‘I lost Wenger’s confidence and I wasn’t sure why’ – here’s the reason:

Some interesting quotes recently appeared in The Daily Mirror attributed to a certain Arsenal-affiliated Russian:

“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.

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 personally amazed at Andrey Arshavin’s lack of self-awareness. Whilst he’s savvy enough to realise that he lost Wenger’s confidence (and the belief of the fans) that he’s unaware of how this came about is startling.

When he burst onto the scene at the Emirates he was a real dynamo. He mixed ability and energy to make his mark quickly. Who can forget his incredible four-goal salvo (and in particular the way he bust a lung to cover the ground necessary to grab his fourth).

Unfortunately this didn’t last. Whilst his talent has always been apparent his motivation quickly evaporated and his effort-levels plummeted. He soon began to lean so heavily on his talent to the extent that he didn’t bother to make the same runs that he used to, didn’t bother to track back and didn’t reach the same levels of success.

Whilst he could still make things happen through sheer ability, the fans soon grew tired of seeing him shuffle nonchalantly across the pitch appearing to the world as if he didn’t give a toss whether his side won or lost. Nothing gets the fans on side better than seeing a player work hard and Arshavin’s lack of noticeable effort always stood him in bad stead.

Though Wenger stuck by him for a while longer, it was only a matter of time before he lost patience. So does Arshavin have a future with the Gunners?

“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.”

The chances are fairly high that Wenger’s given up on him. He’s the kind of player who’s difficult to motivate and that runs counter to the Gunner’s efforts to cultivate a team of winners.

Follow @ThePerfectPass on Twitter for details on all the latest updates and various football-related musings.

Introducing the neat little app that’ll pay you to view content tailored to your interests:

ThisisFutbol.com are seeking new writers to join the team! If you’re passionate about football, drop us a line at “thisisfutbol.com@snack-media.com” to learn more.