really try things. 

As a striker it is really important to have a go. If you feel like having a chip or cutting the ball instead of shooting [you should do it].

If you look at my performances, I take more risks now because I know that, with the team I have behind me, I will get more chances. It’s not as if I will only get one chance - I always get one, two, three maybe four in a game, so I can take a risk here and there.

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Arsenal's current position on the premiership table owes a great deal to Van Persie's form. But instead of savoring his success alone, he is quick to give credit to his teammates.

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I have to give lots of credit to Mikel [Arteta], Per [Mertesacker], Yossi [Benayoun] as well. They are great characters and they're really helpful in every area.

They picked it up very well and I do need assistance, they are always helping me. Mikel, he's played seven years at Everton, one-a-and-half/two years at Rangers, you can tell that he is an experienced player. Yossi, similar. Per Mertesacker played [nearly] 80 games for Germany so that really helped.

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Another thing beside his form, which has surprised many observers, is the noticeable maturity that now attends him. Last week, the Daily Mail had this to say:

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Under the Dutchman, Arsenal are developing a camaraderie off the pitch where club insiders say the influence of Van Persie and his wife, Bouchra, has been enormous.

Team-mates: (L-R) Andre Santos, Robin van Persie and Mikel Arteta celebrate Arsenal's victory over Chelsea

As well as the Christmas party, the couple have been organising golf days and nights out at restaurants for the team and their partners. Insiders say the squad are socialising in a way that has not been seen for years, with Bouchra taking care of the wives and girlfriends and her husband mobilising the players.

And in doing so they seem to be forging a team spirit. Arsenal were once labelled fragile but now appear to have developed a backbone.

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On the pitch, Van Persie is very anxious to nurture this camaraderie, a commodity that can easily be lost when too many accolades are heaped on one person in apparent oblivion to the fact that success, such that Van Persie now enjoys, comes only through collective effort, according to The Mirror.

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I want to help my team, I want to help them with assists, help them with goals, help them with good football. In some games that means holding the ball when we're struggling. Football is more for me than just scoring the ball in the back of the net. Football can give you much more. For example [against Villa] I had a nice pass to Aaron [Ramsey]; I enjoy that as much as a goal. I like to play football – it's a great game which can go many ways. I just love it at the moment.

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Love, indeed, is the word. We love you Robin and hope you score more goals before the year's end.