Hiddink: Pav needs to get nasty
Russia coach Guus Hiddink has challenged Tottenham Hotspur striker Roman Pavlyuchenko to 'get nasty' if he wants to guarantee his place in his country's squad for next summer's World Cup.
The Spurs front-man has been limited to just two substitute appearances in the Premier League so far this season, having found himself the club's fourth-choice forward behind Jermain Defoe, Robbie Keane and Peter Crouch.
However, the 27-year-old clearly still knows where the goal is, having netted in Tottenham's 5-1 Carling Cup win against Doncaster last month, before netting three times in Russia's recent international outings against Liechenstein and Wales.
Hiddink's men next face World Cup qualification rivals Germany in Moscow in a do-or-die clash that will decide who automatically progresses to the South Africa showpiece.
And although the former Chelsea chief is happy with Pavlychenko's international form, he accused the former Spartak Moscow man of being content just to sit on the substitutes' bench at Spurs, and challenged him to ruffle a few feathers in North London in order to start for the White Hart Lane outfit more regularly.
"If he is not playing, it is worrying for me and for him," he said.
"Roman is a good player but he needs to challenge himself more to a higher level of competition.
"He has a lot of power but can be laid-back using his talent. Almost daily you have to put him under pressure.
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"He is a very nice guy but it would be better if he was a bit more nasty."
Gregg Davies is the Chief Sub Editor of FourFourTwo magazine, joining the team in January 2008 and spending seven years working on the website. He supports non-league behemoths Hereford and commentates on Bulls matches for Radio Hereford FC. His passions include chocolate hobnobs and attempting to shoehorn Ronnie Radford into any office conversation.