The Andrei Arshavin thread

[madras]

100% no way will we be buying this player!!!!! We can't offer european football and any club in champs league this year will buy gagging to sign him.

just my opinion but i don't think he'll be going to any of the premier leagues top 4.

[O Neill]

I reckon Arshavin is the most typed in name of the weekend on premiership forums, with everyone saying the same as us

 

http://goonertalk.wordpress.com/2008/06/21/euro-2008-player-watch-robin-van-persie-arshavin/

 

From that link

 

"Alas, Arshavin’s performance tonight means we are no longer in the running to get him!"

 

Jesus. Who the hell is this guy going to play for?

 

I hear Spurs are putting together an offer... 

[James]

Think people are overrating him to be honest.

 

Brilliant attacking player when the ball is on the deck, but there is more to elite football than that.

 

Doesn't do enough work when the opposition have the ball, and doesn't put the effort in off the ball in the final third at times when he should be offering more support for his team mates. Doubt he'd be very good at the physical side, especially at times when he needs to play off the shoulder.

 

Player of big strengths and big weaknesses like Laurent Robert. Teams will have to pick a team that gets the best out of him. He is a bit too damaged for the top four.

[Guest WalkervilleMag]

Think people are overrating him to be honest.

 

Brilliant attacking player when the ball is on the deck, but there is more to elite football than that.

 

Doesn't do enough work when the opposition have the ball, and doesn't put the effort in off the ball in the final third at times when he should be offering more support for his team mates. Doubt he'd be very good at the physical side, especially at times when he needs to play off the shoulder.

 

Player of big strengths and big weaknesses like Laurent Robert. Teams will have to pick a team that gets the best out of him. He is a bit too damaged for the top four.

 

Sounds like Ginola,  Top notch under Keegan.

[chicago_shearer]

You have a point there James.

 

He seems like a player who could make a top side even better, not someone a bad team can build a team around.  We require the latter.  And if we shell out the 15 million or so it would take to even get a bid accepted by Zenit, I'd want a more well rounded player for the money.  In terms of unrealistic big money targets, Turan would tick more boxes in terms of what we desperately need (creative midfielders....or just midfielders in general).

[James]

Although I say he his too damaged for the Top Four, I can see Abramovich ordering Chelsea to buy him but Scolari not picking him as regularly as the hype would predict.

[madras]

Think people are overrating him to be honest.

 

Brilliant attacking player when the ball is on the deck, but there is more to elite football than that.

 

Doesn't do enough work when the opposition have the ball, and doesn't put the effort in off the ball in the final third at times when he should be offering more support for his team mates. Doubt he'd be very good at the physical side, especially at times when he needs to play off the shoulder.

 

Player of big strengths and big weaknesses like Laurent Robert. Teams will have to pick a team that gets the best out of him. He is a bit too damaged for the top four.

he's playing off a front man and is the fulcrum of the team (notice the difference in their first 2 games and last 2).any manager would kick him up the arse for working too much off the ball.it's not as if he's letting people just run past him with the ball.

[Dave]

I thought he did his fair share of defending from the front tonight tbh.

[Mr Logic]

He reminded me of Beardsley (in patches) during tonights game.

[James]

You have a point there James.

 

He seems like a player who could make a top side even better, not someone a bad team can build a team around.

 

Other way around in my opinion. A team needs to stick a couple of hard workers behind Arshavin and give him the ball, and let him do his stuff. Very one dimensional, he is a good enough player to get results for a tactically organised slightly smaller team.

 

At the more multi-dimensional top four, he'd negatively affect the teams balance, and they aren't gonna drop players to get the best out of him.

[Mick]

Although I say he his too damaged for the Top Four, I can see Abramovich ordering Chelsea to buy him but Scolari not picking him as regularly as the hype would predict.

 

How is he too damaged for the top 4?

[James]

I thought he did his fair share of defending from the front tonight tbh.

 

He'd chase if he had an opportunity, but other times he was fairly static, especially in the first half. Would get away with it as a striker, but I'm not sure that he'd be a striker in the Premier League unless a team produces a tactical workaround.

 

Laziness worked in his favour though tonight. There were times he should have used that quick burst of his to join play around the penalty area when other players got wide, but he remained 35 yards out pretty stationary. However, by not busting his gut at those moments, he was able to do so with great effect during extra time when he got a sniff of glory.

[Mick]

 

He'd chase if he had an opportunity, but other times he was fairly static, especially in the first half. Would get away with it as a striker, but I'm not sure that he'd be a striker in the Premier League unless a team produces a tactical workaround.

