Adebayor vs. Van Persie

Morning everyone. I woke up early this morning unintentionally and can't go back to sleep even though its now 3 1/2 hours until the Stuttgart game starts...I think. I hate all these time changes when they travel all around Europe.

So as I was thinking last night I thought of a question that really puzzled me; why does Emmanuel Adebayor take so much stick while Robin van Persie always gets the benefit of the doubt? We know that Robin is a quality player that can be a game changer when he is fit, but he is hardly ever capable of playing a slate of several games in a row. Adebayor, on the other hand, played almost every game for us last season, yet he takes the blame from several sectors of Arsenal "fans" for the fall from the top of the table.

Maybe it's because people say you can't blame someone for an injury, but doesn't being reliable come into play at some point? Playing football matches, not watching from the stands, is the players' job. If I constantly missed work because of being sick, I wouldn't have a job much longer. If I was an important piece of the process at that job, then it is very feasible that the company's product as a whole would suffer. Robin is supposed to be a key player for Arsenal, one that can win matches singlehandedly, yet when he cannot even make the squad because of a "thigh strain," we lost a lot of that ability in the squad.

I will get lambasted for this, but the Adebayor/van Persie strike force is in some ways like that of Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp. Was Thierry Henry ever as effective on his own up front as he was when Dennis was in there as his strike partner? No he wasn't, you couldn't expect him to be. His game was played off of Dennis who created space for him and could lay on some passes as well as score goals. Yet when Adebayor is in the game all year scoring thirty goals, well then he should have scored more by God. Before you say that Adebayor is no Thierry Henry, please see that I have said this myself before. I am just saying that to score goals like he has this past season is a remarkable feat. Playing on his own up front, after never being a proven goal scorer in his previous time at Arsenal or Monaco, it was nothing short of fantastic. Meanwhile van Persie gets all the credit in the world for being a "great player" but when did we see that talent last season? In a sports world of "What have you done for me lately?" it appears that the question does not apply to these two. Robin van Persie is lauded for his past accomplishments, (which by the way include zero 30 goal seasons) while Adebayor is blasted for squandering chances.

I'm not saying Adebayor is a better player. I'm not saying van Persie isn't a brilliant player, because I think he is. What I AM saying however is that if you want to point blame, point the blame where it is due. At some point van Persie has to have the toughness to play through slight injuries or Arsenal need to realize that they will never be able to count on him. Adebayor may be a twat, but at least he plays every match for us.

Robin says he's looking forward to the new season and says he hopes he can be injury free. That's what we are all hoping for, because it would help out the team immensely.

"Last year I played 16 games and scored seven goals - that is nearly one in two.

Sixteen games. Sixteen games from our star striker. And you blame Adebayor, who played 36 of 38 league matches and scored 24.

I know you Adebayor bashers out there (and there are many of you!) are taking this as an insult. "Van Persie is clearly the much better player!" you'll say, and "If Robin had had the chances Adebayor had he would have had 50 goals!." But the fact is, he doesn't. He had seven goals. And he only had eleven the year before. At some point van Persie has to put his talent to use for the club. Touches of brilliance yes, but otherwise, I must say there has been a lot of disappointment.

I think Robin is a fantastic player, don't get me wrong. I just think the fans' attitude toward the two strikers is so misguided and I cannot understand why. Maybe it's just the style of play, or the way van Persie's goals seem to always be fantastic while Adebayor's finishes seem ordinary. It certainly didn't help these opinions with what Adebayor has said this summer, but looking strictly from a footballing point of few...who has been more productive for Arsenal?

That's all I've got for the day. Try to take it easy on me and take a logical approach to your comments. Stuttgart match today, so we could hopefully see Mad Jens again. Cheers.