Judge forced to seek expert’s advice on authenticity of Eduardo’s signature

By 1970’s Gooner

The long legal process that Eduardo’s ex agent began last year is continuing and may threaten to affect the Arsenal forward's performances on the football field.

Agent Miljenko Radivojevic and his wife, who is also related to Eduardo’s wife, are claiming an amount of £950,000.

This represents about 10% of what Arsenal paid to Dinamo Zagreb for Eduardo’s transfer in 2007.

According to Eduardo’s ex agent he was unknown as a football player at the start of his career.

As a result he signed a contract under which he pledged to pay 10 percent of any future transfers in exchange for management and marketing services.

In the case where Eduardo was not transferred to another club or even retired from professional football, Radivojevic was committed to pay him wages based on the average Croatian wage for his lifetime (about €600 pm).

The agent claims that Eduardo signed an agreement with him in 2003 and produced the document in a Croatia court.

Eduardo’s signature appears on this document but Eduardo’s lawyer has claimed that it was either scanned or faked.

District Court judge Andrea Krstanovic was apparently left without any option but to ask the advice of an expert to determine the authenticity of the signature.

Eduardo has already begun legal proceedings against his relative, accusing him of acting as an "impostor".

Eduardo's lawyer, Miroslav Separovic, says the player and his wife are very concerned.

"They can't understand that someone's trying to take advantage of the transfer," said Separovic, ''especially someone who has done nothing for them, aside from buying him a pair of trainers."

Let’s hope that this saga is concluded as soon as possible so that Eduardo can concentrate on football matters alone.



Wenger changes formation and tactics but he is really creating a monster

Wenger changes formation and tactics but he is really creating a monster

By 1970’s Gooner

Wenger told a lie when he said recently that he had gambled enough with the team’s formation and personnel on the field.

How else can we explain the transformation that we saw unraveling before us during the game against Roma? A game that threatened to turn into a rout bar the goals that should have been scored plentiful.

Wenger made radical changes both in the formation and the deployment of the personnel within that formation. These changes were designed to bring creativity back into Arsenal’s game but also adopted a fast paced all out attacking approach.

To say that he gambled enough in the games prior to this Champion’s league encounter is taking the mickey really. Or maybe he tried to lull Spalletti into a false sense of security. Whatever, it worked.

Firtsly, Wenger adopted a 4 2 3 1 formation where Robin Van Persie was the front player with Nasri brought in behind him to act as the principal playmaker. Bendtner was deployed on the left and Eboue on the right wing. The two central midfielders were Denilson and Diaby.

This worked a treat.

Not only did it surprise the opposition it more importantly allowed Nasri to show all his playmaking ability at which he excelled.

This is a change that we have been asking for on this site ever since Fabregas became unavailable.

But Wenger kept insisting on the dull and sideways passing of Denilson and Song.

Now not only did the team find its creativity in midfield it also had some sort of width, in Bendtner and Eboue, which helped stretch the field and provide the spaces for Nasri, Diaby and Van Persie to weave their magic.

The second change involved making Van Persie the main man up front rather than Bendtner.

Van Persie played very well indeed, receiving the ball and bringing players into the game.

But more importantly he posed a real goal threat.

Thirdly the team played with lots of pace and high tempo. This did not allow Roma to settle nor have time on the ball. The excellent Diaby and Denilson chased everything and challenged for every ball and all players when in possession pushed forward at pace.

Eboue made runs with the ball from midfield into forward areas, went passed players and sometimes found his man. Nasri whenever on the ball dictated the high tempo with his quick passing and probing.

But the most important change was the full attacking philosophy adopted.

One of the two central midfielders, Diaby, was allowed to be forward minded rather than being defensive (which is what both Song and Denilson are when they are deployed).

But more importantly the two full backs were allowed to take the hand brake off and resumed their forays into the opponents half; an approach that we were beginning to think was a thing of the past.

Add the much improved Eboue into the mix and the only players that were restricting themselves to just defending were Almunia, Gallas and Toure! This was a team that had only one thing on its mind: Attack.

Are we likely to see this formation, but above all, philosophy adopted form now on?

I hope so!

Wenger begun a project a few years ago based on youth and versatility. He nearly won the Premier League last year bar the injuries that beset a thin and relatively young squad. That would have been his greatest triumph.

