By Myles Palmer
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THANKS to Sky Nonhoff for the following stats from VfB Stuttgart’s 34-game Bundesliga season.
HLEB is an assistmeister, as I suspected.
An Arsenal fan was entitled to wonder : If this guy has only scored 13 in 137, why are we trying to buy him for £8 million?
That is what I asked myself.
Today, from my mate in Munich, the answer.
ALEXANDER HLEB has not made many headlines in world football.
But the stats show how deadly the Belarussian is.
He does for striker Kevin Kuranyi what David Beckham did for Ruud van Nastelrooy.
Most of the Stuttgart players have one or two assists.
Two players have 3 assists.
Two have 4 assists.
Kuranyi has 5 assists.
ALEXANDER HLEB has 14 assists in 34 games.
He has scored 2 goals, but made 14 goals !!!!
In the UK, in a 38-game season, Beckham and Solano have sometimes got 15 assists.
That is making a lot of goals.
Not many players can do that.
On page 318 of The Professor, describing March of the 2001-2002 season, I wrote this :
“Unfortunately, Pires, jumping to avoid a lunge by Dabizas, had landed awkwardly and damaged the medial ligament of his right knee. He had been the best player in the Premiership, but he would now miss the World Cup.Pires had scored 13 goals and had assists in 15 other goals.Only David Beckham, twice, and Nol Solano had ever accumulated 15 Premiership assists in a season, and they played more games.”
HLEB MUST BE DURABLE.
He is the only player apart from keeper Timo Hildebrand to play all 34 games for Stuttgart last season.
And he played more minutes than anybody else except the goalkeeper.
Stuttgart are gonna miss a guy like that.
TONIGHT I SHALL watch Argentina v Brazil on Bravo, Channel 124.
Jose Pekerman is the manager to watch now, with the World Cup coming up.
Bielsa is an interesting character from an interesting family, but he blew it in 2002 by not taking Saviola.
Argentina were far too good for Brazil in the first half and led 3-0 at half-time and deserved to win the game 3-1.
Nice to see half-striker Riquelme doing so well. He didn’t make it at Barcelona but has blossomed on loan at Villareal.
Riquelme scored a fabulous goal to make it 2-0, a goal I want to see.
Crespo scored the first and third.
Thumping Brazil in Buenos Aires is one thing. Could Argentina beat Brazil in Munich or Berlin?
THE ROBINHO DEAL may be the domino that triggers the transfer market.
When Robinho is sold, other deals will fall into place, and some good strikers will move.
I gather that Robinho’s agent has an understanding with Real Madrid, who have first refusal.
So we are waiting to see if Madrid want Robinho.
Do they want to keep Michael Owen?
Last night I was told that Madrid and Arsenal have begun negotiations to swap Owen for Reyes.
But I’m told a lot of things. I’ve heard that story before.
So it’s wait and see.
And that’s OK.
I don’t get agitated about such matters.
Yes, I have strong views, but why write about something that has not happened ?
June 9th 2005.