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Guus torn between club and country as he urges Russia
striker Pavlyuchenko to regain Spurs form... against Chelsea
By Ashley Gray
With the international break fast approaching, Guus Hiddink faces his
first conflict of interest as joint Russia and Chelsea coach.
The Dutchman admits he wants Roman Pavlyuchenko to regain his place and
form for Tottenham - the only problem is that Spurs next fixture is against
Chelsea on Saturday.
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Rough patch: Spurs striker Roman Pavlyuchenko
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The Russia striker was an unused substitute as Spurs won
2-1 at Aston Villa on Sunday and then missed a penalty during the reserves
4-0 win over Chelsea at Leyton Orient on Monday night.
Nonetheless, Hiddink has named Pavlyuchenko in his 22-man squad for World
Cup qualifiers against Azerbaijan in Moscow on March 28 and the away game
to Liechtenstein four days later.
'Yes, I know that he didn't play against Aston Villa,' Hiddink told the
Sovetski Sport newspaper. 'But I hope that he will play in the next game.'
One player who Hiddink has few concerns over is Arsenal's new recruit
Andrey Arshavin. The coach lauded 27-year-old's display in Arsenal's 4-0
defeat of Blackburn on Saturday.
'Andrey did not just score a goal, he dominated all over the pitch,' said
Hiddink. 'He gave sharp passes, made himelf available, and looked for
innovative runs. All the way through, he handled the high pace of the
game.
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Off the mark: Arshavin scores his impressive
maiden goal for Arsenal against Blackburn
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'I always pay attention to details, so now I am ready to say that Arshavin
has completely adapted to England.
'Thanks to him, the image in Europe of Russian football has climbed even
higher.'
Hiddink will also be able to use international week to take a closer look
at CSKA Moscow pair Yuri Zhirkov and Alan Dzagoev, who are summer transfer
targets for Chelsea.
Dailymail.co.uk,
17th March 2009
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