When you consider that there is Fabregas, Eduardo, Adebayor, Walcott, Rosicky and Arshavin yet to come back the capability, versatility and more importantly the quality of the depth of this squad is frightening.

Like a monster that grows in size and tenacity by the minute. It will soon be ready to engulf anything that lies in its wake…

Good old Lehmann is at it again. Hurling an opponents boot over the net! (video)

By Aries

In this video Jens Lehmann, picked up a boot lost by Hoffenheim player Sejad Salihovic and hurled it over the net.

The shoe landed on top of the net, where Salihovic tried to claim it back while play was in progress!

Lehmann insisted he had done nothing wrong.

"I can only say for myself that in 20 years I never seriously injured a player and that I again have to deal with cheap comments by people who think they can make the headlines by using my name" he said.

But he has previous:

During an Uefa Cup match last week he ripped off the headband of one of his defenders, Khalid Boulahrouz, and hurled it behind the goal, apparently after the Dutchman chose to ignore on of Lehmann’s instructions!

I think we are better off with Almunia.

Arshavin reveals Arsenal’s initiation ceremony for newcomers

By 1970’s Gooner

Arshavin has been speaking after his debut game for Arsenal. He was very impressed with the Emirates and the crowd who were behind him all the time. He described the pitch as perfect like a billiards table:

“I think that the greatest happiness for any player is to play at the home ground, which holds 60 000 fans. The grass was perfect, just like a billiard table. It was a pleasure to play there”.

He considered that a major reason for Arsenal not scoring was the excellent performance of Martin Fulop in the Sunderland goal.

“Today, their goalkeeper throughout the match was perfect. I think he played with no errors and helped Sunderland win the two points”.

Arshavin also revealed that he has been asked to undergo an initiation ceremony as all newcomers at Arsenal have to do!

This involves standing on a chair and singing a song or reciting a poem!

“The club has a tradition where every rookie after dinner before a game should stand on a chair and do something. You can sing a song, read poetry” he said.

However he has not endured this yet because someone else had to do it first!

“I did not have to do it prior to the Sunderland game as the team’s new doctor had to undergo the procedure”.

He must be referring to Arsenal’s newly appointed doctor Gary O’Driscoll.

He replaced Ian Beasley who has taken up a role within the England national setup.

Gary officially started his new role on Friday 20th February but Arshavin did not reveal what he actually did on that dreaded chair!

What was apparent from Arshavin’s performance against Sunderland was that he needs time to get used to the speed and hustle of the English league and also to his new team mates.

“I need some more time. This is required in order to understand the football and to get used to the other players. Because it is one thing to train together and another to play in a competitive match”.

Wise words indeed. And we wish Andrey every success in his forthcoming games.


P.S We were, here at "Arsenal Analysis", very pleased to see yesterday that even “The Sun” newspaper has published a story that we first revealed as long as last week!

In our article published on the 13th February titled:"Eduardo dressed up like you’ve never seen him before" we featured Eduardo in various attire when he dressed up for a series of commercials for a TV station.

He had to dress up for the part putting on a wig of long hair, a large mustache and the inevitable chain round the neck. He was filmed posing alongside a beautiful blond.


You can see these pictures also in The Sun

Lethargic, lethargic Arsenal. Player analysis and ratings Vs Sunderland

By 1970’s Gooner

It was another lackluster, lethargic performance. Too slow, too predictable and without enough drive and determination.

Arsenal seem to actually want to play in this rather slow way where the build up to the attacks is undertaken with a lot of sideways passes and slowly progress to the opponents box.

The reason for this of course is that the other team put 10 men behind the ball. But they put 10 men behind the ball because they are given the time to do it.

Even at times when Sunderland ventured forward and left gaps behind which Arsenal could exploit, the counter attacks lacked pace.

Arsenal’s biggest weakness was the two central midfielders.

They slowed the game down too much with the main culprit being Song who was also wayward with his passes. There were only a few forward and penetrative passes coming from them.

Nor, more importantly, were any meaningful tackles. This meant that not enough balls were won in midfield and therefore not enough pressure placed on Sunderland’s defence.

As a result Sunderland were able to pass their way out of trouble and through Arsenal's midfield which allowed them time to breath and take the sting out of the game. To their credit they did this quite well (but only because we let them do it).

In attack Van Persie and Bendtner did not click together. I don’t remember a pass they made to each other all game. It was as though they were playing in different teams.

