Manchester City midfielder, Stephen Ireland has stated that international football will become an anachronism, and top players will start to retire young from the “chore” of having to play international football. In the coming decades, tournaments such as the World Cup or European Championships will decrease in value as their importance will fade, due to the rising popularity of international club football.

Tournaments, such as the FIFA World Club Cup will grow and expand. The Champions League and Copa Libertadores are already held by many professionals in higher regard than World Cup qualifiers that see Belarus play Khazakstan. Alexander Hleb has played for Barcelona and Belarus. I’m sure if he had to choose between the two, he would choose Barcelona every time.

Last week, 14 players pulled out of the Scotland squad to face Japan. Stephen Ireland says that he’s retired from playing for Ireland even though he is only 23.

Let’s face it, watching Arsenal v Boca Juniors in the final of the FIFA Club World Cup is a lot more appealing than watching Ukraine versus England. But I’m a die hard supporter and fans like me, generally do not care about their national team.

However, we die hard fans do not represent the rest of the population, especially those people that are not football fans, but who come alive when ever the World Cup finals start. It also depends on the country. Players from Brazil, Argentina or France, find playing for their country is the highlight of their career.

An American Arsenal fan would rather watch the USA win the World Cup than Arsenal win the FIFA World Club Cup. Ditto that of Brazilian fans of the team Corinthians winning the World Club title.

Winning the World Cup, an event that takes place once every four years, is a statement about a nation – for this reason international football will continue to have the power to reach more people on a deeper basis than the club game.

If Stephen Ireland had the chance to represent a nation of over 190 million, all desperate to win the World Cup, I doubt very much that he’d see it as a chore. He would probably view it as the highlight of his career.

Der Einsatz von Fußball-Profi Alexander Hleb für den VfB Stuttgart im Rückspiel der Champions-League-Playoffs am Mittwoch gegen den FC Timisoara ist unsicher.

Hleb nahm am Mannschaftstraining nicht teil, wegen einer Oberschenkelverhärtung.

Alexander Hleb, exjugador del FC Barcelona se fue para jugar en el Stuttgart en esta próxima temporada 09-10, después de una temporada mediocre en el equipo catalán sin  ninguna muestra de integración y de calidad. Hleb ya ha marcado su primer gol con el Stuttgart.

Miradlo a ver que os parece, es el segundo gol del Stuttgart.

Timişoara a stat în cărţi vreo 15 minute. Cinci au fost de acomodare a nemţilor cu terenul, iar zece de tatonare. Atât a durat curajul elevilor lui Sabău. Apoi, frica şi precipitarea s-au strecurat în ghetele bănăţenilor, care au cedat mijlocul terenului, în ciuda eforturilor disperate ale căpitanului Alexa de a-şi ţine echipa sus. Pantilimon a amânat deschiderea scorului, respingând în bară o bombă a marocanului Khedira, iar apoi Hitzlsperger a şutat în diagonală puţin pe lângă poartă.

Marica a scos un penalty

Replica timişorenilor a venit din elan şi nu avea cum să aibă finalitate, ţinând cont că micuţul Gigel Bucur a încercat să-l depăşească în săritură pe francezul Delpierre, un uriaş de 1,93 metri. Ceea ce plutea în aer s-a întâmplat în două minute, interval în care Stuttgart a dat o lecţie de eficienţă. Mai întâi, Marica a scăpat singur pe contraatac şi a fost faultat de Pantilimon, dându-i ocazia lui Gebhart să transforme penalty-ul acordat.

Timişoara a acuzat şocul şi imediat, la câteva zeci de secunde, fostul jucător al Barcelonei, Hleb, a driblat în stilul lui Maradona tot ce i-a ieşit în cale şi l-a executat fin pe Pantilimon, pentru 0-2. Suficient pentru o echipă germană stăpână pe sine şi realistă în privinţa valorii ei.

