Rosický predicting Arsenal ascendancy

Out of the limelight for too long, Arsenal FC midfielder Tomáš Rosický is thrilled to be involved again as he feels his way back from long-term injury. The Czech international believes Arsène Wenger's maturing side can compete for honours this season and shares his thoughts on clawing his way back to fitness and his national team's woes in the latest in our series of Q&As with uefa.com readers.

As a huge Gunners fan, I am excited to see you back. Do you feel this squad can get us some silverware?
Christopher Cassata, Arizona, USA

Tomáš Rosický: I think so. This team has enough quality to win trophies and I believe we will be successful this season. The Premiership title? Why not? As you can see, we don't have problems scoring goals: we have scored more goals than anyone in the Premier League this season so far. If we defend responsibly as a whole team, we can do it.

How does it feel to be back after such a long time out?
Bhavya Bhargava, 23, India

Rosický: Despite my current short absence, it is perfect to be back and I enjoy it. I really missed football.

Will you be able to play at the same level you were at before the injury?
Szymon Lipiski, 19, Poland

Rosický: I hope so. I am not limited at all by the injury I suffered in 2008, so I don't see any reason why I wouldn't be able to play at the same level.

How do you compare this Arsenal team to last season's?
Mathew Mwangi Karuga, 40, Mombasa, Kenya

Rosický: It is a good question. We are still a young team but we are a year older and more experienced. Even though we lost Emmanuel Adebayor along with Kolo Touré, we signed a great defender in Thomas Vermaelen and if you add Andrei Arshavin who came in last winter, my return to football and the fact Eduardo is back, this team is more matured and experienced.

What do you bring to the team that was missing last season?
Chris Jones, 30, Paris

Rosický: With me being back, the coach has another technical and creative player available. As I said, our team is still young so with my age [29] I can play a useful role in this squad.

What makes Arsène Wenger so special?
Tom Denton, 16, London, England

Rosický: The first thing is that he truly believes in the players he chooses for his team. And also his view on football, the way he wants to play and the way he wants to win. I would say the style is extraordinary. I have not worked under another coach in my career who has a philosophy like his. He can teach players to play the way he wants and he knows how to sign players who will be able to quickly understand what he wants from them.

What position do you like most and feel suits you best?
Carlos Cadena, Colombia

Rosický: I like playing in the centre of midfield the best, but I don't have a problem playing on the left or right. I think it is an advantage for me being a versatile player. But if it was only up to me, I'd feel happiest in the centre.

West Ham came back from 2-0 down to draw against Arsenal. AZ Alkmaar scored in the 93rd minute to draw against Arsenal. Arsenal threw away their lead at Old Trafford… Why are Arsenal not taking full advantage when you have the lead?
Prahadeesh G, Madras, India

Rosický: Another good question. One reason could be a small lapse in concentration, but I think we all realise now the game is not over until the referee blows the final whistle. So I believe we took a lesson from those games.

Having seen Andrei Arshavin both in training and now playing with him in matches, how good is he? Is he worthy of his recent nomination as one of the best players in the world?
Stu Morrison, Manchester, UK

Rosický: He is the type of player you enjoy playing with. Andrei is a clever and savvy footballer. He really clicks in this team.

What are your hobbies? Are you interested in collecting anything?
Tony Chan Yat Chung

Rosický: I am not a collector. As for other hobbies, I am trying to learn the guitar. I'm not very good but I am trying to practise.

What is the most difficult thing about being a professional player?
Helder Freitas, Portugal

Rosický: I would say travelling. I don't like it because we travel so much. It doesn't mean I don't travel during my holidays, but sometimes I am fed up with it. You are always in a bus, on a plane... It is really difficult. And I don't see many things in the places where I play. Generally, I have been almost everywhere but I have seen almost nothing [laughs].

If you hadn't become a professional footballer, what job would you have?
Hannah Lerman, 17, London

Rosický: Probably a different sport. Maybe tennis or ice hockey, which are popular in my country. I can't say how good I would be but I played both sports in my childhood. Anyway, I never thought about doing any normal job so I would definitely do something with sport.

What was the lowest moment you experienced in your time spent injured, and how did you stay optimistic about the future during that most trying time?
Zac Wheeler, 27, Portland, Oregan, USA

Rosický: The lowest point was the period after I found out I would need to undergo a second operation [autumn 2008]. It was really difficult to cope with the news. And as to staying optimistic, the main motivation was that I wanted to play football again. It's hard to explain but I can say that if I didn't love football so much, I probably wouldn't be back.

Is there any player, active or not, who you compare yourself to regarding your position and the way you play?
Petr, Prague

Rosický: It is difficult to compare myself to anyone but I can say that when I was younger, I really admired Zinédine Zidane for his football intelligence. I really liked his artistry.

What do you think when you are face to face with a defender?
Alex Sorlei, 17

Rosický: How to get past him as quickly as possible [laughs]. But generally, you can't think too much in these moments. It's all about intuition because football is played at such high speed. It is about using habits you learn from training sessions.

What went wrong for the Czech Republic in their World Cup qualifying group? It seemed a reasonably straightforward group.
John Kerr, 18, Scotland

Rosický: It's true it wasn't really a group of death. But it is difficult for me to analyse what went wrong because I was only with the team for the last two or three matches. When I got back to playing for the national team, it was almost over.

After the disastrous World Cup qualifying campaign, do you think the Czech Republic can return to the 1996 glory days and how? How can you participate in this revolution?
Feras Zahabi, Damascus, Syria

Rosický: I would like to be a part of it, but the question is how our young and talented players will develop. If you take the example of the Under-20 team that finished as a runners-up at the World Cup in Canada in 2007 and then look through the matches in the recent senior World Cup qualifying campaign, you can see that the players did not develop in the way we all hoped for. Unfortunately, it depends on the younger generation, which is slowly developing now.

Even though you missed the Saturday derby against Tottenham, how does playing Tottenham compare to other derbies you have played in?
Andy Davies, 19, Brightlingsea

Rosický: I have had experience playing in derbies like Sparta v Slavia in Prague and Dortmund against Schalke. All the derbies, including Arsenal-Tottenham, have the typical derby atmosphere. All the games are very emotional. As a player you have to stay cool. Anyway, I think these kinds of games are not about hating opposition players. You could see on Saturday, even though it was a very hard match as always, there were no brutal tackles or fouls. There was always respect among the players. That is good and that's how it should be.