Huge and Powerful : Robert Huth & Micah
Richards
Andrey Arshavin admits he has been left stunned by the
sheer size of his Barclays Premier League opponents.
The Russian star has settled in well at Arsenal after
making his £15million switch from Zenit St Petersburg in
January.
But Arshavin says he has struggled to come to terms with the
physical battles in this country - highlighting Manchester
City's Micah Richards and Middlesbrough's Robert Huth as
fearsome foes.
Land of the giants: Andrey Arshavin (centre) has
overcome big challenges.
‘I didn’t expect it to be easy to adapt to English
football,' he said. 'In Russia, I never had to face such physical
battles.
'If I jump for the ball and a defender pushes me in Russia, the
whistle would blow every time. Here it never does.
'But it’s up to me to change what I do on the pitch — better
movement, quicker decision-making.
'I’m not afraid to be in a battle but if it’s a Micah Richards
or a Robert Huth I’m up against? I’m only half their size!
'When the defenders are that big, you can’t fight them. You have
to use your brain against them.'