The positive is that Arsenal’s defence is beginning to play very well keeping another clean sheet.

Toure and Gallas have started to find form (Gallas ever since he was stripped of the captaincy).

Almunia is growing into a hell of a goalkeeper. With his calmness, shot stopping and aerial ability he brings the feeling of security to the other defenders which in turn helps them in their performances.

Player’s Ratings

Almunia

As above 7

Sagna

Was below his usual high standards. His crosses need improving but he defended well enough. 6

Clichy

Defended well but was not penetrative enough going forward. 5

Gallas

Had a very good game. No mistakes and nearly scored the winner at the end. 7

Toure

Is finding good form and also pace as he showed when he beat Kieran Richardson to the ball when he looked to have raced clear. 7

Song

Had one of his worst games for Arsenal. He was slow, wayward in his passing and had no urgency in his play.4

Denilson

This boy was Arsenal’s best performer today. He covered a lot of ground, passed the ball well and did not make any mistakes. If only he could tackle. 8

Arshavin

Showed glimpses of what he can do. He can take shots alright and he nearly scored if it wasn’t for Sunderland’s goalkeeper who was on to form to keep his shots out. Arshavin tired in the second half but he will add that creativity and penetration that Arsenal have lacked. 6

Nasri

He played his usual game by coming infield to dictate play (as Denilson and Song are not really able enough to do that) but he found no creative movement from his front players in Bendtner or Van Persie. 6

Bendtner

Returned to his usual low standard today. He could not hold the ball well, could not lay it off and more importantly could not connect with the rest of the players. 5

Van Persie

Usually dropped back to counter Sunderland’s five in midfield but this meant that Bendtner was isolated up front. Missed that chance in the first half which would have put as all at ease and generally lacked drive and penetration. He is the type of player that needs a strong and commanding forward to play off him. 6

Vela

I feel sorry for him as he missed those glorious two chances to score but he snatched at the ball on each occasion. He did provide width and drive from the left hand side when he came on though. He will come good. 5

Man of the Match: Denilson

And they say Wenger is a baby snatcher. Watch this 6 year old prodigy on video

By Aries

Six-year-old Madin Mohammed from Algeria has been tipped to become the new Zinedine Zidane after he attracted the attention of top level talent scouts with his soccer skills.

This boy’s skills are indeed amazing as you can see from the video.

His quick moves and skillful ball control are indeed reminiscent of Zinedin Zidan who was also of Algerian origin.

Madin’s parents moved to France when he was three.

The boy has already been signed up to a scholarship by the national football association in France.

It is reported that Chelsea and Real Madrid are thinking of tying him up with some kind of a deal.

Arsene Wenger has not shown any interest and I think he probably will not. He is not really a baby snatcher as his rivals have accused him of! He has more sense than going after babies unlike some others.

Arsenal change of style a taste of things to come

By 1970’s Gooner

The game against Cardiff was like watching Arsenal from a few years ago.

At first it was Overmars and Anelka who would add not only width but pace in the attacks.

All the midfield players had to do was to find them with their penetrative balls and all they had to do was to time their runs behind the opponent’s defence.

This type of play was copied again when Henry and Ljumberg were at their peak.

But ever since these players lost their edge Arsenal have not really played in that mode again.

Part of the reason is that the right players have not been available up front or on the wings.

Adebayor and Van Persie are different kind of players. They like to hold the ball and play other players in. More importantly so is Fabregas through whom almost all of Arsenal’s attacks go through.

Gone are the days when “wham bam thank you very much” were the order of the day.

But against Cardiff we were so pleasantly surprised. The ball was moving at great speed from defence, after a Cardiff attack or from a corner kick, to Arsenal’s forwards in a matter of seconds.

The midfield players, Song and Denilson, were passing the ball almost immediately rather than holding onto it and trying to dictate play. But more importantly Arsenal had the players with pace to make it happen.

Eduardo is not one for hanging about and Vela in particular used his pace on the ball to penetrate deep into Cardiff’s wide areas. And it this combination that created Eduardo’s first goal.

Sagna and Gibbs were also more forward minded than in a lot of games recently adding that necessary width that has been missing.

The other pleasant change compared to almost all of Arsenal’s games this season was the speed of the passing and pressing for the ball right from the first minute.

We have not really witnessed such hunger and determination so early in a game. Rather the team has been lethargic and slow paced to start games only to pick up speed in the second half.

