Arshavin really is a very special talent

[Wednesday, February 04, 2009]
By Chris Harris

Most Arsenal fans' knowledge of Andrey Arshavin extends to his exploits at Euro 2008 last summer and those customary online clips of his goals and assists.

But what can we expect of the Russian international now his move to Emirates Stadium has finally been completed? What are his qualities as a footballer? How quickly is he likely to adapt to English football? How will he fit into the Arsenal side?

For a more in-depth view of Arshavin the player, we spoke to Jonathan Wilson, an expert on Eastern European football and author of 'Behind the Curtain: Travels in Eastern European Football'.

Jonathan, how big a deal is Arshavin's move to Arsenal?

"I think for Arshavin it’s a huge deal. He was pretty keen to leave last summer after he had those two great games against Sweden and Holland at Euro 2008. I think he realised then just how good he was. Before that, I don’t think he was aware that he could do it on a European scale. So I think he was looking for a move but stayed because of Zenit’s Champions League campaign.

"They didn’t have much luck in that campaign - it was derailed almost as soon as it started - so for Arshavin the last six months have been difficult. His interest seemed to have waned and he was substituted in five of his last seven League games for Zenit."

How significant is it for a player to leave Russia for England?

"I think for Arshavin, he’s 27, he has to move now if he was going to move. In terms of money he would be fine staying in Russia because, although Russian football has to be careful in the economic climate, Zenit would be one of the two or three teams who can ride out that storm. You have to have solid backing to sustain the wages and outlay we’ve seen in Russian football recently.

"So, financially, Arshavin would have been fine staying, but the truth is that the Premier League is the biggest league in the world. It gets the most exposure, the most coverage, and for Arshavin it is an opportunity to prove himself, to prove he can cope outside the Russian League."

What are Arshavin's strengths as a footballer?

"I keep hearing people say that ‘he’s only played two good games’, referring to Euro 2008, but the fact is he was brilliant in those games against Sweden and Holland.

"He only played three games in total at the Euros and, OK, he was disappointing against Spain in the Semi-Final. That was partly because Marcos Senna marked him very well but it was also because Spain played 4-1-4-1 when David Villa got injured and managed to push back the Russian full-backs. Part of Russia’s game had been the way the full-backs got forward, and playmakers need players moving around them. Arshavin was clearly restricted by Senna but, equally, he didn’t have those players moving around him. It’s very easy to blame the playmaker for what is actually a systemic failure in the team.

"So if I was an Arsenal fan I wouldn’t be too concerned about the fact that Arshavin didn’t show in that game. I think I’d look at the two games before that when he was absolutely magnificent. He dominated those games from midfield in a way I haven’t seen anyone do since the days of Michel Platini. To be honest I didn’t think it was possible for someone to dominate like that so I think he really is a very special talent.

"He’s quick, he’s sharp, he reads the game very well, he is a typical Arsène Wenger player in that he seems to have a very acute understanding of where other players are on the pitch. Technically he’s very good, he is diminutive, but he is top, top class."

Like Russia, Arsenal push their full-backs forward and have a fluidity about their attacking play. So Arshavin will fit in well, won't he?

"Yes, that’s true. If Arshavin comes into the team and they have that movement, he really will fit in well. He could be the catalyst for Arsenal to show more movement going forward than they do at the moment. If they get him in there and if he starts spraying the ball around like he can, it will encourage more movement from his team-mates."

With Fabregas and Rosicky to come back, Arshavin should also have a number of players on the same wavelength...

"Yes. If you look at the squad, the hole being filled by Arshavin is the one left by Alexander Hleb. He is in that mould because his passing is very precise, but it’s a very exciting prospect where you have a midfield of Nasri, Fabregas, Arshavin and perhaps Van Persie playing wide in a 4-1-4-1."

Do you expect the timing of the Russian League to affect how quickly Arshavin settles at Arsenal?

"It could be a problem for him. He hasn’t played football since November so I think it will be a good two or three weeks before we see him start to come through. Arsenal fans need to be aware that this could be a player for next season and not necessarily this season.

"It’s very easy to assume that, because Arsenal have injuries to Walcott, Fabregas and Rosicky, that Arshavin will fit in immediately and add a creative spark. But there’s a good chance he won’t have an instant impact because the Russian League ended in November and he didn’t really play at his best just before that.

"He has kept himself fit but he did not play in any of Zenit’s three pre-season friendlies. It’s a long time since Arshavin played a match so we should be very cautious not to expect too much too soon.

"But the flipside of that is if Arsenal can cling on and are still in the hunt come March, they suddenly get Arshavin finding fitness and their injured players back, that could be a real boost."

Arsenal drew Dynamo Kyiv successfully in the first round UEFA Champion League

By Richard Clarke in Kyiv

William Gallas rescued a late point for Arsenal at Dynamo Kyiv on Wednesday night just as it seemed their pain in Ukraine would linger on.

With only two minutes remaining, it appeared Ismael Bangoura’s debatable second-half penalty had made it four games, four defeats out here for Arsène Wenger’s side in the last decade.

However, just as he had at Twente in the qualifier, the Arsenal captain arrived on cue at the back post to bundle home a low cross from Theo Walcott. It was a scrappy goal but certainly deserved.

Although Arsenal never looked truly comfortable in the first half, they still created enough chances to put the game beyond doubt. Kyiv were certainly better after the break but one moment and one decision changed the course of the game.

Still, big teams always respond. Wenger had suggested pre-match that he would be satisfied with a draw and it is hard to argue they deserved much more. Group G still has five games to go and this was a solid enough start.

