Arshavin admits to lack of confidence

Written by Mark Brus on Tuesday, May 4, 2010

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Date	Time	C	Opponent	F	A	R	S
01 May	3:00 PM	P	Blackburn Rovers (A)	1	2	Lost

Andrei Arshavin admits he is feeling low after Arsenal's 2-1 defeat to Blackburn yesterday.

The Russian made his comeback for Arsenal after a spell on the sidelines following an injury picked up against Barcelona.

After coming on as a substitute at Ewood Park, Arshavin was glad to be playing football again, but sad about the team's result.

He said on his personal website: "I really wanted to return back on the pitch. Unfortunately, I couldn't feel the joy of my return to a full extent. My team has lost today.

"We made a good start and managed to score a quick goal. But it was not enough. Arsène told us, that our rival knew how to score from set pieces, which Blackburn showed us twice.

"After the two missed goals, we tried to improve the situation. It did not work."

Arshavin also felt he had a good opportunity to score, but admits a lack of match fitness and confidence got the better of him.

He said: "I did not have enough confidence. I guess that it was due to my lack of practice. I think that I should have hit the ball much harder, instead of just thinking about hitting the goal. I just had to strike stronger, lower. Probably, then everything would have turned out differently."

The 28-year-old had been rumoured to want a move away from Arsenal this summer, but received a warm welcome from the travelling support at Ewood Park.

He said: "I was pleased to see and hear how they [the fans] met me. We still have one game ahead and we have to please them and ourselves with a beautiful game at the Emirates. That's it."

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