Andrei Arshavin says he doesn’t know why he fell out of favour at Arsenal, but says moving to Zenit St Petersburg was necessary in order to keep his Euro 2012 dream alive.
It seemed an odd move in February, not long after the diminutive Russian had set up Thierry Henry’s late winner at the Stadium of Light, but Arsenal haven’t much missed him, winning 8 out of 10 games.
With a summer tournament on the horizon, Arshavin felt he was in danger of missing out on selection for the Russian squad, hence the loan deal.
Quoted in The Mirror, he says, “I left Arsenal in February to try and regain my level to play for Russia and after the last few months with Zenit I believe it was a successful choice.
“The offer from Zenit was good in every sense. If I had stayed in London then I am convinced that my chance to make the final squad for Russia would have passed.”
Without going into specifics, Arshavin admitted difficulties at Arsenal, but seems in the dark as to what Wenger’s reluctance to pick him was about (hint: it was because he was really quite lazy).
“I suffered different problems at Arsenal. I lost the confidence of the coach. I wasn’t sure why. But I wasn’t getting the chances to play. I’m now with Zenit – and again after the Euros.
“After the Euros, I will study my future, think about it. And I would like to talk to Wenger before I make any decision.”
It seems unlikely that any kind of return to Arsenal will take place, and with just one year left on his contract, he could be available at an attractive price to clubs across Europe.
The little scamp.
Aww that’s cute, little Arseshaven doesn’t know why Wenger lost faith. Such a sweet kid.
He lost faith because you were decidedly average for more than a season Andrei and wandered around the pitch off the ball with zero urgency, direction or purpose. In layman’s terms you looked arrogantly lazy a lot of the time.
He lost faith because the statue of Tony Adams outside the stadium would have moved faster and worked harder than him Arshavin was the human statue most of the time
Don’t care what anyone says he was at times a great player scoring some amazing and important goals (Liverpool, Barca). Feel sorry for the way his career at Arsenal ended but wish him the best of luck with whatever he does and i know he will always have a place for the Arsenal in his heart as EVERY player does that leaves the club…..The little scamp!
spot on!! ^^^^
I too will remember Andrey as the guy that stuffed the ‘smashers at Anfield, rather than this seasons version. Good luck to him
I always loved the funny faces he would make when he scored
He was indeed a great player and character and yes he scored against Barca and Liverpool.
Whether (in the end) that justifies his price tag and him being our most expensive transfer is another story though. He wasn’t as influential as he could have been with his talent and you can criticize him in that regard.
Because you are no ox! Still a shame about arshavin… I really had a soft spot for him. Good luck with the future andrei.. We will always remember anfield and barcelona.
Andrie was somtins poor but i dont beliv he lost d manager faith
What?
Dolan?
Will forever remember his goal against Barcelona in that amazing night. Was the perfect ending to the night, playing Barcelona at their own game rather than just setting up camp outside our own 6-yard box.
Hulloh. This is Arshavin. Did you know…Tomas Rosicky…he eat people?!?!
Because you were becoming quite fat and frankly were shit during the last mmh… 18 months?
He seemed to lose any sense of urgency or fight in his playing. It was as if the games were not that important anymore when, of course, they were.
Great player, my favorite Arsenal player after first Robert Pires, then Alex Hleb. Just curious the last 2 had issue with being played out of position. Andrey Arshavin…sometimes I wish you had that Liverpool performance week after week.
I’m just stunned Hleb made your Top 3.
People will say he scored some wonderful goals at the end of the day it means jack and shit. I remember Sylvian Wiltord scored the winning goal at Old Trafford that clinched us the league in 2002. But that still didn’t stop him from getting roasted and booed by fans for the following couple of seasons. The reality is for how good Arshavin is supposed to be his tenure at Arsenal has been rather dissapointing
What the hell is wrong with you? So it is good to boo Wiltord who scored the title winning goal, and this is why you can also boo Arshavin.
Idiot.
I don’t think that’s what Chris was saying.
Progman thats not what i said in my comment so maybe you should reread it yourself and understand it before calling someone an idiot. And if you don’t understand it i’d gladly try give you my thought of thinking behind what i meant
Will someone pls explain to me y most Arsenal fans hold a special place for Arshavin even though he was avg at best on most times…….largely because he was one of those players who in one second could turn a game on its head, always had the potential to do so to say the least…….it really is a shame the way things turned out with him……….Some great memories, and great goals, Anfield, Barcelona, a super effort at OT, and some great goals against lesser teams, not to mention his winner at Anfield……….I wish you would stop being so lethargic and… Read more »
i would regret losing arshavin.i really hope he comes back next season and put things back in order like a champ.arsenal deserves champs and i hope arshavin gives his best for the sake of arsenal for one last season.i don’t want a bittersweet ending with arshavin.i want a happy ending.but,it’s all upto him and wenger.eitherways i wish him best of luck.
Because he noticed like most of us, you started to play the bench game more than kick a ball. Your action was becoming very contagious that even Chamakh has got the fever.
