Arsenal striker Robin van Persie has played down his recent form, saying he is just adding more to his game to help the team. The Dutchman has been played in a more central role by Gunners boss Arsene Wenger and has relished the change but says he considers himself more of a hybrid than an out-and-out striker, like Chelsea's Didier Drogba and Liverpool's Fernando Torres.

"I don't see myself as a true out-and-out striker. Guys likes Fernando Torres and Didier Drogba, they are real killers," van Persie told Dutch magazine Voetbal International.

"I try to bring my own dimension to the forward position.

"I feel I play between a target striker and a shadow striker. I am a combination of both and that's just fine.

"In the league I have now contributed seven assists and I am just as proud of these as the seven goals I have scored.

"I find it crucial to be effective in both spheres for the team."

van Persie added: "The coach (Wenger) is particularly keen that I add something to the tactical play of the team, both offensively and creatively, that I use and combine with the players around me.

"It is my main intention to help others play. I am also free to make myself more dangerous. It took a while before I had found the balance."