 

Laziness worked in his favour though tonight. There were times he should have used that quick burst of his to join play around the penalty area when other players got wide, but he remained 35 yards out pretty stationary. However, by not busting his gut at those moments, he was able to do so with great effect during extra time when he got a sniff of glory.

 

I think I watched a different game to you, he was all over from what I could see.

[Incognito]

I think his performances in this tournament have rendered it impossible for us to sign him.He will defo be playing CL football next year.

[Parsley]

I think his performances in this tournament have rendered it impossible for us to sign him.He will defo be playing CL football next year.

 

Even if he stays he'll be playing CL football.

[James]

Although I say he his too damaged for the Top Four, I can see Abramovich ordering Chelsea to buy him but Scolari not picking him as regularly as the hype would predict.

 

How is he too damaged for the top 4?

 

Lazy and in need of a team to be built around him.

 

Spending his whole career in an inferior league, I suspect he has been able to get by on attacking talent alone. In an earlier post, a team mate accused him of this, and from what I've seen, I would have to agree.

 

If I was a fan of a top 4 team, I would want him as a substitute or cameo player. Anything else would be unsettling the balance of the team.

 

As a Newcastle fan, i would want to have him as the focal point of our team.

[Dave]

It's all well and good trying not to get carried away, but I honestly think you're talking shit James.

[ElDiablo]

James =

 

http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/8352/failra7.jpg

[Incognito]

I think his performances in this tournament have rendered it impossible for us to sign him.He will defo be playing CL football next year.

 

Even if he stays he'll be playing CL football.

 

Not for one of the European giants though.Maybe i didnt put my point across properly.

[James]

 

He'd chase if he had an opportunity, but other times he was fairly static, especially in the first half. Would get away with it as a striker, but I'm not sure that he'd be a striker in the Premier League unless a team produces a tactical workaround.

 

Laziness worked in his favour though tonight. There were times he should have used that quick burst of his to join play around the penalty area when other players got wide, but he remained 35 yards out pretty stationary. However, by not busting his gut at those moments, he was able to do so with great effect during extra time when he got a sniff of glory.

 

I think I watched a different game to you, he was all over from what I could see.

 

Perhaps you were mostly watching the game as in mostly focusing on what was going on around the ball? Being the sad superfan that I am, I was mostly watching Arshavin both off and on the ball.

[jimmymag]

I think his performances in this tournament have rendered it impossible for us to sign him.He will defo be playing CL football next year.

 

Spot on. No chance of us signing him. Move on.

[James]

It's all well and good trying not to get carried away, but I honestly think you're talking shit James.

 

All a matter of opinion, but we'll see one way or the other if he ends up in the Premier League next season.

[Parsley]

This is purely based on what I saw tonight so please go easy but he didn't seem all that creative in the passing sense. Now I don't know if this was down to him playing a specific role in the side or what not but to me at least he looked like a goal-scoring midfielder who runs off the striker and takes on players in possession. If this is the case then surely this guy isn't really what we're looking for; yes he's clearly class but we have Owen currently playing in this sort of position and I'm unsure as to whether he's the creative passing type we need in a 3-man midfield.

[madras]

 

He'd chase if he had an opportunity, but other times he was fairly static, especially in the first half. Would get away with it as a striker, but I'm not sure that he'd be a striker in the Premier League unless a team produces a tactical workaround.

 

Laziness worked in his favour though tonight. There were times he should have used that quick burst of his to join play around the penalty area when other players got wide, but he remained 35 yards out pretty stationary. However, by not busting his gut at those moments, he was able to do so with great effect during extra time when he got a sniff of glory.

 

I think I watched a different game to you, he was all over from what I could see.

 

Perhaps you were mostly watching the game as in mostly focusing on what was going on around the ball? Being the sad superfan that I am, I was mostly watching Arshavin both off and on the ball.

if you were his manager,basiung your game plan around his use of the ball would you be telling him to work more off the ball so he wouldn't have the legs to make those runs when he had it.

 

 

 

[ElDiablo]

This is purely based on what I saw tonight so please go easy but he didn't seem all that creative in the passing sense. Now I don't know if this was down to him playing a specific role in the side or what not but to me at least he looked like a goal-scoring midfielder who runs off the striker and takes on players in possession. If this is the case then surely this guy isn't really what we're looking for; yes he's clearly class but we have Owen currently playing in this sort of position and I'm unsure as to whether he's the creative passing type we need in a 3-man midfield.

 

He's absolute class, and he can pass, but due to the way Russia play (1 upfront) the fella up front stays in the middle instead of making runs. Holland played quite deep though. I'd play him on the left of a 3 up front rather than in midfield.