Arshavin Keeps Wembley Bench Warm

Andrei Arshavin - £15 Million Bench Warmer?

Why on earth did Wenger leave Arshavin on the bench for the FA Cup Semi-Final against Chelsea ?
Arshavin is not eligible to play in the Champions League and Arsenal have no realistic chance of winning the league, the FA Cup was Arsenal's best chance of a trophy this year. Maybe Wenger was not too bothered about the FA Cup and is more interested in beating Liverpool and moving up in the league. He may think there is a possibility that Arsenal could finish second. A very strange decision nevertheless, perhaps it was something to do with the pitch? Ferguson also made some strange decisions, dictated by the pitch. So you could argue that the Wembley pitch was more of a factor than the actual skill of the football teams that played on it.

(Andrei Arshavin by Chris)

Andrei Arshavin was disappointed but says "life goes on".

"In the first half, I think the result was fair. In the second half, Chelsea had more of the possession, more of the game was taking place in our half, although we tried to organise quick counter-attacks."

"Unfortunately, we conceded and had little time to really put pressure on (Petr) Cech's goal. Our opponents didn't give us opportunities to create something."

"We are disappointed that our fans left the stadium deflated. That's football, you lose sometimes."

"I guess you can't win everything. Now we have to concentrate our efforts on the Champions League and the Premier League."

Arsene Wenger seemed remarkably philosophical too after the match, although he did criticize the pitch.

Arshavin, who was voted player of the Month for March by the Arsenal fans has said to Sport Express that his best is till to come "I still haven't fully got to grips with the intensity of Premier League football."

"I don't feel free yet when making decisions. To gain this, I need to fully adapt to the rhythm of the game. Right now, I always feel under pressure. If in Russia I could get the ball and think two or three moves ahead, here I still haven't been able to do that," he said.

"Everything plays its part, even everyday things. There are no small details in football - everything is interconnected. When I am 100% fit, my brain will also work faster."