Long this attitude and style of play may continue.

Pace, trickery and creativity will soon be in abundance with Eduardo back in the fold and the speed and trickery of Arshavin and Walcott soon to be added to the first team squad.

And with these players around I am sure Fabregas will be releasing that ball a lot earlier than before.

Eduardo dressed up like you’ve never seen him before

By Aries

A few of the more famous names in the Croatia national squad found the time, on their return from their international game from Romania, to take part in a series of commercials for Max TV.

The list included Arsenal’s Eduardo who was apparently brilliant in his role as an 80’s disco dancer.

He had to dress up for the part putting on a wig of long hair, a large mustache and the inevitable chain round the neck. He was filmed posing alongside a beautiful blond.

As part of the commercial he was filmed dancing the night away with a girl in a night club.


The other players that took part were Tottenham’s Luka Modric who posed as a teenager with long hair left at home alone by his parents.

Eduardo after his comeback:"This will help me when I play for Arsenal”

By 1970’s Gooner

Eduardo spoke after Croatia’s game against Romania where he capped a very good performance with the assist for Nico Kranjkar’s winner.

"What can I say. I am overjoyed that I came back. I am glad that the fans and you journalists could see that I had no fear”.

He did admit though that he was apprehensive before the game:

“Before the game I felt a little fear, excitement in the stomach, but I think that was good. I think this we will certainly help me when I play for Arsenal. I am extremely happy that my coach gave me the opportunity to play”.

“There is a lot of competition in the attack now. Petric and Olic are in great shape and this can only be positive” Eduardo said.

Eduardo’s assist hands Croatia the winner

By 1970’s Gooner

There was a last minute change of plans by Bilic when Petric, who was expected to sit out this game due to an ankle injury, declared himself free of pain and therefore Eduardo had to wait for his chance on the bench.

The Romanians started the game better with their crisp and incisive passing. It was not a surprise that they went ahead on 22 with a well taken goal by Marica.

Croatia equalised with Rakitić’s 35 meter free kick on 28 minutes.

Eduardo came on the 61st minute for Olic and was quick to make an impact. He chased everything, showed a lot of determination but above all played without fear.

His insistence brought Croatia’s winning goal when surrounded by a host of Romania’s defenders he fought for the ball managing to pass it to the unmarked Nico Kranjkar who steered it home from a couple of yards.

Although he played for only 34 minutes Eduardo must be feeling a lot better now having appeared in a competitive game, making a decisive impact and above all coming through unscathed both physically and mentally.

Next game Cardiff?

Unexpected news for Eduardo in Croatia’s game against Romania

By 1970’s Gooner

Croatia is playing an international friendly game tonight against Romania and it was at first thought that Eduardo would come on in the second half. This is what Slavan Bilic said yesterday to the media.

"Having spoken to Arsene Wenger and seen their practice sessions, I am assured that Eduardo is in great shape and he will play a part in Bucharest although he will not start”.

This accounts for the fact that Eduardo trained with what could be described as the second team yesterday.

However his “luck” has changed and it looks as though he will start the game instead.

One of the forwards, Mladen Petric, will likely sit out the game due to an ankle injury he picked up at training.

This has been confirmed by the team’s doctor Mladen Nemec who confirmed that Eduardo will replace him:

"Petrić felt pain and tension in the ankle. We do not know how serious it is but tonight Eduardo will most likely start" said Nemec.

Eduardo had yesterday declared himself fit enough to play 90 minutes and this game comes in handy giving him the chance to greatly improve his much needed match fitness.

He will play in attack alongside the other Croatia forward Ivica Olic.

Eduardo: “I am ready to test my fear of tackles”

By 1970’s Gooner

Eduardo is about to make his first “semi” competitive appearance for Croatia than for Arsenal.

This is even though Wenger had stated prior to the Spurs game that Eduardo was ready to play again.

He was after all included on the substitutes bench against Spurs but due to Arsenal going one man down Wenger probably wanted to keep his defensive options open.

This what Eduardo also believes:

“For me the big thing was that I was on the bench. I was hoping that I will go into the game, but we got the early red card, so there was no chance”.

He said this to the media in Bucharest where Croatia is due to play Romania in an international friendly on Wednesday.