But a long loan spell at a second division team will cure that disease.
Oh, that’s something new. So, when some other Arsenal player suddenly became shit, now we know who to blame – Arshavin, of course! He is the reason why Chamakh is a flop, why Ramsey knows f@#k all what to do on the pitch and cannot deliver a pass, why Gervinho, Walcott etc.etc.etc. It’s all him, contagious Arshavin. And it’s him who forced Wenger to buy Park and to bury him deeply on the bench.
I take full responsibility for Arshavins demise at the club because after he scored those 4 beautiful goals against Liverpool I had his name put on the back of next seasons Arsenal kit and after that, he never played like that again. Sorry Andrei, sorry Wenger, Sorry Arsenal.
On a serious note, I liked Arshavin. Although he wasn’t always prolific he always came across as a nice guy but in football, it’s what you do on the field not off if. COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Finally, someone who isn’t too lazy to write out the full come on you gunners instead of just COYG, which just sounds like a made up word, I should know, I’m Welsh.
I often blame myself too Fozzy, since 2 years back I bought an Arshavin shirt and then his form went to shit, and last season I bought a Na$ri shirt in December, just moments before he became a useless, greedy twat.
Looks like it will be Henry or Bergkamp for the next shirt, and only retired legends from now on for me.
I thought about a Nasrat shirt myself, but fortunately he buggered off before I pissed my money away.
Please buy a Squillaci shirt for next season. 😉
Just go for all of them bro……….Denilson Diaby Almunia, and perhaps buying a Ramsey shirt as well wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world………
🙂
Ungrateful little sod. He should be saying: Wenger kept picking me and propping up my ego long after any other manager would have done, I continued to pick up £90k a week for two years whilst barely bothering to put one foot in front of the other on the pitch. No other manager on earth would have indulged me for so long and for that I will be forever grateful.
No, Wenger kept benching him every time after his good appearances.
You can check the stats – every single time this season when Arshavin scored or assisted, the very next game he started sitting on the bench.
When he scored and assisted against Bolton in Carling Cup, right after that he was busted from the first squad, and Wenger kept him off the pitch at all for next 3 games.
Whilst he was lazy I don’t think our system was ever set up to maximize his talents. He’s an attacker that’s what he does. Our wingers need to track back and that’s not his game.
Would really have loved to see him play his preferred 2nd strikerish position with minimal defensive responsibility a couple of times but what can ya do. Square peg in a round hole..
Good luck little russian doesnt seem like Hell be back
Ever since Russia failed to qualify for the World Cup he’s been a changed man. Never had his heart in it the same.
I am Gooner….now fuck off.
Frankly, compared to Walcott, was Arshavin really that terrible? Seems like very few people remember all the assists Arshavin made. He led the team last year. More than Fabregas. He always had a bit of brilliance in him–especially his last contribution–the cross to Henry to beat Sunderland which was probably the best cross by an Arsenal player all year. He’s quality. To me, its not surprising that his form dipped after Russia got the World Cup and England didn’t. The referees did not protect him whatsoever. It was disgraceful. And I’m not surprised he wasn’t rushing into 50-50 challenges. Walcott’s… Read more »
Not very much into self-examination, are you Andrei?
A club source pins it on the day Andrei dropped the owl look. Arsene wasn’t amused.
Good luck to the little russian. I’ll always remember that shirt over your head the night we beat barca
Remembering the Shava goal vs barca gives me the chills everytime. Good luck to our little Russian.
Arshavin who now?
“Footballer in utter lack of personal awareness shocker……”
Seeing that you asked so nicely, let us assist you to find the answers: AA greatest contribution for the best part of season was on the Ask A? Web pages. Another way of gaining popularity with the fans and on shirt sales. Then on the pitch the focus was on giving 1 assist in a game. Once you had achieved that as far as you were concerned, playing time was over. Whether the game was won or lost!
What is know in the business as no commitment and an easy pay day!
To be fair, arshavin would have been a superb acquisition back in the day similar to Marc Overmars in his roll. However the modern game has far less room for the luxury mercurial talent, look at other teams, ie Berbatov at Manure and Van der Vart at the Cunts, undeniably gifted but, like arshavin, seriously lacking in work rate, therefore, never cementing a regular place.
He should have been played in a more central position from the start of the season following the departures of Fabregas & Na$ri and the arrival of Gervinho as I always thought this wa his favourite position, I feel that it was a wasted opportunity to get the best out of a player who on his day could be genuinely world class
He lost faith because for some time you didn’t play very well.
Player A – talented and very experienced, national captain, but frankly really couldn’t be arsed, so was shipped out = nice words.
Player B – talented, inexperienced, national captain and tries probably too hard at times, and we now have to rely on him for the last 4 games = abuse.
What a fucked up World.
Fair point well made
I guess people are pre-disposed to liking some people and not others and I also think a lot of people loved andrei’s personality better than Ramsey’s.
