Injury's no holiday for Pires

13 April 2012

A summer spent swimming and cycling on the Cote d'Azur sounds like sporting heaven but for Robert Pires it has involved a gruelling fitness campaign. Arsenal start their bid to retain the Premiership crown on Sunday without the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year but his pre-season has been as tough as they come.

The French international is back at a rehabilitation centre in the south of France after visiting his team-mates for training this week at London Colney, where he took part in the photo-call and a light training session.

He said: "It was great to see all the players again and I think the manager was pleased with how I am progressing."

The fact manager Arsene Wenger could see such progress is testament to the hunger and mental strength of the 29-year-old midfielder.

In March, his spectacular season came to an abrupt end when his right knee crumpled after a nondescript challenge during the FA Cup quarter-final replay with Newcastle at Highbury.

He said: "My injury was caused by mental fatigue. It was not a question of being hurt by a tough tackle. I jumped over a player and did not take proper care as to how I landed. That's what happens when you are not thinking clearly - when you are tired."

Pires, who had surgery on damaged cruciate ligaments in June, looks in fine condition.

He has undergone an incredible fitness regime. He bought a £1,200 bicycle and cycled up to 30 miles a day in the morning. After lunch he would have a strenuous gym session and in the late afternoon there would be running and ball exercises and a two-hour session in the swimming pool to build up the muscles around the knee.

Pires, who was based at the lovely St Raphael's Hotel Marina, said: "I did it all summer, Monday to Friday and sometimes on Saturday as well. It has helped me a lot and I am confident - no I am sure - that I will come back as fit and as strong as I ever was before."

This whole process was started once Dr Jean Georges Cellier, the specialist supervising his recovery, gave the all-clear and Pires was looked after in St Raphael by trainer Tiburce Darou.

Darou, who spent years working with tennis players Yannick Noah and Bjorn Borg, said: "The progress Robert has made is entirely due to him. Robert always remains positive. He could have been back near the start of the season but it takes time to get attuned to the rigours of playing a match."

One thing is for sure, Wenger will not rush Pires into a premature return. He has a strict policy that rules out the selection of any player who is unfit and he will not sanction pain-killing injections.

Pires said: "I have done a lot of work, a lot of hard work all summer. I have had no holiday but that isn't a problem because I just wanted to work on getting back my fitness. That is more important than any holiday. But I do not want to spoil all the hard work and all the effort by returning before I am ready in my own mind and those of the specialist and the medical staff at Arsenal.

"When I play again, it will be because I am completely fit. Late September or maybe early October - that is the time I have in mind for my comeback. It would be foolish to risk more injury just to play one or two more games in what will be a long, hard season."

The former Marseille player has no doubt about the great relationship he has with his manager. He said: "After Marseille I needed calm. Arsene is calm, even serene. With him I found all the confidence I had lost."

While Pires was diligently working on his fitness, his French teammates Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry and Sylvain Wiltord were suffering a miserable World Cup as the holders crashed out in the first round without scoring a goal.

Pires said: "I am sure tiredness played a big part in the results of France. I have spoken to Thierry and Patrick and they were all bitterly disappointed with the results, but for me the squad arrived out there feeling tired.

"It was only 15 days after the end of the season for most of the players. And don't forget the majority of them had also had to make long trips to Chile and Australia during the season for friendlies with France. Someone said there could well be a price to pay for that. And there was."

Pires is aware Arsenal have a lot to live up to this season and accepts the Double winners will be the scalp everyone wants to collect.

He said: "There will be more pressure but I feel - no, I know - we have the mentality to handle that. We did well in very difficult circumstances last season when injuries cost us so many players at important times. I'm not just talking about myself, but also Fredrik Ljungberg, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Tony Adams and David Seaman. Yet we still won two big competitions.

"Manchester United will be hungry after a season in which they won no trophies and we will have to be just as hungry. I am confident that we will have that drive to win the Double again.

"We have players who want to win things. We play like an English team and feed off the passion of our English supporters and have this English mentality which made the difference between Arsenal and United last season."

The mention of Manchester United brings back memories of 1999 when they won the Premiership, FA Cup and Champions League. Is that a legitimate target for Arsenal?

"Impossible," he said curtly. "I would say it is just not possible for a team to again win those three trophies in the same season. You must have so much luck. Luck with suspensions, yes, but more so luck with injuries. Look at all the players we had out at the same time last season. If you were in the last stages of the Champions League and had those problems, I really don't know how you would cope.

"Of course I would love Arsenal to win the Champions League. But, as always, the priority is to win the Championship."

Pires is not planning to be at Highbury on Sunday when Birmingham stand in the way, preferring to return to France to finish his rehabilitation alone.

He explained: "It would have been too upsetting to be with the rest of the squad, see them everyday and not be able to join in the training.

"I'm back in France and this is where I will stay until the end of the month. National manager Jacques Santini wanted me to be part of the group preparing for the friendly against Tunisia but it would be too hard for me so I declined.