Caring Van can break mould

THERE were a couple of moments at the Emirates yesterday when Robin van Persie touched perfection.

His two goals won the match for Arsenal, and his glorious spin and right-footed chip off the far post was arguably even better than the 30-yard free-kick with which Sebastian Larsson had equalised for Sunderland.

Naturally the effect of Van Persie’s superhuman performance was to get the media wondering whether Arsenal are now a one-man team. One journalist noted that Van Persie, who has a year-and-a-half remaining on his contract, is yet to commit his long-term future to the club. Arsene Wenger responded with a curious take on the word “commitment”.

“For me commitment is, as long as you are at the club — not how long you are at the club — as long as you are at the club, you give 100% until the last day of your contract. That is commitment. For me it’s not a commitment to have a length of a contract. He knows we are ready to talk about it.”

By Wenger’s definition, Samir Nasri was a fully committed player for Arsenal. The supporters at the Emirates have probably seen enough of that type of commitment.

There is not a lot Wenger can do to make sure that Van Persie shows the contract-signing kind of commitment. The player is in demand and he’s faced with a simple choice: loyalty to Arsenal and their supporters and the spiritual fulfilment that might bring, or twice as much money and maybe even some medals.

For most players that decision is a no-brainer. All Wenger can do is hope that Van Persie is a different type of footballer.

He is an openly emotional character whose on-field demeanour suggests he sees the game as more than just a job. Arsenal is not a hardship posting. Their economic potential dictates that it is only a matter of time before they are challenging again.

In the meantime they need the likes of Van Persie to show faith. Football would be very boring if all the players were like Nasri.