Wenger made only one change from the side that had won so handsomely at Blackburn on Saturday. Emmanuel Eboue had been doubtful after picking up a knock at Ewood Park. He was fit enough to travel but, in the end, was left on the bench for the game.

The wide midfielder was replaced by a central player - Alex Song – as Wenger switched to 4-5-1. Song and Denilson occupied the defensive roles in that central quintet with Cesc Fabregas, Theo Walcott and left midfielder Robin van Persie given license further forward.

The small, tree-lined Valeri Lobanovski Stadium held just 16,000 and was a stark contrast to the mammoth 80,000-capacity Olimpiyskiy where Wenger’s side had gone down 2-1 five years earlier.

Arsenal’s only surviving starter from that miserable night was Kolo Toure, though Gael Clichy had been on the bench. Wenger would argue his side had been rebuilt and reinvigorated since then. Certainly teak-tough trips likes Blackburn and Bolton hold only some of their former trepidation these days. But Arsenal still had to overcome their former Eastern Bloc block.

Despite creating sufficient opportunities, their first-half performance did not entirely convince. The visitors were always patient and controlled but never dominant.

In the second minute, Walcott nudged a pass into the right-hand channel and Van Persie timed his run perfectly to race through and collect the ball on the corner of the six-yard box. The Dutchman had time to pick his spot but he chose power instead. Keeper Stanislav Bogush blocked with his body. Wenger’s formation was relatively cautious so this was never going to be one of those overwhelming Arsenal performances. But they were still the team most likely to score.

In the 18th minute Roman Eremenko’s slip gave Adebayor the chance to run at the Kyiv backline. He did an effective job of slipping between the final two defenders however, once he had sight of goal, his nerve deserted him. The Togolese striker’s attempted curler whistled just wide.

For their part, Kyiv were the compact, organised side Wenger had predicted. However they were pretty toothless too. The closest they got in the first half-hour was a long-distance piledriver from captain Nesmachniy. Almunia was untroubled.

The hosts came on strong in the latter stages of the first half but, yet again, the chances came from Arsenal. Five minutes from the break, a flowing move ended with Bacary Sagna sending over a low cross from the right and Van Persie swung a shot into the sidenetting.

A better opportunity presented itself a couple of minutes later. Adebayor clipped a cross to the far past where Van Persie touched it back for the unmarked Fabregas six yards out. The Spaniard failed to get sufficient purchase on his shot and Bogush gratefully plucked the ball out of the air.

However, three minutes into the second half, it was the Arsenal keeper who was feeling relieved. Roman Eremenko’s low angled drive rebounded off the base of the post, hit the diving Almunia on the back and trickled invitingly across the six-yard area. The Spaniard recovered quickly and smothered the ball. It was a scare entirely out of keeping with the first 45 minutes.

Arsenal responded with urgency but precious few chances. They would suffer the consequences in the 61st minute when Bangoura crossed from the right and Sagna was adjudged to have bundled over Ognjen Vukojevic in the middle.

The Guinea striker raced over to collect the loose ball and placed it on the penalty spot with purpose. Bangoura sent Almunia the wrong way and Kyiv had the lead. It was only the second goal he had conceded in 10 hours of competitive football this season.

Almost immediately Wenger took steps.

Nicklas Bendtner replaced Song and joined Adebayor up front in a more conventional 4-4-2.
However the better chances were now coming from Kyiv. Gael Clichy’s last-ditch challenge denied Eremenko when he seemed set to go clear. Then Toure robbed Taras Mikhalik but the ball ran loose for Bangoura to hammer a drive into the sidenetting.

As the minutes ticked by Arsenal wrenched control of the game. They forced a succession of corners but only had Adebayor’s far-post header to show for them.

Wenger also brought on Carlos Vela and Eboue to add some late urgency. To their credit, they kept the pressure on and Kyiv eventually cracked. Gallas’ goal was low on style yet sky high on importance.

And, on the night, it left Arsenal satisfied.

Group G Table

	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1. Porto	1	1	0	0	3	1	2	3
2. Arsenal	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	1
3. Dynamo Kyiv	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	1
4. Fenerbahce	1	0	0	1	1	3	-2	0

Boss - Why I spoke to the ref after Kyiv game

By Richard Clarke

For a man whose side had just scrambled an 88th-minute equaliser, Arsène Wenger cut an angry figure at full time in Kiev on Wednesday night.

Dynamo Kyiv had taken a controversial lead when referee Luis Medina Cantalejo adjudged Bacary Sagna to have bundled over Ognjen Vukojevic allowing Ismael Bangoura to score from the penalty spot.

William Gallas then stepped in with his late equaliser, but having got the goal, Wenger was looking for a winner. Therefore he was naturally frustrated when the referee appeared to blow for full time ahead of schedule. In his post-match press conference, the Arsenal manager explained why he spoke to the official after the game.

"I wanted to understand how we were going to play three minutes of injury time, and then only had one minute," said the Frenchman.

“Every referee looks to have a different computer to calculate the injury time. I still do not know and really understand how it works.

"It looks like [it happens] through inspiration of the referee and he could not explain it. He just said it was enough."

It was doubly frustrating for Wenger as his side had the opportunities to kill the Group G tie in the first half but failed to take them. Dynamo scored and might have got a second but the Gallas goal shifted the balance of the tie and the manager was sensing victory.

"When we got to 1-1, there was no game any more,” he said. “We were on top, they looked very tired, but the game was finished because of the interruptions for injuries and stoppages.

"You could feel the game was there for the taking, but we had no more opportunity to play."

[Thursday, September 18, 2008]