Russian Arshavin is man of the hour

World Cups and European Championships have a way of introducing us to new stars.

Consider coach Guus Hiddink’s Russia in Euro 2008.

Everyone wrote off the Russians after they opened group play with a 4-1 loss. Yet what people didn’t realize was that Russia’s best player was not available.

If you watched Russia outplay the Netherlands over the weekend in a quarterfinal victory, you now know who Andrei Arshavin is.

Arshavin, 27, was virtually unstoppable against the Dutch, who were heavily favored. He combined sublime skill with creative ideas that unsettled the Dutch.

His ability to make space for himself allows him to produce scintillating passesthat pick apart the best of defenses. He can also score.

In short, Arshavin is the clear architect and the axis by which Russia goes.

He is also versatile in that he can play a variety of positions and has proved extremely dangerous when drifting wide.

If truth be told, the Dutch were flattered even to have gotten into overtime against…….for more on this story, check out chron.com