Arsenal vs Stoke City preview - Wenger hails complete Van Persie

Posted Sunday, October 23, 2011 by PA

Arsene Wenger believes handing Robin van Persie the captain's armband has made him the best all-round striker in the Premier League.

The Arsenal manager insists his one-time problem player has grown into a leader who can help inject drive and desire into the Gunners after their struggling start to the season.

Wenger, whose side have won five of their last six matches without impressing, said: "He has made a big improvement on the mental side since he has arrived to this club. And I think the final step was the armband.

"Yes, he had a history of being a bit temperamental, but he is a guy who takes things on board."

Asked whether he was the best all-round striker in the Premier League, Wenger added: "This season, certainly, yes. The last six months, certainly the most efficient.

"He's not a typical goal-scorer. When you see him play it never comes to your mind that this guy is a goal-scorer. And then you look at the record and think he's not only a good player, he's as well a top class goal-scorer.

"For all the other goal-scorers you do the opposite. You think they do not contribute too much to the game but they score the goals. For him it's the opposite. You look, this is a good player. And then you see that he scores goals as well."

Wenger is mindful that Holland international Van Persie has played 16 matches this season already and 41 this year and he could even decide to rest him against Stoke at the Emirates stadium on Sunday.

Wenger said: "On Monday I decide always to rest him and on Friday I play him again. It is always a difficult decision (leaving him out) to make at the moment, but I will have to do it.

"We will assess everybody, then I will make the decision for Sunday. I will have to rotate a little bit."

Carl Jenkinson misses out with the knee problem he picked up against Marseille in the Champions League in midweek. He will be out for a fortnight, as will Kieran Gibbs with an injury to his stomach muscles.

Manager Tony Pulis believes tired minds have been more of a problem than weary bodies for Stoke in the games that have followed their European fixtures.

The last two times the Potters have played in the Barclays Premier League on the Sunday after a Thursday night Europa League assignment, they have been beaten, going down 4-0 at Sunderland and 2-0 at Swansea.

Having seen his team defeat Israeli outfit Maccabi Tel Aviv two days ago, Pulis is keen to halt the pattern and is convinced the key is getting his players' heads right.

"We have looked at the stats and it is a mental thing rather than a physical thing," Pulis said. "Our running stats in the games at Swansea and Sunderland were very good, but we didn't look as sharp as maybe we could have been.

"So we are looking at that - but Arsenal would be tough whether we had played Thursday or just last Saturday."

The Gunners have made a poor start to the season, but their form has picked up in recent weeks and Pulis is certainly not about to underestimate the task that lies ahead.

"It will be tough - Arsenal have won five of their last six games," Pulis said. "They are on a bit of a roll and I think people have forgotten that.

"In the team we pick, everyone will have to be on their mettle - if not, we will get beaten."

Pulis will check on the condition of winger Jermaine Pennant. Former Gunner Pennant has been experiencing some trouble with his hamstring and did not feature against Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Jonathan Woodgate also missed that game as he is not part of Pulis' European squad and will come back into contention if he is fit, while Danny Higginbotham - out since April with a knee injury - may be involved as well after playing for the reserves this week.