I Hate the Way Hleb Plays
14. Aug, 2007 
84 Comments
There, I said it. I’ve never really liked the way Hleb plays football. He takes the ball too close to his feet. When he sprints and runs with the ball it’s right underneath him, so much so that he has to run awkwardly to prevent himself from accidentally hitting it. This results in him becoming off-balance, running into opposing players, and generally losing control of the situation. This of course is why he inevitably gives up possession.
It’s been like this for awhile. Don’t you try to convince me otherwise. His movement off the ball however is great. He knows how to get open and where the right passing lanes will be. But it’s this imbalance in his game that gives me a great lack of trust in him. Every time he gets the ball, I get nervous.
This year, I’m wiping the slate clean. During the off season, and indeed during the Fulham match, he seems different. So, Bon Soir mistrust for Hleb, hello new beginnings. It’s at this point that I hope he will turn his game around, retain possession better, and “be more selfish” to quote the man himself.
Tomorrow we have Sparta Prague. Eduardo will still wait for his debut but we have the same side that beat Fulham so I expect to see a thrashing… of Prague. Come on Arsenal!
He hates you too, muppet!
Hleb is one of the best players I’ve ever seen!!
will
i think you are completly wrong you fool….hleb runs with the ball to close to his feet,are you mad or something ….i mean that is skill to run with the ball like that , and a lot of the time he baffles the opposition because unlike us english he is unpredictable which is a great assett to have in your arsenal!!!!!
now stop slagging him off you prick……would you rather have that jermaine one dimension janus!!!! mug.
Hleb hardly ever gives the ball away when in possession, he’s one of the best dribblers in the game. The times he gives it away are much more often when passing, that’s his weakness.
you are a muppet. every player has their failings, but with his negative side comes a positive. creatively hes probably one of our best maybe even in the league from a central position, assist wise, as good as fab. when he clicks we win games, he just needs to finish consistently- thats his biggest fault. first half of last season he was good, then all of a sudden his form drops, gives away the free kick in champions league, and all the haters come out bitching and moaning. give him a chance the guys a champion, just not conventional… our style of play is not conventional…
Well i read out of interest, and my thoughts are what!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good player and growing in convidence, i do not share your few, nor i’m sure will many others.
Spot on, mate. Also Pires was shit ‘cos he ran like Charlie Chaplin. And don’t get me started on Malcolm MacDonald….
To quote blog head himself “lay of the crack”! Hleb is an awesome player and he will be so vital to us this season. He is definitly one of the best dribblers in the world and will be awesome this season. He’s started this season with a goal, which won us the game. That would have lifted his confidence massively and im expecting great things!
You goose. What a ridiculous comment. No idea what you’re talking about. I really loathe the proliferation of b grade arsenal blogs on Newsnow.
I quite disagree with you. Helb keeps the ball under his control as he dribbles leaving the opponents dancing at his mercy. He is amazing player who can dribble with both legs. last season John Riise of Pool had to confess for his lack ability to mark Helb for his two legged dribbles. To mi his skills and technics can be compared to LEONELI MESSI. He only has to improve on his agility. HELB does gunners the pride.
Its called close control dumbo. Something alot of so called good players do not have.
Come on you Gunners.
That is one of the most ridiculous Arsenal posts I can remember reading. Utter garbage… although I’m sure it generated plenty of hits for your “blog”, which I suppose was your ultimate goal anyway.
“This results in him becoming off-balance, running into opposing players, and generally losing control of the situation. This of course is why he inevitably gives up possession.”
Seriously, are you taking the piss…?? The only thing you achieve with a statement like that is making yourslef look like a bloody idiot. I could disect the above quote but to honest I can’t be bothered…
Next time consider your post more carefully and you might not get so many negative comments in reply.
U Hleb hater..
he is the best player in close ball control ..and he is going to be big this season watch out.
U can just start supporting ur old club BARCAlastico.
I’m sick of these pointless blogs, if you’ve got nothing interesting to say or nothing that any real fans agree with why don’t you juts say nothing?
Hleb is a world class player and all you little dickheads with your negative blogs are gonna be made to eat your own boring words by the end of the season.
Most people log onto newsnow to look at interesting developments within thier clubs.
WE ARE FUCKING SICK OF YOUR BULLSHIT. YOU ARE NOT A JOURNALIST. YOU ARE NOT EVEN A REAL FAN.
You seem too stupid and pig headed to have your mind changed, so I wouldn’t even consider trying.
You are a baffoon! I have been raving about the Hlebster and how his close ball control is a nightmare to play against, for ages now. He is special and I personally believe that he may be close to player of the season for the Arsenal…if not the whole premier league!
I love the way he plays, his close control allows him to turn on a sixpence. The more confidence he has, the better he will get. I have no doubt that if he is injury free, he will score more than 15 goals for us this season… Mark My Words…
who is this sucker, i dont think u know what u r writin cos if u do , this wont be coming from u. i hate that comment of urs. i now u r not a gunner.
will, that is the daftest comment I’ve ever heard.
