Zenit Coach - Arshavin must prove himself

Andrei Arshavin's future at Zenit St. Petersburg depends on his performances on the pitch, coach Luciano Spalletti said Thursday. The diminutive forward is on loan from Arsenal until the end of the season, and the Russian champions have to decide whether to make a bid to keep him at the Petrovsky permanently. "Everything depends on the motivation and quality of Arshavin's game," Spalletti said. "I will have an influence on the club's final decision, but if one has necessary qualities to play for Zenit, it is up to him to show it, not to us. And not with his name or his reputation, but with good play. It is people, not names, who play football." Arshavin's contract at Arsenal expires at the end of the 2012-13 season. He is yet to play the full 90 minutes in any of his five appearances since rejoining Zenit in February. Arshavin has been slow to show the kind of form that took Russia to the semifinals of Euro 2008, but has gradually been eased back into action by Spalletti and last week he helped create one goal and scored a spectacular second to seal a 2-0 win over title challengers CSKA Moscow. Zenit lead the Russian Premier League by 12 points from Spartak Moscow, with 15 points to play for. A win against FC Kuban on Saturday combined with a Spartak draw or defeat against Guus Hiddink's Anzhi on Sunday will see the champions retain their title with four games to spare. But Spalletti is taking nothing for granted, praising Dan Petrescu's side as "the breakthrough of the season," adding he expects "a very tough game." "Petrescu has proved to be great manager, building a very solid team with physically strong, quick players. They play defensive football and prefer to counterattack. Obviously, this is tactical idea of the coach, but it is fully supported by the team." Kuban has been a yo-yo side over the last decade, with 2005 and 2006 the last time the club played two consecutive years in the same division. They were promoted in 2010 to this season's Premier League, and surprised many by retaining a place in the top-eight championship group. Kuban sit in eighth on 56 points, four behind big-spending Anzhi Makhachkala.