Assist against QPR showcases the best of Arshavin

Arshavin has always evoked mixed reactions among Arsenal fans. One of the most talented players in the Premier League, his once blossoming career at the Emirates has been on the downhill for the past year or so. This has led to his name being linked to several clubs in Europe with many predicting that a January exit is clearly looming in the horizon.

So when he took to the field against QPR, there was a clear sense of feeling that the Russian’s chances of redemption were slowly dying and he had to produce a performance worthy of an Arsenal forward to convince Arsene Wenger that he still has a lot to offer to the Gunners.

The way the first half went by with Arshavin making very little impact, even as a life-long admirer of the Russian captain, I felt he was doing very little to justify the faith Wenger had in him. He got into a few good positions but repeatedly frustrated by not delivering the final ball. He was never going to be of much use in defense either, so there was a part inside me screaming for Gervinho to be introduced. Arshavin continued after the break and finally produced the brilliance we all knew he was capable of.

A sloppy pass from Wright Phillips fell into his path on the left flank. He started to move forward with only Van Persie ahead of him. Despite our captain being sandwiched between two QPR defenders, Arshavin played a perfect ball that beat one of the defenders and had just about the required pace to fall perfectly into the path of Van Persie. The rest need not be told. VAN PERSIE SCORES!!!

What was great about the goal was the class it oozed. You can’t just turn up and produce a ball of such finesse, it requires inherent class and Arshavin is one of those few players who are blessed with a lot of such natural talent. The vision was amazing; the path and speed of the pass was inch perfect and it fell perfectly to a sprinting Van Persie’s left foot.

He had another great chance after that before being replaced by Gervinho. This was not a game where he made things happen, it was an average performance at best. But class is permanent, they say. Arsenal fans rightly acknowledged the importance of Arshavin’s moment of brilliance by voting him man of the match on Arsenal.com.

Now then, what does the future hold for Arshavin? While he still produces inconsistent performances, I believe that pass has done enough to keep him at Arsenal, at least till the summer. He is one of the most gifted players on the bench at Arsenal and he’s probably the only one in that bench who can take the game by the scruff of the neck with his brilliance.

Hate him or love him, you can’t deny his world class talent and we need that at Arsenal as we fight on three fronts heading into the New Year.

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