“Don’t you try to convince me otherwise.”
So what’s the point of inviting a response then? Unless as in most of the other posts before this one you actually like being taken for a complete and utter fool.
Your blog is stupid, your comments are retarded, and you are a vast turd.
That will be all.
What planet are you from. Hleb is one of Arsenal’s best players which is why Arsene paid so much for him in the first place. If you are not a true footballing person, please keep your mouth shut or perhaps you can do us all a favour by going to watch the likes of former Wimbledon FC. You cow!! I’ll give you a real splash if I ever bump into you as I do not think you are an Arsenal fan. Even if by some miracle you happen to be, then you do not unerstand football
What the hell are you talking about? When I saw the headline on NewsNow I thought you were being sarcastic! This must be one of the worst pieces I’ve ever read. If this was last season, I could understand you frustration at Hleb, but really, this season he’s been a ravalation, surely?
Good write,very ironic.
I think he was just marveling at the new height hleb has hit this season.
HLEB IS ONE OF OUR BEST PLAYERS U THINK HEZ CRAP OR IS IS IT SOMIN TO DO WITH O YUR BRAIN
KNOB END!!!! Hleb is wicked how can you diss a GOONER expecially the won who saved our game on Sunday… KNOB!!!!
i feel incredibly vindicated by the fact that everyone who has posted here thinks you are a knob and appreciates Hlebs brilliant skill. But, where did all the Hleb haters go? they were on every forum for months last season and all through the off season.
Hleb is good, i have doubt abt that. I will not agreee with u too BUT on the other side hleb makes funny mistakes most probably rem mistakes at chelsea, and …..
I am a season ticket holder at the Emirates and whilst I do not agree with the exact wording about Hleb I am also shocked at the level of support he has received and the abuse aimed at you.
Firstly I think Hleb has many fantastic attributes. Exceptional work rate, fantastic ball control, the ability to turn so quickly and effectively even when surrounded by defenders, and he also has good vision knowing what he wants to do. In the first two thirds of the pitch he is an excellent player.
On the down side he frustrates the hell out of me every week because he always tries to find the killer ball and loses possesion more than any other play, (granted he works hard to get it back) If we break from defence very quickly and the ball gets to Hleb he slows the game down often beating the player and then stopping instead of giving an early pass, and finally he always seems to delay shooting often cutting the ball back to his left foot before losing the ball.
This is only Hleb’s 2nd full season so I too decided to start this season on a positive note as far as Hleb is concerned and on Sunday I thought he had a very good game so I do not want to get on his back but lets all have a little balance here guys and be honest enough to admit last season Hleb gave the ball away in the final third of the pitch far more than a player of his ability should.
On a brighter note, did anyone see how top four tottenhan got on last night? haha
All the anti-Hleb comments, whether extreme or slightly moany like the last comment by Tony, typifies the attitude of SOME Arsenal fans – you know the ones that think they can manage better than Wenger and play better than any member of our squad.
Hleb is an exceptional player and even when he plays well and gives us those vital 3 points that we so badly needed to put the critics and Henry temporary behind us, we still get the fucking moaners. God help the squad if we had suffered the same fate as Man U and Tottenham for our opener.
Please get behind the team you fucking moaners or pick another to support.
Ok so how may of you would rather have Hleb than a young Pires. Not too many I would bet.
This is not a case of slagging of the team u twat. Surely u can have discussion without idiots like u getting offended. Grow up!!!
Its funny because I have always liked Hleb. Now he is playing well evryone defends him.
NAIVE MOTHER F*CKERS!
You are the devil.
Have never liked hleb. his passing is crap, his shooting is dire and his dribbling that you all seem so in awe of doesn’t get us anywhere. how many assists did he have last season??? how many goals? this from an attacking midfielder. he runs into blind alleys, gets bullied off the ball too easily and then reacts giving away stupid fouls and costing us valuable champions league matches! his game can look very pretty but in the final third it is poor. how many defenders quake in their boots when they’re up against him compared with Ronaldo, Rooney, Giggs, Henry even Lennon??
When you write something atleast be sure if u make least sense. Running wiith the ball under your feet is called close control. None of the English players have it, may be that is why u dont know what it is.
For me Hleb has a few bad qualities like not releasing the ball quickly as the players of the Old Arsenal want to do while counterattacking, loosing the ball in the final third when he tries for the killer passes. But to say he doesn’t have balance is ridiculous.
YOUR IQ IS LESS THAN 80!
WE ARE ALL A LITTLE LESS INTELLIGENT AFTER BEING EXPOSED TO YOUR FOOLISH COMMENTS
hleb is sick
You are a bloody moron. Hleb is one of the top ten dribblers I’ve ever seen. If this is an attempt at irony, it fails utterly. As a straight-up observation, it’s retarded.
Hleb was amazing at first – then descended into an unconfident mess. He epitomised everything rotten about us in our slump over the last few years by holding up the play and cutting inside too much. In the champs league he was gold dust though – and on his day the opposition doesn’t know what to do with him.
