Arsenal striker claims the team are ‘mentally strong’: But are they good enough to challenge Manchester United and Chelsea?

Posted by

The Hull City team are playing with confidence and plenty of mental strength at the moment, although the Tigers will do well to finish in the top half of the Premier League, let alone challenge for the title. That’s because the squad is still limited in terms of quality when compared to some of their more illustrious rivals. The same could be said of Arsenal, despite a splendid second-half comeback against Everton on Saturday.

While the three points have never been more valuable this season, defeats against Fulham and Hull have been a setback for Arsene Wenger’s team, who simply don’t have the look of Premier League champions this season. Sporting Life reports that Robin Van Persie is pleased with the character of the team, and claims that having the right mentality is extremely important if the Gunners are to succeed this season. However, he forgets to mention that a better defence and some more bite in midfield would also be a vast improvement.

“You are playing at home with 60,000 people behind you and it is a bit disappointing when you go 1-0 down, but you have to think positive,” he said.

“I missed a few chances and was not happy about that, but you have to keep going and that is one of the reasons why you play at the top.”

Van Persie maintained: “At this time in football, the mental aspect is really important, maybe more than 30 or 40 per cent. If you look at the games we have played, like against Bolton and Blackburn, the mental aspect is more important than the way we want to play. I do not think it is a real big problem for us, but every single time we have to prove it again.”

Indeed, it’s easy to point towards the matches where you’ve done well, conveniently forgetting the matches where the mental toughness was seemingly lacking! Do Arsenal fans expect to be challenging at the top of the Premier League this season, or have you seen enough to suggest that the squad is lacking in terms of experience and quality, even when every player is fit?

Discuss the latest transfer gossip at the Brand New COS forum!

More Stories Arsenal FC Arsene Wenger Robin van Persie