Arsene Wenger believes his side have moved past the loss of their former skipper Robin van Persie, and are again a formidable side in the Barclays Premier League without the high-flying Dutchman.

Wenger was put in a spot when van Persie insisted on leaving when Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson came knocking on the door, and knew that the loss would be hard to replace. Since then, the Gunners have shown faith in Theo Walcott, who is one of their best forwards at the moment. On the downside, Marouane Chamakh looks to be leaving the club in the summer, and striker Gervinho has been on and out of form this season.

Arsenal have always been strong in midfield, and Mikel Arteta and Santi Cazorla have been running the show this year, with Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere not yet in full force due to injury but certainly looking good.

The media have strongly highlighted the fact that van Persie was the sole difference between United winning the title, and Manchester City losing out on their crown. This signifies the importance of van Persie in a team. To add salt to the wounds, the Dutchman won his first Premier League medal after almost a decade in England with Arsenal.

Critics and some sections of the supporters suggested that van Persie’s departure would reduce the chances of regular UEFA Champions League qualification, given the constant growth shown by Tottenham Hotspur and other top four clubs not to mention Liverpool who are desperate to return to the Champions League. However, Wenger has proved many critics wrong by qualifying for the Champions League for the 16th consecutive season.

According to Sky Sports, Wenger confessed that van Persie’s departure did affect the team for a long time, but said that the players put faith in each other’s abilities and are now a strong unit.

Speaking ahead of the Newcastle game, Wenger said, “This team suffered for a very long time from a lack of confidence because you take the talisman away – Robin van Persie – and get the new players in, then you lose the first big games and suddenly we are faced with scepticism around the team. You could see that.”

“That was the problem and balancing the team took a while, to find a formula to have a good balance in the team. Since this has been back, we have been very efficient.

“The Bayern Munich away game was very important, you could feel after that we could do it, that helped.”

“I never felt this team lacked focus or desire to do well, but we lacked confidence for a while.”

Wenger concluded: “The resources are there mentally and physically. We have played for a long time under pressure now, so let’s just finish the job.”