During Sportsnet’s coverage of Manchester United’s loss to Newcastle United last weekend, it was apparent that Robin van Persie was nowhere close to full fitness.
Analysts Danny Dichio and Craig Forrest both remarked that the Dutch striker looked tight, and lacked pace. With Wayne Rooney out due to suspension, missing the explosiveness and creativity that van Persie usually provides was even more glaring.
So the news that emerged on Friday that van Persie could be sidelined for a month with a thigh injury did not come as a shock to our staff. But it seems only appropriate to look at how this could impact Manchester United’s fortunes this season.
David Moyes’ first-season struggles have been well documented so far, and there’s no doubt losing your top scorer is a significant loss. In fact, going back to the start of the 2010-11 campaign, van Persie has scored 40 per cent more goals than the next closest Premier League player:
Most Premier League goals since start of 2010-11 season
Robin van Persie—81
Wayne Rooney—58
Luis Suarez—53
Sergio Aguero—47
Dimitar Berbatov—44
Furthermore, the stark contrast between how Manchester United look with and without van Persie in the starting lineup is quite glaring this season. The club has six wins in ten games with their leading scorer in the starting eleven, including a very impressive 1-0 win against Arsenal (yes, RVP was the only goal scorer in that game).
In comparison, Manchester United is winless in five matches without van Persie on the field for kickoff, while averaging just 1.2 goals per game. That segment of games includes a shocking home loss to West Bromwich Albion in late September, and a listless 2-2 draw to Cardiff last month.
However, while there’s no good time to lose the league’s most prolific scorer over the last three and a half years, this might be the best possible part of the calendar for van Persie to sit out.
As we all know, the holiday season is by far the busiest part of the Premier League schedule. Manchester United has five games over the course of the next three weeks, and it could have been disastrous if van Persie attempted to work through his physical problems during this demanding portion of the campaign.
But the big reason why this is the opportune time for Manchester United to be short up front is this: No team has an easier remaining December schedule than the Red Devils. They face Aston Villa, West Ham United, Hull City, and Norwich City, making Moyes and his men the only Premier League side that will not face a top 10 club between now and the end of the month.
It seems funny when you look back to the start of the season when Moyes was complaining to the media about his club’s difficult opening block of matches. If the first half of their fixtures were structured in a more competitively balanced way, Manchester United would really be in some trouble now.
So while there is ample evidence that perhaps no team relies on its star striker more than Manchester United, don’t be surprised if the Red Devils are sitting comfortably in the top six as the calendar turns to 2014.
Chris Black is a producer of the Barclays Premier League and Premier League Matchday on Sportsnet.