Arsenal boss backs strikers and plays down effect of RVP’s Man United move

Arsenal's Olivier Giroud drew a blank for France last night. Photo credit: Nick Potts/PA wire

Monday, August 27, 2012
1:50 PM

Arsene Wenger is confident his new strikers will soon start firing in the goals

Arsene Wenger has refused to accept that Arsenal are missing Robin van Persie and has thrown his support behind his new-look strikers.

The Gunners have failed to score in both of their opening Premier League games so far and a three-pronged attack of Olivier Giroud, Lukas Podolski and Gervinho struggled to find a cutting edge in Sunday’s 0-0 draw at Stoke.

But Wenger is confident that his forwards will soon click and start firing the goals that will ease the pressure after van Persie’s big money move to rivals Manchester United.

The Arsenal chief said: “If you want to convince me that we lost an exceptional player [Robin van Persie] you are wasting your time. I was the first to say that.

“We have to find a way to get around that by sharing more of the goals than we did before with Van Persie. Giroud scored 20 [last season], Podolski scored 20.

“We will get some goals I’m convinced from Diaby, Ramsay, Walcott, Gervinho, so we have of course to share it around a bit.”

Wenger also threw his support behind French striker Giroud, who made his first start against Stoke, and played down what he called a lack of “understanding” between his front men.

“The more you speak about the problem the bigger it becomes in our game,” Wenger said about the lack of goals.

“I think Giroud has not to think he has to replace Van Persie with the number of goals he has to score. We want to play well as a team and if you play well as a team you score goals.

“I do not listen to much of what people say. I listen and I try to see if it is exaggerated or not.

“I have worked for 30 years on a football pitch every day and I know what it is to improve a football player and what it is to go out morning and afternoon. Not everyone can say that.”

Wenger also played down talk about the effect of Van Persie’s departure.

“I had the same questions when Thierry Henry left as Robin van Persie,” Wenger said.

“Even last year I had to answer: ‘Why you play Van Persie as a centre-forward because he’s not a centre-forward?’

“You have to put all this into perspective, and what for me is positive is you feel that there is potential there.”