On Wednesday night, a depleted Arsenal side faced their most important game of the season with a reported £25 million at stake if they could get past Udinese and reach the Champions League group stages.
A notable absentee from the starting eleven was Andrey Arshavin and he only made a fleeting appearance in the 91st minute of the game. This is a clear indication of just how far the 30-year-old has fallen down the pecking order at the club in recent times.
When he arrived at the Emirates Stadium in January 2009, after a protracted transfer saga, the Russian playmaker proved an instant success, winning the Premier League Player of the Month in April and Arsenal’s player of the month for March and April. His four memorable goals against Liverpool at Anfield confirmed his status as one of the Premier League’s most exciting players.
Maybe during his debut six months in England, he was slightly overrated by the British media as he was a bright spark during a fairly dull season and as a result he has never gone to achieve the sort of things that were first expected of him.
I think he looks a stronger player when he starts in a support striker role, somewhere he regularly plays for his national team and that Wenger should give him the chance to link up with Van Persie for Arsenal instead of being wasted on the wing. If Arsahvin was to leave Arsenal I would not be surprised to see him playing as a forward or supporting the striker at his new club, not on the wing.
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He has been linked with moves away from the Emirates this summer and looked like a player wanting to leave with his display against Liverpool in the first game of the season. It was a disgraceful and lacklustre performance from the Russian which gave Arsenal supporters no evidence that he would once again become the player we once saw gracing the Premier League with his dynamism and excellent ability.
Arshavin is definitely still capable of moments of magic and seems to thrive in the big games, his winning goal in the Champions League tie against Barcelona was a special moment for all Arsenal fans and his contributions to the team are still important. In fact with 10 goals and 17 assists in all competitions last season Arshavin is perhaps a bit unsung at Arsenal and without his contributions to the team, it is unlikely that the Gunners would have been challenging for the title for so long.
After the high-profile departures of Nasri and Fabregas in the last week, Arshavin is just the sort of player Arsenal currently need to step up as he gives an extra dimension to their attack. However before this is possible he needs to rediscover his lost form and actually look interested in playing for the club again.
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