By John ST

Andrei Arshavin is world-class material. He deserves a better club and greater recognition than to spend his entire career languishing in the Russian League.

To many soccer fans, this name may not ring a bell, that is, until the European Championships which concluded last month. Arshavin caught the eyes of soccer pundits and bigwigs with his scintillating performance in Euro 2008.

Russia were all but written off after a 4-1 loss to Spain in the qualifying rounds but came back from the dead with Arshavin’s return. The live-wire set the stage alight and raised the profile of Russian soccer with their giant-killing feats. Eliminating Netherlands was the watershed as the world sat up and took notice of this “backward” nation.

It was unfortunate that the semi-final match against Spain saw a relatively muted Arshavin due to the superior Spanish executing their tactics seamlessly and a generally lackluster performance by the Russians.

However, in all fairness, that was no embarrassment. After all, Spain went on to claim the title as they eliminated traditional powerhouse, Germany, in the Euro 2008 Finals.

Actually, even before Euro 2008, Arshavin had won rave reviews. In May, he illuminated the Uefa Cup Final and clinched the first-ever European crown for Zenit St. Petersburg. Zenit can proudly lay claim to the title as they added the scalp of Bayern Munich en-route to the finals.

Arshavin did not get on the score sheet but he was clearly the player who made the difference when he crafted both goals. His pace, vision and creativity proved too hot to handle for Rangers throughout the match. Though Rangers worked their ass off, played as a tightly knit team and with lots of determination, they were undone by Arshavin’s electrifying movement.

Andrei Arshavin, after spending a solid 8 seasons at Zenit, has already amassed an impressive haul of medals and personal awards. The former Russian Player of the Year has won 37 caps for his country since 2002 and scored 13 goals in the process.

I viewed this video on YouTube recently and it is an excellent compilation of his best soccer moments. Unleashing Andrei’s potential as a star playmaker in the EPL will further consolidate its position as one of the most competitiive league in the world.

Granted that the footages in the video were mostly in the Russian League, and the Premier League is a different ball game with more talents competing for the same places. Thus, Arshavin will not find the Premier League to be a bed of roses. Without strong work ethics and a willingness to adapt, he may be relegated to the bench before he can prove his worth.

Shevchenko, who is far more accomplished in European football, failed to make an impression in the Premier League for Chelsea. In fact, the player today is a pale shadow of himself. Unable to recover his confidence, lethal killer instinct and ball control, I doubt Shevchenko will feature much for Scolari.

Notwithstanding the risks, I believe Arshavin should take up the Premier League challenge if he hungers to be the best in the world. Dick Advocat should let the player go if the price is right. I will discuss more about Arshavin’s possible transfer to Tottenham.

Soccer Net Live