But yes fair point, very true
What’s even more disgraceful about the abuse directed towards Ramsey, is that he had his leg broken while doing service for Arsenal.
That should buy him even more goodwill among supports, but as said, it’s fucked up.
If the man says he doesnt know why Wenger lost faith in him, he doesnt know why Wenger lost faith in him. Its a little like how we dont know how the sex was the previous night when we wake up in the morning with a hangover. There are so many things we just simply dont know, even though we probably should.
The similie’s interesting…lol…
You should always assume the sex was good, and you’ll probably be right.
Andrie ws great 4 us. Stil luv d guy
Because you consistently let Wenger down while he was consistently showing his faith in you
Mooro, class comment mate. Ramsey is young, he may be good enough one day maybe not, it’s football and as usual it’s down to opinions but the bloke works his bolox off, Id take that over the gifted but lazy Russian any day.
Stayed out of the Rambo debate till now, but the Arseblog and Tim Stillman column yesterday really hit a nerve. How some of our fans can give their own player that level of abuse is totally beyond me. Particularly one still learning the game and who’s being asked to play sometimes where he’s not actually suited. I always had Gooners up as a cut above all other fans and it’s sad and disappointing that these idiots are associated with our club. Don’t get me wrong, Rambo drives everyone nuts with the backheels and the extra touch, but that doesn’t warrant… Read more »
Absolutely agree with you on the Ramsey/arsenal fans comment….god forbid the fellow ever land on arseblog and read some of the hateful stuff written bout him by some club “supporters”…criticism, so long as its constructive, would always be welcomed but its pretty crazy what some people senselessly post sometimes…
I think (and hope) that a player of his class will com good…its like we forget what a brilliant player he was before his injury (still curse that bugger Shawcross to this day)
there’s no “debate” as such, rather the majority of gooners who understand that rambo is a young man with a bucket of exciting potential and his journey to (we hope) greatness has been delayed by neanderthal shawcross. then there’s a minority of window licking spackers who don’t understand the difference between form and class, the same people would have been screaming for RvP to be moved on in seasons gone by. plus it’s all relative. remember how lehmann took a kicking when he arrived, mainly because he was having to step into spunky’s shoes? and good god didn’t we all… Read more »
Well said agree get behind our players instead of destroying them
[…] other news Andrei Arshavin says he doesn’t know why Arsene Wenger lost faith with him. You know, I’m rarely surprised by a footballer’s lack of awareness but this is right […]
Wonder why it’s so hard for him to figure out why the manager lost faith in him! He had done some magic for us against Liverpool, Barca and Villa, but after all those moments and some others I couldn’t remember he hasn’t done us any good, he has been lazy, couldn’t dribble and sometimes waste good scoring chances.
Wherever he’ll might be playing next season we wish him well.
I’m one of those who really loved him, but was disappointed with what appeared to be less than 100% commitment from him. These things become apparent as the moments of magic dry up I guess.
As Arseblogger has mentioned before, one man’s ‘mercurial’ is another’s ‘lazy’.
Incidentally, he’s lucky not to have had his leg broken by a ridiculous foul (don’t think it was called) from Karl Henry last season at Wolves – absolute disgrace of challenge. Fuck Karl Henry.
Compare and contrast: Ramsey: tries too hard in attempts at trickery like backheels and shooting when he should pass and passing when he should shoot. Potentially the future Arshavin: Doesn’t try hard enough, doesn’t understand the giving ~15% effort 85% of the time isn’t gonna cut it. Lost his work ethic after Russia failed to qualify a couple years ago. The past On the lighter side of things, pot calling the kettle black, Wayne Rooney took to twitter to blast Drogba telling him to stop diving. Now that’s a good one! That’s like Balotelli getting on twitter telling Joey Barton… Read more »
Lazy Arshavin is still better than Chamakh/Park!
Chamakh definitely! Park, how would we know since we never see him play
So funny that people rag on Arshavin but guard Ramsey because of his potential. Because all of the other young players we had didn’t have “potential”? I am all for supporting Ramsey but he has been lackluster and has been shoved into this position too fast. I want to give him a break but I can’t. Really wish he would get a few games here and there until he proves himself rather than just full game week in and week out hoping that he will come good. I’m not trying to bash him I just think that everyone is hyping… Read more »
Oh comon andre! I’m sure you could think of at least 5 reasons to answer that one yourself …
I’m tired to hear about “oh, THAT Liverpool and Barca goal, and that’s all”.
Come on, people, he scored 30 goals being in Arsenal, and many of those were goals Arsenal badly needed back then. (And provided 40 assists). Still, Wenger “has lost faith in him”. Look, who busted Arshavin from the squad? By the way, it was useless Gervinho and “brilliant” Walcott. Right, Gervinho is THE man Wenger has faith in.
[…] other news Andrei Arshavin says he doesn’t know why Arsene Wenger lost faith with him. You know, I’m rarely surprised by a footballer’s lack of awareness but this is right […]