Give him a ball and
a yard of grass,
He'll give you a
move with a perfect pass.
Give him a ball and
a yard of space,
He'll give you a
pass with godly grace.
I am going to miss Andrei Arshavin. He might have left Arsenal
distraught and overweight and the club most probably won’t suffer because of
his departure. But I will miss him nonetheless.
I am not going to discuss what went wrong with his Arsenal
career. Maybe it was because he was played out of position. Maybe he was uninspired
by Arsenal’s slump. Maybe he was past his prime. Or maybe it's because he was just plain lazy.
I don’t care about that anymore.
The reason I love Arshavin so much is this. There are many players who I keep wishing Arsenal would sign up. But the Russian happens to be the only one from that list that Arsenal actually went ahead and signed. For a club record!
I first saw him play for Zenit St Petersburg in the 2008 UEFA Cup final.
He set up both goals in the 2-0 win. Then, at the Euros, where he dazzled
everyone with his pace and imagination. Holland were favourites till Arshavin singlehandedly
ripped them apart in the quarterfinals. After shining at the international
stage, a move to England or Spain was imminent and there were rumours of a January bid
from Arsenal. I never thought it would happen though.
I still remember how the transfer deadline was extended because
of the unrelenting snow and how, against all odds, the little Russian put pen to
paper and joined Arsenal. I remember the first interview too, where on being
asked about Arsenal’s recent goal drought, he cheekily said, “I am here now!”
Things didn’t pan out too well for him. After a promising
start, he fell out of favour. Initially making headlines through goals and assists,
feints and dribbles, it was his refusal to track back, his lack of application in
training and his expanding waistline that later made the news. But I still didn’t
give up on him. I’ll tell you why…
When Arsenal desperately needed a goal and there were 20 odd
minutes left on the clock, bringing Arshavin on was never a bad move. (In
the Manchester United game, his entry wasn’t booed; the fans were protesting
Chamberlain being subbed off). Arshavin could be out of form or returning from
injury or on a goalless streak, but you still wouldn’t be surprised if he set
up a goal or scored it himself.
Face it! If it wasn’t for Arshavin’s precise cross, Thierry Henry
wouldn’t have scored that late, late winner against Sunderland. Arsenal wouldn’t
have had the much needed 3 points. And Henry wouldn’t have had his fairy tale
finish to his EPL career. Yes! In his last Arsenal appearance, Arshavin came on in
the 87th minute and still managed to set up the winner.
The departure is untimely but it is ironic too. For someone
who arrived after the transfer deadline, it is only fair that he should leave after
it too. His stint at Arsenal might not be the most memorable but it had its
moments.
He scored some real beauties in an Arsenal shirt. His maiden
goal against Blackburn. The four against Liverpool. The long ranger against Manchester United.
His fifth at Anfield. The late brace against Atletico Madrid. And of course,
the winner against Barcelona.
Goodbye Andrei. Thank you for all the memories!
