Arsenal-Mania Exclusive: Views from a Stuttgart fan on Alexander Hleb

After a good rest from FA cup celebrations, I managed to finally sit down and do this article on Hleb. The first article about Hleb enabled me to discuss with a Stuttgart fan about the man himself. With more news linking us to him, we are closer to signing the creative midfielder.

According to 'Torch', the Stuttgart fan, he thinks Hleb is one of the most talented players he has seen, putting into perspective that 'Torch' watches top matches from different leagues. An interesting thing to note is that 'Torch' believes that Hleb is far from reaching his full potential. He is still an unpolished gem. I will first touch on the things that Wenger might need to look into when we sign Hleb.

Hleb is a bit like Robin. He had fallen off with coaches before, especially ex Stuttgart coach, Felix Magath. Hleb wanted the number '10' jersey but Magath felt that he wasn't ready for it for his age. Hleb actually wanted to quit Stuttgart because of that. When Sammer became the manager, he gave Hleb the number '10' jersey because there was no one else better than him. 'Torch' also points out that Hleb prefers to play as a central midfielder. While Sammer has tried to move Hleb to the left or right, Hleb still tends to stick to the centre or refuse to play to the team tactics. To me, Hleb is a bit like our Robin and he can surely be a better player under Wenger's guidance.

Hleb's other negative traits is that he tends to hold on to the ball too long. He likes to dribble past four or five players before making the final pass. He also seldom tries shots and can sometimes try to walk the ball into the net (sounds like our style of play to me). Opposition teams often try to put more players on him because of these traits. However, 'Torch' thinks it could be down to other team member's ability. Hleb thinks the others cannot really contribute much and decides to take on the opposition on his own.

However, this can be a good trait as well. We lack a player who can beat four or five players. You cannot say that the German defenses are poor, can you? Hleb, according to 'Torch', is one of the most fouled players in Bundesliga (like Reyes?). Hleb has very good technical ability, a brilliant footballing brain and he can dribble the ball with speed as well as good control. Most of Stuttgart's counter attacks start from Hleb's runs and final passes. One good example was the Champion's League match against Manchester United, where Hleb creates havoc and confusion with his runs and deadly passes. Hleb is also very good at set piece situations, responsible for providing goals from corner kicks and free kicks.

Hleb is rated very highly in the Stuttgart forums as well but they think they will not be able to hold him any longer because they fail to qualify for the Champion's League. An important point to note is that Hleb does not get enough support from the midfield. In Arsenal, we will have a stronger midfield and attack to make full use of his runs and passes. Hleb will also need a player he can look up to; like Robin van Persie looking up to Bergkamp, with the world-class players in our team, we should have little to worry about. Adding Wenger's record with difficult players, I think we will have a real deal if we sign Hleb. Well, all the media rumours are cheap if we didn't sign him in the end. Here's hoping we will!

Thank you 'Torch' for your input into this article and the Stuttgart fans. If Hleb does come here and destroy the EPL defenses for Arsenal, we will be grateful indeed!

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