În cele 60 de minute care au urmat, Timişoara a încercat să mai repare ceva, măcar ca imagine, dar nemţii şi-au ţinut adversarul la distanţă şi au aşteptat liniştiţi trecerea timpului, conştienţi că trenul Ligii Campionilor opreşte sezonul acesta la Stuttgart. La Timişoara e aşteptat cel de Liga Europa.

„Aş fi preferat să dau un gol“

Ciprian Marica a contribuit decisiv la înfrângerea Timişoarei, prin obţinerea penalty-ului din care nemţii au deschis scorul. „Aş fi vrut să fac şi mai mult, aş fi vrut să şi înscriu”, a spus la final atacantul. „Trebuie să jucăm serios şi în Germania. Să nu credem că suntem deja calificaţi, fiindcă în fotbal se mai întâmplă şi surprize”, a avertizat vârful celor de la Stuttgart.

Ciprian Marica l-a păcălit pe Pantilimon   Foto: Epa

Dacă Marica nu e încă sigur de calificare, în schimb, Ioan Ovidiu Sabău pare resemnat că echipa sa nu mai are şanse să ajungă în grupele Ligii. „După ce am eliminat Şahtior, a apărut o automulţumire la jucătorii mei, şi acest lucru ne-a costat. Calificarea nu e încă jucată, dar e greu de crezut că vom putea întoarce rezultatul în Germania”, a spus tehnicianul Timişoarei.

Iancu s-a simţit umilit

Finanţatorul bănăţenilor a fost cel mai afectat de înfrângere. „M-am simţit umilit după acest rezultat”, a declarat Marian Iancu.

Telex

Se umplu de bani. În cazul probabil în care vor rata calificarea în grupele Ligii Campionilor, timişorenii vor juca direct în grupele Ligii Europei. Pentru că au trecut de turul trei preliminar al Ligii, bănăţenii vor primi de la UEFA 2,1 milioane de euro.

Dan Alexa şi Artiom Karamian nu vor juca în meciul retur. Acesta este programat la 26 august şi va fi transmis tot de TVR. Cei doi au primit aseară cartonaşe galbene, devenind automat suspendaţi pentru întâlnirea de miercurea viitoare.

Franz Beckenbauer a venit la Timişoara. Fostul mare internaţional german a sosit ieri în România pentru a comenta partida pentru postul de televiziune Sat 1.

România  -  „ţara lui Tarzan“, conform „Bild“. Cotidianul german a notat ironic înaintea disputei: „VfB Stuttgart va avea asigurate 22 de milioane de euro dacă se califică în grupele Ligii, iar ca să reuşească acest lucru trebuie să învingă «în ţara lui Tarzan»“.

Selecţionerul Răzvan Lucescu s-a aflat la stadion. El a urmărit partida din loja lui Marian Iancu, dar nu i-a mai purtat noroc acestuia. Secundul său, Stelea, a stat la tribuna oficială.

Timişorenii s-au rugat înainte de meci. Jucătorii bănăţeni au mers ieri de dimineaţă la catedrală.

0-2

FC Timişoara: Pantilimon – Bonfim, Cisovsky, Nibombe, Art. Karamian – St. Stancu, Alexa, Scutaru (Borbely 46), Arm. Karamian (Latovlevici 77) – Magera (Cl. Ionescu 69), Bucur Antrenor:  Ioan Ovidiu Sabău

Stuttgart: Lehman – Celozzi, Tasci, Delpierre, Magnin – Gebhart (Rudy 86), Khedira, Hitzlsperger, Hleb (Elson 61)- Marica, Pogrebnyak (Schieber 76) Antrenor:  Markus Babbel.