He has however declared himself fit and raring to go:

“I'm ready; I could play the full 90 minutes if the coach asks me”

When asked however whether he still has the fear of a bad tackle in his mind he said that this game was a perfect opportunity to find out:

“I do not know yet. I would like to have the right match to test it, just like this in Bucharest”.

It appears however that Eduardo will come off the bench against Romania as Croatia coach Bilic believes that he should be eased into action slowly.

"Having spoken to Arsene Wenger and seen their practice sessions, I am assured that Eduardo is in great shape and he will play a part in Bucharest although he will not start”.

This accounts for the fact that Eduardo trained with what could be described as the second team yesterday.

Eduardo is hoping however that everything goes well and gets himself back into the reckoning for Croatia with a view to appearing for his adopted country in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

“I worked hard in recent months and I can not wait to put on the national team’s jersey. The opportunity to play in South Africa is there”.

Eduardo is Croatia’s fifth top marksman with 13 goals.

In front of him are ex Arsenal boy, Suker who is top with 45 goals, Srna has 17, Vlaović 16 and Niko Kovač with 15.

Good luck Dudu.

Player analysis and ratings vs Spurs

By 1970’s Gooner

Almunia

Made only mistake which he tends to repeat in many games. His timing and positioning when he comes out for the crosses is suspect. Robbie Keane failed to score luckily enough.

Other than that Almunia was calmness personified. He collected from corners well and took the pressure off his beleagured defenders and crowned a very good performance with a last minute save when Modric was clean through. Just what our players were doing committing themselves to a corner kick the other end is beyond me! 8

Sagna

Kept to his duties well but did not venture forward much. When he did his crosses were not very good often hitting the defender. Yet it was defending that was needed and this he did well. 7

Clichy

I felt that he was not at his best in this game and also during the last few games. He looks tired and Lennon did go past him on some occasions. When Wenger made the switch and put Van Persie in the midfield on the left hand side leaving Bendtner alone up front the team regained its balance and Clichy had more needed support. 6

Gallas

A solid performance. Kept Pauvlichenko in check and was always well positioned to defend with strength and determination. 7

Toure

I felt that he was tentative in his heading especially in the first half. He tends to head the ball almost upwards rather than forward. This tends to put the rest of the defence under pressure because it is anybody’s ball when he does that. He did defend very well in the second half when we were under pressure. I am more in favour of Djourou starting games. 6

Song

One of his better games for Arsenal especially in the second half when he only had to defend and destroy. Broke up a lot of the Spurs attacks and did the job of two men really as his other half in the middle of the pitch was nowhere to be found. 8.5

Denilson

Probably had his worst game for Arsenal. Couldn’t tackle couldn’t pass the ball with any accuracy and couldn’t make any telling contribution at all. Why oh why does Wenger insist with him I will never know. 4

Narsi

Was lively in the first half but faded in the second. He did come in the middle and helped crowd the space up and at least he is not wasteful in possession. 5.5

Eboue

Brainless. He did have a good first 15 minutes running through and creating some dangerous situations but those two yellows were indefensible. 3

Adebayor

Useless. Lethargic. Uninterested. His injury is a blessing in disguise. 4

Robin Van Persie

Quality. The only player that played with determination, commitment and purpose. He also performed quite well when asked to fill in the middle areas of the pitch. 8

Bendtner

He needs to play with more concentration and use his head rather than let his enthusiasm take over. We were after all playing with 10 men. Yet he did combine well with Van Persie and nearly scored with a thunderous shot that Cuddicini parried away. Will Wenger trust him now that Adebayor is out? 6.5

Man of the Match: Song and Almunia are very close but I would give it to Song

Get rid of Eboue Arsene

By 1970’s Gooner

Eboue is a disgrace. We all gave him the benefit of the doubt when he had that awful substitute appearance against Wigan as he was unfit. But he has been, along with Adebayor, the worst Arsenal performer since.

He has been lucky in that almost all other alternatives are injured and Wenger has been reluctant to play Vela there. So we have had to endure some pathetic performances from him.

He is a player who doesn’t play with his brain and when you are positioned in the more creative areas of the pitch you have to do that. Simply passing the ball to the opponent is just not good enough.

He started well however in this North London derby making thrusting runs and getting a goal that was wrongly disallowed. Maybe he sensed that his days were numbered with Arshavin’s arrival. But to get himself sent off is just plain stupidity.

