Alexander Hleb - Gone are the days

Over the years, Arsenal have seen many players, both top class and otherwise, bid adieu to leave for what seem like greener pastures. Arsene Wenger has faced much flak for letting some of the best players leave, the most recent ones being the talisman forward, Robin van Persie, and the defensive midfielder, Alexander Song. Some have flourished, like Van Persie and Cesc Fabregas, while some have hit a road-block. Here’s one specimen we all seem to have wiped off from our relatively short memories.

One of the finest midfielders to have graced the Gunners, he was Wenger’s choice to replace the waning Robert Pires. Before his time at Arsenal, Hleb represented Stuttgart, where he topped the list for assists in his last season for the German outfit. They even rose as high as second place with Hleb dictating the play, in the 2002-2003 season. He eventually left for Arsenal for a fee of £8 million, to play alongside the likes of Gilberto Silva, Cesc Fabregas and Tomas Rosicky. The takeover was complete when Pires made way in the final of the UEFA Champions League after Jens Lehmann got himself unceremoniously sent off.

But in the next season, Hleb starting dawdling, in spite of being first choice, after Pires and Silva had left. He made 48 appearances and totalled a paltry 3 goals. Even by the end of the season, he got himself suspended after resorting to violent conduct against Reading FC, and was out for the last three matches of the season.

Suddenly, an interested Barcelona swooped in, with a four-year contract. Like all weak of heart, Hleb chose the greener pastures, and ended up playing only 19 games. His starts totalled a lousy 5, and he got himself loaned back to Stuttgart. The season after that, Birmingham City helped him out before he ended up at Wolfsburg for the year after that. His time with City and Wolfsburg amounted to just 23 games, and his miserable time at Barcelona wasn’t getting any better.

His contract ended by mutual consent, and he moved to Krylia Sovetov Samara, a team in the Russian Premier League. Lady luck was far from excited, and he managed just 8 games in the country with no goals to show. Finally, in the July of last year, he signed for Bate Borisov, and has played 6 games for them without finding the net.

The Belarusian may have been called “Zauberlehrling” or “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” for his tricks and skills, but he wasn’t a good businessman. He made all the wrong moves at the worst possible times. Other than Arsenal and Stuttgart, Hleb didn’t spend any valuable time at a top flight club.

Hleb was a perfect fit for the Arsenal midfield, mainly because of the following two important qualities that stood out from the rest.

1. A level head

The most important quality of a midfielder is to be able to see what the opponent can’t envision. This doesn’t not end at through balls, but include the start of a move. Hleb accumulated what is referred to as the ‘second assist’. This is the penultimate pass before the goal. These do not show up in statistics, which simply count assists. But these are highly valued and show up in coaching graphs. Hleb’s ability to judge situations like a drawing board was unmatched, and his feet were able to execute his command with finesse.

2. A developed mind and body

Hleb was extremely fit, which shows in his number of appearances. His first season at Arsenal saw him play 40 games, followed by 48. Hleb was also a gymnast and a swimmer, which automatically tone muscles that assist the ability to lower the center of gravity and execute smaller and quicker turns. This helps in tricks and the added skill makes it huge advantage. Hleb could pick players from afar, and he could also carry the ball effortlessly.

Hleb was never a goal scorer, clearly demonstrated by his tally. But he was a playmaker, a supreme one at that, who simply imploded due to simple bad decision-making and ruined his career. Leaving for Barcelona was a no-brainer for Cesc Fabregas, because he was built for the Catalonian side. Hleb, however, was far from a direct fit and eventually lost out. He expressed his wish to come back to the Emirates, but that has remained a wish.