Marcatori: Gebhart (29-penalty), Hleb (30)

Stadionul „Dan Păltinişanu“: 23.500

Arbitru: Olegario Benquerenca

Adrian Mutu, titular în remiza de la Lisabona

Fiorentina a terminat aseară la egalitate, scor 2-2, pe terenul lui Sporting Lisabona, într-un meci în care Adrian Mutu (foto) a fost titular la italieni. “Briliantul” s-a aflat pe teren până în minutul 63, când a fost înlocuit cu Jovetici, dar a avut o evoluţie modestă.

El s-a remarcat o singură dată, în prima repriză, cu un şut puternic, apărat de portarul portughezilor. Se pare că problemele de sănătate cu care internaţionalul român s-a confruntat în ultima vreme şi-au pus amprenta asupra evoluţiei de aseară. Fiorentina a avut jocul în mână.

A deschis scorul încă din minutul 6, prin Vargas, însă Sporting Lisabona a reuşit să întoarcă soarta partidei, prin golurile lui Vukcevici (58) şi Miguel Veloso (66). Gilardino (78) a adus egalarea pe final, oferind italienilor prima şansă de calificare în grupele Ligii Campionilor.

Meciurile din play-offul Ligii Campionilor

Ieri

Celtic – Arsenal Londra ………………. 0-2
W. Gallas 43, Caldwell 71 (autogol)
Sporting L. – Fiorentina ………………. 2-2
Vukcevici 58, Veloso 66 / Vargas 6, Gilardino 79
Sheriff Tiraspol – Olympiakos …. 0-2
Cearense 46, Mitroglou 81
Copenhaga – Apoel Nicosia …….. 1-0
Pospech 54

Azi

Levski Sofia – Debrecen
Lyon – RSC Anderlecht
FC Salzburg – Maccabi Haifa
FK Ventspils – FC Zürich
Panathinaikos – Atl. Madrid (21.45, TVR1)
* Meciurile retur se vor juca
la data de 25/26 august

Prima transmisie HD din România

Meciul de aseară a însemnat şi prima transmisie High Definition, în direct, de pe teritoriul României. Carul de transmisie „Full High Definition” a fost închiriat de TVR de la o firmă germană, care a trimis 30 de oameni la stadion. Dacă firma germană a adus „sculele” şi tehnicienii care să se ocupe de buna funcţionare a acestora, restul a fost asigurat de TVR, postul naţional având 40 de persoane prezente la meci.

Alexander Hleb admits he made a mistake in leaving Arsenal last summer.  Hmm… A quick bit of gossip in the vain hope that Arsenal will take him back I suppose…Sorry but when you struggle at the Arsenal you are not going to make it at Barca…

The Belarus midfielder has returned to Stuttgart, four years after he left the Bundesliga side, on a year-long loan deal after a difficult season at Barcelona. Hleb rarely featured as the Catalans stormed to the treble and he believes he should never have left North London. He told ESPN: “Of course I regret leaving Arsenal. I was playing every week for one of the most exciting sides in Europe, a team which was always in the top four in the Premier League and were Champions League contenders.”

He added: “Also, I was being guided by one of the best coaches in the world in Arsene Wenger. I owe him a great deal.

“I developed a better all-round game under him and I became more robust physically, learnt to look up more and play better passes and generally improved greatly as a team player. No player ever gets worse under Wenger. For me, leaving Arsenal was not a good move.

“A footballer only exists when he takes to the field and makes a proper contribution to the team and even though I was part of a Barca squad that was almost unstoppable, it was hard not to feel detached from all the happiness and celebration at the end.”

nach eigener Aussage schätzt er sich bei 50% ein.

Alexander Hleb ist zum Länderspiel für Weissrussland abgereist mit einem individuellem Trainingsprogramm. Mit kleinen Bausteinen des Trainings will man schneller am Ziel sein, wie mit der Hauruck-Methode.

Dann lassen wir uns überraschen, denn bis zum 18.8.09 zu Champions-League- Qualifikation gegen FC Timisoara wäre es Fantastisch, wenn er die 100% fast erreicht.

Dupa ce Hleb a ales Stuttgart in detrimentul sau, