Realistic Arshavin wants results

For many outside Russia, it seems striker Andrei Arshavin has just burst on to the scene. Stunning performances against Sweden then the Netherlands have propelled the 27-year-old into the limelight, but it is no more than fans of Russia and FC Zenit St. Petersburg expected. After missing Russia's opening two games through suspension, Arshavin quickly made up for lost time with a pair of goals and he is confident there is more to come in tonight's semi-final against Spain.

euro2008.com: Russia lost their opening match to Spain 4-1. Are you thinking about revenge?

Andrei Arshavin: No, but possibly because I didn't take part in the first match. For me the first game has no meaning any more. This is a semi-final and things can be decided by a single mistake.

euro2008.com: What went wrong for Russia in that first match?

Arshavin: We committed tactical and individual mistakes. If you give a shadow of a chance to a striker like David Villa or Fernando Torres, they will put you in trouble. These guys can easily beat a defender one-on-one then score. That's exactly what they did.

euro2008.com: What can we expect against Spain?

Arshavin: Russia will play their normal way. We don't play defensive football, we like to attack. But it doesn't all depend on us. Let's see how the Spaniards do. Maybe it makes it harder for us that we play such an open kind of football, because our opponent knows how to counterattack and they have some fast players. But we need to play our way instead of adapting to the opposition.

euro2008.com: You were sent off in the 84th minute of your final qualifier against Andorra and were suspended for Russia's first two games here. How did you feel when you came to Austria?

Arshavin: I came here hoping I'd get a chance to play at such a big tournament. I've never been to an event like this before. We had some very tough training sessions and it was difficult for me to be training a lot knowing I wouldn't be playing. It was an unusual feeling. Even so I'm happy [coach] Guus Hiddink brought me here despite the ban and let me become a part of the tournament.

euro2008.com: Having served your ban, you grasped your chance in the third match. Be honest – did you expect yourself to do so well against Sweden and the Netherlands?

Arshavin: I've played better games, so many times. It's just that the team is winning. I'm not doing anything out of the ordinary. Sometimes I score, sometimes I provide a pass. When you do it in the [FIFA] World Cup or [UEFA] European Championship, in front of a lot of people, there are bigger repercussions, so to speak.

euro208.com: Yourself aside, which Russia players have impressed you here?

Arshavin: If we had Pavel Pogrebnyak [who was injured before the tournament started] and Igor Denisov [who was omitted from the squad], we would be much stronger. You should remember those names, although I think they're known already as they helped Zenit win the UEFA Cup. Who looks good here? Yuri Zhirkov and Igor Akinfeev are playing well and Roman Pavlyuchenko scores goals so they stand out a bit over the others.

euro208.com: You have made it clear you want to leave Zenit. What is the club of your dreams?

Arshavin: I have supported [FC] Barcelona all my life. Barcelona are my dream. I never thought I would have a genuine chance to play for the club. Let's see how the situation unfolds. For now I can't say anything for sure. At the moment I'm a player of team Russia and I'm only thinking about doing well in the semi-finals.

euro208.com: How important is Guus Hiddink to Russia's success?

Arshavin: When he came two years ago it was the most important decision made by our FA president [Football Union of Russia chief Vitaly Mutko]. Everyone in Russia is envious he makes so much money and enjoys so much power. But for him it's not as easy to work as it seems. This is a big event for us, the players. He gave us more freedom, he believes in us, he trusts us and that's why we play better. I'm very happy to work with one of the best coaches in the world. To be part of his team is a real pleasure.

euro2008.com: If someone had told you before the tournament that Russia would win three games in a row and outplay the opposition, would you have believed it?

Arshavin: To be honest, I wouldn't have believed it. I can't say we were playing good football in the friendlies, but things change quickly in life. Now we have beaten the Dutch, who were perhaps the strongest team in the tournament, so it's natural we are more confident.

euro2008.com: Are the suspended Denis Kolodin and Dmitri Torbinski big losses for the semi-final?

Arshavin: Any player, especially at this stage, is a big loss for us, but I hope the players who replace them will do well. I didn't play in the UEFA Cup semi-final against [FC] Bayern [Müchen] and everyone said it was a big loss, but Zenit won 4-0. You can always replace a player. Of course some are better than others, but I don't think we need to cry about it. We need to prepare with the players we have.

euro2008.com: Do you feel like a leader of this team?

Arshavin: I never think about titles, whether I am a leader or not. By helping my team-mates, I help myself. If there is good movement and they move the way I want them to, it makes it easier for me to play. I do it not to show I'm a leader, but to make sure we're quicker in achieving the result we need.