Has Arshavin really only been “average” for Arsenal?
He may be Arsenal’s record signing – a late £15m transfer from Zenit St. Petersburg in 2009 – but it is still undecided amongst many as to whether Andrei Arshavin has been money well spent or just squandered millions.
The Russian international said, “Speaking honestly, I think my performances for Arsenal have been average… “I’ve done some good things, but I don’t assess my game on goals or assists. I look at the whole picture… Normally when I’m on the pitch I take control of a game but I haven’t really done that here. I’m an extra tool in the team rather than the main one, so it’s been difficult.”
Nearing his century of appearances with the club, he has spent enough time at the Emirates for his purchase to be scrutinised fairly. For a start, his sometimes negative attitude has does seem to point to a footballer who doesn’t always have the passion to play. After a promising first half-season, the impish midfielder-cum-striker’s performances have become less consistent and his lack of presence in many games does cause for concern.
However, despite Arshavin refusing to appreciate his Arsenal statistics, his goalscoring rate each season looks to be very consistent. In the last two seasons, he has netted 12 and 10 goals, whilst the half-season in which he debuted for the club saw him bag six – half a season, around half the average goals he grabs per campaign. On top of this, his memorable performances against Liverpool and Barcelona in particular will go down in Gunners folklore.
He may seem to spend more time out of games than in them, but Arshavin can surely not be described as “average”. He has provided something special each season, and the fact that Wenger looks to have been playing the Russian out of position for the majority of his Arsenal matches does suggest that he could have had a much bigger influence than he has.
Is Arshavin right to be so harsh on himself?
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A lot of talk has been about his position on the pitch. AW said last week he would perform better through the middle than out wide, which I agree with. Gives us another option if where having trouble unlocking a defense. I think a valued member of the squad though 70% of the time wouldn’t be in my starting 11 due to inconsistent performances.
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I like arshavin but he frustrates me as even when he does well i always think u are capable of so much more if u re-adjust ur attitude n develope an actual hunger to win things
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
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Arshavin maybe a little off form but he is still a gunner ! And true fans stick by all their players through the highs and the lows !!
@rsenal for life !!!!!!!
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the game was crying out for him against marseille, he didnt feature against chelsea so why didnt wenger start him the other night, plus he and park ran the show against bolton so why didnt wenger pick him to start with park again ? the above points sum up his problems in that when he does start to show form wenger drops him and when he does get a chance its never through the middle.
next game is west brom so rest vp and ramsey and play arsh and park in there prefered roles, we have to learn to play without vp and play other systems as being so fixated on a first 11 and refusing to try different things is what cost us so badly last year, we need the whole squad to be able to contribute or we will never challange for honours or shake of the one man team accusation.
also arsh needs to feel loved an important to play his best, he doesnt get either here from the fans or the club, some players play for money arsh just needs to feel wanted!
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I’ve watched Andrey’s performances for almost whole his footballer carrier, and for me his major problem is in his stamina. He struggled physically even at his top age (24-25), and for him it was very hard to adjust to the EPL athletic style being already almost 28 when he moved to London. He has a huge talent, strong character and just lack of physical strength didn’t allow him to compete with Messi (speaking honestly I believe he could be better with his fantasy and perfect vision).
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I think he plays better when playing in an AM or supporting striker role. He is a very intelligent player and some of the missed passes is becaUse the players around him make the wrong runs. Maybe AW should establish 2 teams much like a couple of seasons ago when the CC team was different than the EPL. Use players from the other team as subs and when someone is injured/suspended. You don’t need to change the whole team but most players perform better with some players than others. Park and Arshavin played well together against Bolton in CC…
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bit off topic but WE WILL DESTROY WEST BROM
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he is a good player but if Russian clubs are willing to pay good money for him so be it
I think Wenger should deploy Oxlade Chamberlain more he is hungry for success
In january we definitely need a creative midfielder
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I feel sorry for Arshavin, hope he can do something special with this club befor its too late.
God bless Arshavin
God bless Arsenal
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He is a special player but the premier league’s pace is to much for him. He saved us when he came in 09 by ensuring top 4 then for it looked like villa will easily beat us to top 4. He still has moments of absolute brilliance but can be infuriating to. He is amongst my favorite players but realistically this could be his last season here.
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Average is being a little generous i reckon.
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When you play almost 100 games at basically the same position it’s no longer considered “being played out of position” stop using that excuse. Simply put the league requires too much stamina and hard work for Arshavin. He needs to go to a slower more technical league like Italy or Spain. The power and pace for the EPL is not something Arshavin has been able to deal with – look at his friend Pavyluchenko, noether of them can deal with the style of the league. Arshavin has good acceleration but not great top speed or endurance.
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Yes,only avaerage.Arsenal have often played with 10 men when he´s been playing. Sometimes shocking performance.I´m always aware he COULD produce something special but to be honest would much prefer he put in an honest shift.Maybe he´s never played where he wants to for a decent run of games , but whatever, he´s been , for me , a hugh disappointment as an Arsenal player with the exception of “that” one game.
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I think it’s the fact that he is so hard on himself that he isn’t as good as he wants to be. He puts a lot of pressure on himself. I think if the guy would relax a bit and just enjoy his football, the way Van Persie is feeling and playing now, he could actually be great. Arshavin comes off as a very introverted player and his performance suffers because he thinks too much about how he’s performing rather than just enjoy playing.
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Arshavin made his name in the Euros..he had two great games out of six. He no longer has the pace to operate on the wide left particularly as he has two or three marking him. He still has great skill but needs to move as playmaker behind the strikers. He will feed those telling through passes ala Fabregas. Arshavin has done more or less what I expected. It was Gazides first signing as Chief Executive…still not sure
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