More effective, less spectacular now: Arsenal’s Andrey Arshavin
Arsenal’s Russian import Andrey Arshavin believes that he has become a more effective player since joining Arsenal, but says that his performances have become ‘less sparkling’ or spectacular compared to what he used to be in his early days.
The 29-year-old front man has been something of a mystery for Arsenal fans since his advent to London. He was signed by the Gunners for 15 million pounds from Zenit St. Petersburg in January, 2009.
Arshavin is capable of producing moments of absolute brilliance, such as the famous four goals against Liverpool. But on the other hand, he is also been blamed for not having the same focus on a consistent basis. Fans believe that the Russian loses his focus at times and there is some lack of commitment on the part of the player as well.
Arsene manager Arsene Wenger defended his prodigy and said that the fact that he loses focus is down to Russia not being able to play in the World Cup along with some frustrating injuries.
Arshavin however has looked lively this season and has already scored 2 goals for Arsenal, which includes the winner against Blackburn Rovers.
Arshavin himself admits that at times, even he is surprised by the difference in his performance in two consecutive matches. While talking to the media, he clarified that in the last 18 months in England have changed him to a great degree. Andrey said that he has become a more calm and mature player. He believed that even though it is just a year and a half since he landed in the UK, Arshavin feels that he has grown a lot in this time and has turned into a thorough professional.
Arshavin said that when he was in his teens, his focus was more on scoring goals that were pleasing to the eye. At present, he is more focused on being a more effective player overall and that has helped him grow. The Russian believed that inconsistent performances were a big problem, but after much thought, he still cannot figure out a solution for that.
Arshavin said that last year, he suffered 3 injuries and that did frustrate him to some degree. The player added that he was out for a month on every occasion and that did upset momentum. He said that if an attacking player was forced to sit out on a regular basis, it did affect the agility and performance of the player in the long run. Arshavin clarified that scoring goals was more to do with consistency and momentum and he just could not get it last season. The Russian went on to say that he has set himself some new goals for this season, and would like to take his team to win some silverware.
Arsenal started this season with a feisty match against Liverpool, where for most part of the match, they were outplayed but the Gunners still managed to get a point out of it. The second match however was a demolition job against Blackpool where they scored 6 goals. After a 2-1 win against Blackburn, Arsenal stand at the second spot in the EPL, with just 2 points adrift of Chelsea.
Arsenal has never been short of attacking midfielders, and Theo Walcott has been the star for them in this season. He has scored 4 goals this season and Arshavin feels that Walcott can become one of the greatest players for Arsenal who has the talent to take the team forwards for the next decade.
Arshavin said that when he was at Zenit St. Petersburg, he was probably the most important player in the team, and there was immense importance given to him when team strategies were made. But since moving to Arsenal, he has learned how to play as team player, and that has helped him mature into a better player.
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