Van Persie’s best role is striker!

Oranje plays Slovenia tomorrow and Robin van Persie will be back in the starting line up. The Arsenal striker gives Oranje more class. He is Dutch topscorer in the EC qualification series and started his season at Arsenal very strong indeed. Experts and team mates speak:

Marco van Basten, team manager Nederlands elftal:

,,Robin van Persie is a very versatile player. We can use him on midfield and any position upfront. That is great. I see him as a pure striker, but not one that needs to play centrally per se. It is important to him to contribute the best he can to the team, he can make the difference. And he needs to prove that he is among the best in Europe. We give him all the room to do that. He needs to stay fit. In this period, there are lots of matches for him: the EPL, the CL and these EC qualifications. Most important, he needs to have fun in what he does.”

Arsène Wenger, Manager of Arsenal:

,,Robin has completely transformed from a fantastic dribbler into a player who can also pass the ball, give assists and score. There are not a lot of players in the world with his skills. He is precise in his passing, always with the right pace. He thinks and acts superfast. Short passing, long passes, curved, tight…he can do it all. And, most importantly, he changed from an individual talent into a team player. As complete as they come. He came as a left winger, with an individual trick or two. Now he is my central striker and playmaker at the same time. He is lethal upfront. He has way more goal attempts than any other player. And he carries the responsibility now, with Henry gone. But, I don’t want him to worry about that. If Robin is having fun, he is at his best. I see comparisons with Henry and Dennis Bergkamp. To me, Robin is more Dennis and Adebayor resembles Henry more. It’s great to see how these to work together, it really reminds me of the interplay between Henry and Dennis. The only reason for me to replace Robin or rest him is to protect him. I ask a lot from him and he never ever complaints. Dennis played till he was 37 years old. I was looking for a replacement and I really thought it would be impossible to find him. If I look at how Robin has developed I am really happy.”

Guus Hiddink, team manager of Russia:

“I follow this kid for quite some time now and I am not surprised at his development. I saw him recently in Amsterdam. We talked a bit. He is a serious allrounder now, a leader. When he was young, he was a ratbag. We had quite some laughs about that now. He played for Feyenoord then, and I wanted to sign him at PSV, when he got in trouble in Rotterdam. We talked seriously with him but Arsenal beat us to it. Not a bad decision for Robin. He always had trouble with authority. A young player can get in trouble then. But he opened his eyes right on toime. Now, he is a real pro and I don’t mean just on the pitch. He broke out of the little circles he was in, and he is good in his own PR. That makes it all much easier. He can easily handle the absolute top, also physically. He is tall, toned and in good balance. He takes care of himself in terms of rest and nutrition. He is a pro. What he shows on the pitch is of an exceptional level and he keeps growing. I won’t call him one of the best of the world, those are hollow words, because he still has a way to go, but the potential is there. And he is very important for the Dutch team. It’s tempting, with Ruud van Nistelrooy as striker, to place Robin on the wing. But I say: don’t! With his sensational left he should be playing close to the central striker. He is creative, sees the game, can prepare goals and score them and he is totally unpredictable. A joy for any coach to work with.”

Robert Pires, Ex-team mate at Arsenal:

,,When I first met Robin I had never heard of him. He was one of many young turks signed by the club. But it didn’t take long for me to see how remarkable he is. I never saw a player hit free-kicks so hard and so precise, it was frightening. His kicking technique is phenomenal. But, he had a lot to learn and no better place to do so then at Arsenal with Arsene Wenger. He told me later he always watched me play. Other than Robin, I am not a dribbler but a passing player. We played together sometimes in Arsenal 2, when he was still a talent and I had to come back from injury. We had a connection on the pitch, it was easy to play with him. We never spoke or used signals, we just knew instinctively what the other did. He is an artist.
I still watch him play and I truly enjoy it. His free-kick against Sunderland was scary. It alsmost broke the cross bar. He hit that ball with 120 km per hour! Who else but Robin can do that. And it’s not brute force, it’s technique and timing.”

Emmanuel Adebayor, team mate at Arsenal:

,,Dennis Bergkamp scored 120 goals in his career for Arsenal. Henry broke all records with 226 goals. Robin and me have a long way to go, but we do feel we are already part of the history of Arsenal. When Henry left, we all feared a big gap, but thanks to Robin I think we can close that gap painlessly. We took Henry and Bergkamp’s jobs. We have fun, play for the team and we make incredible goals. I truly hope Robin and me can replace Denis and Thierry in the hearts of the fans as active players for the club.”

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