Alexander Hleb has hailed
Arsene Wenger as "a coach sent by God" after spending two seasons
under the French tactician.
The Arsenal midfielder has been a regular feature during his first
two years in North London, making more than 80 appearances for The
Gunners.
Hleb took time to settle at Arsenal but believes his best is now on
show with Wenger having kept faith with the Belarus
international.
"Wenger is a great tactician, he sees absolutely everything," he
told World Soccer magazine. "He knows how to find a key to every
player - he is a coach sent by God.
"I still remember him saying: 'Alexander, I do not just buy any
player; I watched you for two years. Everyone finds it hard at
first, especially if you come from another country. I am convinced
everything will work out.' Those words helped me a lot.
"I am loving being able to work under him. He supported me through
the difficult times early on and carried on believing in me."
Arsenal's lack of success this season has been put down to their
failure to finish chances, a problem Hleb admits he suffers from
too.
However, the former Stuttgart star has vowed to work on his
finishing to improve on his tally of three goals next term.
"It is a problem for me, and it was the same at Stuttgart," Hleb
said.
"Often I get into shooting positions and then hear a team-mate
calling for me to pass, maybe I need to be a bit more egotistical
at times.
"It is something I have been working on. In training, the manager
often gets me doing special exercise in which I am forced to finish
the attack with a shot on goal.
"I think next season will be better."
Hleb also expects Arsenal to be much improved next season, as he
added: "We are a very young team, but I would not say we are a team
for the future - we are a team for now.
"We have got everything it takes to succeed."
