RVP has recalled some important advice he received from Sol Campbell.
Former Arsenal striker Robin van Persie has recalled a conversation he had with Gunners legend Sol Campbell that helped him out early in his career.
The Dutchman took a while to really get going for Arsenal, but ended up becoming one of the most lethal forwards in the game, shining for us and later for Manchester United after his controversial transfer in the summer of 2012.
While many Gooners will no doubt now hold that against RVP, it is still worth remembering what a joy to watch he was for so long, and it’s interesting to see that he now credits Campbell with giving him some useful feedback on his game.
Speaking on the High Performance Podcast, as quoted by the Metro, he said: “Sol told me once, he said, ‘Robin, the way you play, it’s a dream for a defender like me’ and I said: ‘Why, tell me why!’. He said: ‘Because you want every ball into your feet. You have to force me to make a choice to close you down or to follow you. You have to make runs in behind’.
“Then I came up with the rule: okay, out of three actions at least one of them has to be in behind because I have to hurt defenders because Sol Campbell told me he doesn’t like it. So I was constantly asking myself questions and listening to players who were better than me.”
This just shows the importance of having experienced, intelligent winners in your squad, and one big criticism of the club in the second part of the Arsene Wenger era is just how quickly so many key figures like Campbell and other members of the Invincibles were offloaded.
Pity Campbell could not get RVP to stay fit. Van Persie was injured 75% of his Arsenal career and left after his one good season. He then had one good season at Man U and disappeared. A two season wonder.