Andrey Arshavin Couldn't Hit a Barn Door; Thierry Henry Shows Him How

It’s only fitting that in a game where Arsenal monopolized the number of shots taken against Leeds United in Monday’s FA Cup match that late substitute Thierry Henry would stride on to the pitch and show his fellow teammates how to slot the ball into the back of the net.

Specifically I’m looking at you, Andrey Arshavin. The diminutive Russian player played the entire 90 minutes and had chance after chance in front of goal, but his lack of calmness and precision in front of goal were dreadful. It was so bad that Arshavin could have played another 90 minutes and still probably wouldn’t have scored. Or, as the above photo illustrates, he couldn’t have hit a barn door given his poor accuracy on the pitch.

How Arshavin still finds a place on this Arsenal team, I do not know.

Henry, meanwhile, has the striker’s instinct. Rather than running around the box like a chicken with his head cut off (a la Arshavin), Henry knows where to pop up and make his run, and when he receives the ball (albeit in a offside position against Leeds), how to remain calm under pressure and focus on knocking the ball into the back of the net. Henry makes it look so easy. Arshavin makes it look like brain surgery.

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