Andrey Arshavin (Photo by Getty Images)
“Guess it was just my day” - Arshavin
Published 23 April, 2009, 12:49
Arsenal’s striker Andrey Arshavin, who scored four spectacular goals in his team’s 4-4 draw at Liverpool, says it’s an achievement that will be hard to repeat.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to score five at Old Trafford,” the Russian striker said in an interview with Russia’s Sport-Express newspaper.
Arshavin became the first player to score four against Liverpool at Anfield since 1963. The 28-year-old was in the shadows until he first put the ball into Pepe Reina’s net at 36 minutes to make it 1-0, but after that, he was the main figure on the pitch.
“You don’t need special words to explain what I felt. It was just a very pleasant feeling inside,” Andrey Arshavin said.
He admitted that Liverpool’s equalizer spoiled the occasion for him and his partners, but admitted that the hosts “showed some great football, and didn’t deserve to lose”.
The striker remembered how he scored the goals that put his name atop the headlines of the sporting press in England, Russia, and the rest of Europe.
“My first goal was the result of good team play. And when I scored the second, I really managed to hit the ball well”.
And commenting on the fourth blow, which came after a counterattack at 90 minutes, he said: “I still wonder how I could run faster than Walcott. He’s so speedy nobody from our team or from our rivals can catch up with him. But I somehow did it. How and why did it happen? Guess it was just my day”.
“Maybe I had good rest in the first half,” he laughed.
Despite putting in all of his team’s goals, the Russian didn’t get the ball that often, but he doesn’t blame his partners for it.
“I received the ball ten times, not more,” he said. “It all happens according to the situation on the pitch. If I do not get a lot of passes, it means I am not offering myself well enough, or there’s someone else in a better position. The reason is me, and not the others,” he explained.
Arsenal’s Number 23 said his thankful partners offered to carry his bags, or clean his shoes after the game, saying “you’re the boss today”.
Arshavin a cheap super buy for Arsenal – Advocaat
Meanwhie, Arshavin’s former coach Dick Advocaat says Arsenal has bought Arshavin at a very low price, considering the calibre of player the Russian international is, FC Zenit Saint Petersburg's official website reports.
“We’ve always known the professional qualities of Andrey Arshavin, and the high level of his game, he just needed time to adapt. We’ve told Wenger about it, and he knew what Arshavin is capable of. He’s bought this player at a rather cheap price,” Dick Advocaat said.
Andrey Arshavin joined the Gunners from Zenit for an estimated £15 million during the winter break, and became the most expensive player in Arsenal’s history.
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