He got the first yellow for arguing with the referee who had already warned him three times to step away. But to trip Modric like he did when Arsenal had possession anyway and then to stand above him and pretend that Modric was faking it just goes to show how immature he is.

I’ve had enough. He should go and if Milan or any other team would are stupid enough to take him then please Arsene get rid of him.

The other player that Arsene should get rid of is Adebayor.

He has been a shadow of himself this season; lethargic, late on the ball and when he jumps we all know he will not get the header. Bendtner at least tries. Adebayor’s injury could prove to be a blessing in disguise.

Robin Van Persie needs a decent support striker in front of him and at the moment there is only Bendtner.

If Eduardo and Arshavin get match fit quickly then Wenger can find a way to play Van Persie with one of them along side him. We do need to get these two players playing again soon.

The other area that needs to be addressed is the central midfield.

Denilson I am sorry to say was inept throughout the game. His passes were almost all overhit and his decision making of whether to hold the ball and gain time or to pass it let him down.

We wait and hope that when our injured players come back especially Fabregas, Eduardo and Walcott then we will find that balance and quality that we have so evidently been lacking.

Notwithstanding the above it was a fantastic performance defending for almost an hour with ten men.

Rosicky and Eduardo to return to competitive action for their national teams

By 1970’s Gooner

It never rains but it pours! This is how one can describe Arsenal’s bad luck with Rosicky, Eduardo, Fabregas and Walcott out with longer term injuries.

But the same saying will soon be used to describe the situation when these players begin to return to first team action.

Apparently Fabregas is near to returning to action and may even make the Champions League game against Roma on the 24th February. Walcott will also be ready for action by the end of February.

The excellent news continues with Eduardo who has already been training hard and playing reserve games without any trouble. He has indicated that he feels ready both mentally and physically and that it’s up to Arsene Wenger to decide when he makes his first team return.

Wenger apparently is pushing Croatia’s coach Bilic, who has included Eduardo in his call up for their friendly against Romania on the 11th February, to play him the full 90 minutes.

Wenger sees this game as an ideal opportunity to ease Eduardo back to competitive action.

And the same can be said about Rosicky.

He has begun training with the ball, undergoing some strenuous exercises and running at London Colney under the close supervision of Arsenal fitness coach Tony Colbert.

He is pictured here on the right.

The expectations are that he will return to action in eight weeks time which, if it materialises, is excellent news.

Here we can reveal that if all goes well his return to competitive action may also be with his national team.

Petra Rada, the Czech Republic national team coach, has already indicated that he would expect Tomas to participate in the forthcoming World Cup Qualification games against Slovenia on the 28th March and on the 1st of April against Slovakia.

We are all keeping our fingers crossed wishing that everyone returns to action without any problems and along with Andrey Arshavin give the boost that the team needs to push forward.

Andrey Arshavin talks to “Arsenal Analysis”

For those readers who doubted the authenticity of our exclusive interview of Andrey Arshavin, well you can now find proof of that on Andrey’s personal site where he actually published the interview and even provided a link back to “Arsenal Analysis”!

This is the link to Andrey’s site arshavin.com

This is his interview as we presented it on our site: We are pleased to publish an exclusive interview of Andrey Arshavin to “Arsenal Analysis



On a personal note my son is trying to decide which University to join to study Business studies. Lancaster or Aston in Birmingham.

If any of you have any experiences of either of these two Unis can you share them with us by either leaving a comment or e mailing me (the address is on the right hand side).

We are pleased to publish an exclusive interview of Andrey Arshavin to “Arsenal Analysis”

By 1970’s Gooner

We have here at “Arsenal Analysis” been singing Arshavin’s praises for a long time now as regular readers would know.

We thought that he would make a perfect signing for Arsenal as his technique and skills were very “Wengerish”.

We were so pleased that Andrey finally signed we mastered enough courage to ask him straight out for an exclusive interview for the site.

To our great surprise and delight he replied the next day!

Andrey has not been active in a match situation for a few months now since the Russian winter season began. He did not get to play in any of Zenit’s tour matches at the United Arab Emirates as the transfer saga to Arsenal was dragging on.

So it was no surprise to us that when we asked him how fit he was and how soon he expected to play for Arsenal his answer was that “I hope I’ll get fit in the shortest possible time”

This to our estimation rules him out of the North London derby even if the work permit is granted in time. We don’t think that Wenger will risk a £16.9m investment by playing an unfit player in such a difficult game.