I am delighted to say though that in pre-season, and the first two games, it seems like Arsene Wenger has really analysed his faults and helped him to correct them. He’s shooting more, counter attacking more, cutting inside less (he is in the middle after all) and helping everything flow. Let’s hope this continues!!!!
its called CLOSE CONTROL, THAT’S A SKILL
Yo!
The ball has to be close to Helb in order to have such ball skills and control in extremely close quarters with 2 – 3 oponents hanging on to you. I have not seen better ball control and retaining possession in such confined spaces as Hleb has.
you say hleb is better off the ball? how can you get it so utterly wrong?
this guy has more skill than any english player i’ve ever seen, including waddle. his touch is his best asset. look how quickly he can change direction, like for the fuham goal. if anything its his off the ball which needs work, especially when we don’t have the ball.
it amazes me that you can watch football and completely get the wrong end of the stick. i suppose you think zidane was solid but ‘a bit wooden’.
guess you must be from the gerry francis school of tactical analysis
I have read some of the comments and don’t know why everyone gets all upset about a player who has yet to prove himself. Hleb clearly hasn’t yet become the player he might be capable of becoming, hopefully this season he will. There have been some comparisons with Pires, one comment asked the question would you rather have Hleb or a young Pires?, suggesting that obviously the answer is a young Pires.
I would like to Point out that the answer is actually Hleb because young Pires was shit. Pires was even utter shit in his first season at highbury, but somehow whent through an astronomical transformation. If Hleb improves half as much as Pires did after his first season he will become a fantastic player, if not he needs to be sold or become a fringe player.
Judge him at the end of this season. He wouldn’t be the first Arsenal player to take a while to settle and show consistency. I would say the same for Rosicky
Woah…I am shocked at all the Hleb lovers on this page! How can you hammer Will for having a fairly justified view on Hleb?
Alex Hleb has done nothing at Arsenal yet and I agree that he is a complete liability at times. The man cannot finish, cannot shoot from distance, cannot keep the team’s tempo up and cannot pass consistently well. As for his dribbling, well, I have never seen him skin anyone on the flanks or spin a marker yet! He gets the ball, runs forward a few yards, leaves the ball in between his legs, checks back to retrieve it, jockeys with his marker before passing it back to Eboue or Gilberto by which time the opposition has managed to reassemble their banks of four and we have to break them down.
I do not rate Alex Hleb thus far but his performance against fulham was encouraging and I am willing to give him the chance to escape the Senderos, Flamini and Adebayor bracket of players who should be nowhere near our first team.
WOW, this guy has just inspired me to become a blog writter, there is absolutely no way I could say something as stupid and moronic as this! I am not Hleb’s biggest fan, but to moan about his dribbling and close control would be like moaning about Clichy for having too much pace or moaning at Van Persie for hitting the ball too hard with his left foot!
Is this guy really an Arsenal fan. I’ll admit Hleb can look awkward at times, but i feel these times are few and far between nowadays. I think Hleb is one of the most skillful players in the premiership and one of the hardest people to get the ball off. He has an amazing drop of the shoulder, which he does sometimes as the ball is coming to him, before he’s even touched it. This in turn puts the opposing defender off balance. He has amazingly quick feet and can pick out a pass. He probably needs to chip in with more goals, but hopefully this will be his season to do so!!I am very surprised by your comments!!
I can appreciate where this bloke is coming from. I see Hleb slowing the pace of the counter attack and doing too many slow motion keep the ball turns before giving the ball away far too often, but then when he is playing well he looks like a different player. He just needs to play well more consistently. I’m hoping this season he becomes the player AW bought him to be and he’s had a good start so far.
I was going to write something, but I will not waste my time on this crap. If you don’t like Hleb, then tough luck too bad. WE DO, real Arsenal fans.
This is funny, the comparison of Hleb to the Super Robert Pires. They are so completely different players. Compare Hleb to that Twat Llungberg and Thomas to Bobby. Hleb scores more goals than right said Fred doesn’t fall over when slightly touched hence losing possesion and he holds the ball up well. Hleb will score more this year now TH 14 isn’t there to scare him and he will link up superbly with RVP, Thomas and Cesc. Arsen beats on about Team play this year and by this he doesn’t mean a 1 man team. Hleb is a great working very skillfull team member and the only people off balance are the defenders pulling and tugging and body checking him. The best bit of business done this year by far was getting rid of the former red haired one, we usually played with 10 men when he was picked in recent seasons and most Gooners loved this joke of a player who was so loyal he bad mouthed us when we fucked him off. Hleb has skill something us English supporters don’t see too often.
I usually agree with you Will, but I am on the other side of the fence on this one. Hail Hleb! You are a dirty, greasy cunt Will.
We shouldn’t abuse Will for his opinion after all thats what this is all about. He might think of something smarter to say about us Gooners next time, will you abuse him then. Good luck to the Team tonight in Prague which is a city in the Czech Republic to all the Spud imposters looking in on thier superiors.