Van Persie: I can get better

There is no such thing as the perfect footballer, and while Robin van Persie’s form this season has been little short of sensational, he knows that only too well.

Many players are dragged down by ego, thinking they’re the best thing since sliced bread (coooeeee, how’s life, David Bentley?!), so it’s great to hear the skipper say he can do better and that’s he’s not blinded into self-congratulatory madness by the goals he scores.

Speaking to the Matchday Programme ahead of tonight’s game against Milan, van Persie says he recognises elements of his game which he could improve for the benefit of the team.

I don’t really sit down and reflect on the figures,” he said. “There’s too much else to do, and you can’t dwell on things because there is always room for improvement.

“I lost a couple of balls in the midfield area on Saturday that I shouldn’t have, so I’m more interested in focusing on how to avoid that next time.”

And while many will point to goal scoring records, or the chance of winning the golden boot, van Persie’s focus is well and truly on the collective.

“You always want to get the maximum out of your game – to make assists, to score goals, to be strong on the ball, to combine well with your team-mates and bring all these things together.”

“It’s rare that you can achieve it, but it has to be what you aim for and it’s more important than pursuing one target.”

Frankly, the idea of van Persie getting better than he already is pant wetting, but who are we to argue to argue with him?

Meanwhile, the skipper has backed up Arsene Wenger’s recent praise of Tomas Rosicky by talking about how much enjoys playing with the Czech international.

“I just love playing with him,” he said, “because he’s so quick in his mind, so clever in the way he sees passes and so adept at completing them.”

“He’s just football-clever, and that’s something you can’t pick up later in your career. You either have it or you don’t.”