When asked as to the position he expected to fill in the team he said that he is willing to play in any position that Arsene Wenger asks him to.

“The coach will decide which position I’ll play. The most important thing for me now is to be useful to the team in any position” he replied.

On a personal level he revealed that he likes designing women’s cloths more than men’s (he has a design degree) but that he doesn’t have enough time to do any designing. He has not designed any clothes for his wife and kids!

His two kids are at a very young age so he doesn’t have to make a decision as to which school (English or Russian) they will go yet. At the moment they will be living in a hotel in London until they buy a house.

And on the Arsenal he said that there were several Arsenal players he admires (although he didn’t name them) and that he was happy to be a Gunner.

“I’m glad that I joined this great club! When I was in London I found out a lot of interesting facts about Arsenal history and I’m happy to be a Gunner. All my life I played for just one club – Zenit, it was my first club, and my second one is Arsenal where I’ll continue playing”.

We publish below a copy paste of Andrey’s answers as he e mailed them to us. The questions related to the answers can be easily guessed.

The article he thanks us for in his e mail is a recent post we published titled “This is what Wenger saw in Arshavin”.





from Arshavin‏
From:...@arshavin.eu

You may not know this sender.Mark as safe|Mark as unsafe

Sent: Friday, February 06, 2009 12:31:06 PM
To: arsenalanalysis@live.com

Hi guys!
Thank you for your article.

Here are my answers to your questions:

1. I haven’t found a house yet. I’ll live in a hotel for some time.
2. I guess it’s rather early to think about the schools. My kids are too small.
3. I don’t spend a lot of time dress designing; it’s more of a hobby.
Dress designing takes a lot of time and in most cases I just don’t have it. I prefer women’s designs. I haven’t designed anything for my wife and kids.
4. I hope I’ll get fit in the shortest possible time.
5. There are several Arsenal players I admire.
6. I’m glad that I joined this great club! When I was in London I found out a lot of interesting facts about Arsenal history and I’m happy to be a Gunner. All my life I played for just one club – Zenit, it was my first club, and my second one is Arsenal where I’ll continue playing.
7. The coach will decide which position I’ll play. The most important
thing for me now is to be useful to the team on any position.

Best regards,

Andrey

Arshavin: I’ve learned the wrong language

By 1970’s Gooner

Andrey Arshavin has been taking private English language lessons in the last year in preparation for his eventual move to England.

He has managed to master the language at a fairly adequate level as we have witnessed during his interviews with Sky Television and Arsenal TV. You can watch one of his interviews above.

What he didn’t bargain for however was that all his efforts have gone to waste as to his great amazement hardly anyone speaks English at the Arsenal training ground!

In fact it is French he should have studied not English as he admitted during an interview he gave to a Russian TV station «News»:

“I sat in the (Arsenal) locker room, but there was continuous French, so it generally is a very big problem. But, I hope the language barrier is quickly overcome”!

He should have known better of course as there are only a few British players at any one time on the training ground or in the dressing room. The vast majority of the important players are indeed French or French speakers.

His English of course will help him outside the training ground as he settles down to life in England with his wife and two children.

This is what Wenger saw in Arshavin

By 1970’s Gooner

Andrei Arshavin is a typical Wenger player. He is very, very quick, athletic and most of all possesses high technique and ball skills.

He reminds me of Alexander Hleb but without the timidness in front of goal and with a more direct style.

He is a player who hugs the touchline and his pace, devilry and work rate are almost unplayable.

More over he plays with his brain. His through passes, bisecting the opposing defence and playing his on coming forward through as you will see in the above video are exquisite and in true Wengerish style.

Andrei is 27 years old and captain of Russia. He has scored 15 goals for his country in 41 appearances. If he can do that for Arsenal from a wide midfield position he will be a far more effective player than Alexander Hleb!

Arshavin says he will not be wearing the number 13 shirt for Arsenal

By 1970’s Gooner

The English press has been releasing details about the transfer of Andrei Arshavin to Arsenal, which we first reported on Arsenal Analysis as “a done deal”.

Some of you had doubted the hot news we brought you but that is your prerogative of course.

Apart from the transfer fee (some are saying £12m rising to £15m with bonuses, others put it at £10m rising to £13m with bonuses, which will be paid, by the way, after Arshavin plays in 100 matches for Arsenal) the pressmen have in their wisdom published Arshavin’s squad number as the “unlucky” 13.

