Luciano Spalletti: Arshavin’s potential is higher than what he is displaying now

Zenit St. Petersburg boss Luciano Spalletti commented on Andrey Arshavin’s performances for his home club since returning from Arsenal on loan this winter.

“I had a say in the Arshavin transfer, of course. I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardise our chances, and neither would the board. Arshavin is a big player, who has come to fill the gap left by the injured Danny. We needed reinforcements, not just because of injuries, but also we had to play on two fronts,” the Italian manager stated.

“From my point of view, he is working to get back to his prime state, having lost some of his fitness during his time on the sidelines at the Emirates stadium. I believe his potential to be a lot higher than we see in his recent performances,» he continued.

«Someone in the press wrote recently, that he changed the game against Lokomotiv, but I disagree. What turned the game around was Denisov’s strength, Shirokov’s skill, Zyryanov’s consistency, Lomberts’ and Hubocan’s power , Kerzhakov’s movement, as well as Arshavin’s contribution,” the former Roma coach added, quoted on Zenit’s official page.