Wenger´s forward thinking on Van Persie

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has defended his decision to field Robin van Persie as a striker, despite claims he is misusing the Dutchman.

Arsenal legend Dennis Bergkamp said publicly that the 28-year-old Arsenal captain was not being played in his natural position, and that Wenger should field a more natural striker to shoulder the goals burden.

But the Arsenal boss has responded to these claims ahead of the club’s English Premier League clash with Sunderland on Sunday, insisting Van Persie – who has scored four goals in nine appearances in all competitions this season – is versatile enough to flourish in the position.

“Robin’s best position is on the football pitch,” Wenger said.

“On the right, on the left, up front, behind the striker, he can play everywhere. It’s as simple as that.”

“He is most suited to the team and adapted (and) adjusted to the quality of the other players. In this position he has scored 26 goals in 32 games so you cannot say he is in a bad position because the numbers go against you.”

“But you have to be open-minded. He can play as well behind the striker, on the right and on the left.”

“When I bought him he played on the left wing. At Feyenoord, he has been educated like that. I put him central, because he is a quality player.”

Wenger has been under constant pressure this season with his team having delivered a number of below-par performances, placing them just 15th in the table.

Wenger is hopeful that his team will walk away with all three points against Sunderland, choosing to concentrate on Sunday’s game rather than casting his eyes further ahead.

“What we can hope for and what we want to achieve is to win our next game. There’s seven games played and we had some difficult away games,” he said.

“I am convinced we have good potential, we have rebuilt the team and of course we were a bit disturbed at the start of the season for different reasons, but we just want to focus on short term. At the moment we are not in a position to make long term plans.”