Again they may have got it wrong!

And the one to believe on this issue is Andrei Arshavin himself. He has stated in his personal site that he will wear the number 23 for Arsenal.

No one in the Arsenal squad has this number allocated to them and it appears that Andrei does not want to start his Arsenal career with a “handicap”.

Arshavin failed the first medical but passed the second. He is now an Arsenal player

By 1970’s Gooner

Contrary to what the rather slow and unreliable British press would have you believe Andrei Arshavin has signed for Arsenal Football Club on the dotted line.

Information emerging in Russia indicates that Arshavin undertook a medical at Arsenal yesterday but the team doctors were unsure about a heart related matter.

They therefore held a second check up the next day at London Colney (hence the photos of Arshavin in a Hertfordshire hotel). This it is reported he passed with flying colours and has duly signed for Arsenal.

Some Russian papers are even publishing a photo of Andrei in an Arsenal shirt although we think it may be a “computer enhanced” one.


It is also understood that personal terms have been agreed and that Zenit’s demands of 2.5 Euros have also been arranged.

The fact he got on the plane bound for Russia has been misinterpreted by Sky and others that the deal was off. Apparently nothing can be further from the truth!

The Russian press are saying that he got on the plane in order to return to St Petersberg, pack his bags and along with his wife and kids relocate to London were he will be plying his trade in the not too distant future.

Against Tottenham may be next Sunday where he will be playing against his old team mate Pavlichenco!

Arshavin misses Arsenal medical due to London traffic jam

By 1970’s Gooner

Arshavin is in London and doing well.

There has been a lull of information coming out of either camp with the on going saga of Arshavin’s transfer to Arsenal. Some journalists have even questioned whether Arshavin has actually made his way to London to undergo his medical and sign the transfer papers.

Arshavin was not on the plane with the rest of his Zenit teammates when they returned from their winter tour of the Arab Emirates. He took a different route but with the same destination: The Emirates in London…

At the arrivals hall at Heathrow airport he was met with the Arsenal representatives but once they boarded the Arsenal mini bus they were stuck in the traffic jam around the airport and elsewhere in London, so the Russian press is reporting.

This meant that they were a number of hours late for their various appointments inclusive of the rigorous and lengthy medical check up that all football players have to go through.

But the good news is that everything is expected to be completed in time by tomorrow Monday 2nd of February when the transfer window closes.

It’s not creativity that Arsenal missed against West Ham, it was Adebayor

By 1970’s Gooner

There have been a lot of words written as to how much Arsenal dominated the game against West Ham (the possession was something like 70%) but lacked that creativity that would have provided a goal.

Most have blamed the absence of Fabregas’s genius that would have created the openings for the forwards to score the goals.

But I don’t think so. Not on this occasion. There were a lot of other things that were just not right against West Ham and they have not been right all season.

The first was the disgraceful performances that Adebayor has been putting in.

His body language tells you that he doesn’t really want to be where he is. He is slow, out of position a lot of the times and lacks the sharpness that is required of a centre forward. Testimony to the latter is that goal he missed on the near post. He would have scored that goal last season.

He is so uninterested he is not even getting himself offside anymore. I don’t think he was flagged offside all game yesterday. Don’t laugh, this is very indicative as it shows that a forward is not even trying to get into an advantageous position.

The second major weakness that Arsene refuses to tackle is the so obvious inability of Eboue to add width to the team and to find his teammates when passing the ball.

Why oh why he insists on persisting with him is beyond me. Vela performed far better when he came on and with more games under his belt I am sure he will greatly improve.

The other and for the West Ham game, more viable option would have been to start with Bendtner on the wing who showed that he is far more penetrative than Eboue or Denilson or Diaby.

Arshavin, if he comes, will add real width and more creativity and hopefully Adebayor and the rest of the team will raise their game from now on.

But as much as Adebayor’s indifference and Eboue’s ineptness were factors that affected Arsenal’s performance it is Van Persie’s absence that was severely missed.

It’s all very well to rest players, as Wenger has said, in order to protect them from injury but why rest them in a league game when points are so vital in our pursuit of that Champions League place?

The next game is against Cardiff at home next Tuesday, for Christ’s sake. He could have been rested for that and then be ready for the Tottenham game next Sunday.

Sometimes Wenger baffles me.