The Mirror today reports that Pavlyuchenko is not a fan of British food and pines for his homeland’s delicacies.
The £13.8mln Spurs striker, 27, said meals at Spurs were simple and modest and he prefers Russian dumplings.
The Mirror quotes him saying: “I don’t like their dishes. All they have is a simple canteen. At the Spartak training camp near Moscow the choice and quality of food is better.
“But since my wife Larisa joined me in London it’s not a problem for me anymore. She is a very good cook and now I eat mostly at home. I’m back to my favourite borsch and vareniki (beetroot soup and dumplings stuffed with cottage cheese) and feel as if I never moved countries.”
Pavluchenko’s grumbles come only seven days after the wife of Arsenal’s new Russian striker Andrey Arshavin, 27, who also attacked English culture.
Meanwhile, Pavlyuchenko also complained that the Premier League was too rough.
The Mirror reports that during an interview with Total Football magazine in Moscow, he said: “They play a much harsher football than in Russia. Their referees allow rougher tackling.”
And to rub salt in the wound Pavluchenko also took a swipe at British women saying that they can not even be compared to their Russian counterparts .
What do we think of this then? Firstly (and most importantly) lets discuss the football. Is our top flight to rough (thoughts about Eduardo’s heroic return after a crippling injury 12 months ago!)? Are referees to lenient during games?
Personally, I am not sure that the latter is true. I don’t watch a great deal of Russian football it must be said but the north London derby last week was ruined by a whistle happy referee blowing at every opportunity (a derby is supposed to be heated), if you watched the Milan derby on Monday it was a brilliant example of how a game can flow and produce much better football if the referee is indeed more lenient. If anything players get to much protection in the English game (a fact that the growth in diving does little to dampen). In regard, to the horrific Eduardo challenge and similarly the tackle on Dyer a year ago, this is not because the game is to rough but simply because of the increase in pace and passion.
Secondly, our British women. Again, I don’t know much about Russian women but if Bond girls, and enemies for that matter, are anything to go by perhaps Pavluychenko has a point. Having said that I don’t want to right-off our British girls (widley recognised by others as the best in the world).
Thirdly and finally food. Again, I have never eaten at a Spurs training session but the reason that they’re probably simple and modest Pavlychenko is because your a professional athelete – you can’t be dining on luxurious, Ramsay-esque cuisine just before 90 minutes on the pitch or an arduous training session. What kind of performance are you going to put in if you’re full of dumplings? I also happen to know (through a mutual friend) that the husband and wife couple who (as far as I know) still provide the food at the Lane produce perfectly delightful meals.
Thoughts?
Like Teddy Sheringham and Berbatov before him, Spurs striker Pavlyuchenko has admitted he dreams of playing for Manchester United just a day before the Carling Cup final showdown between the two teams at Wembley. Fortunatley Berbatov is expected to be rested tommorrow (so it’s just Rooney, Tevez, Ronaldo, Giggs and the young star Danny Wellbeck we up against then!)
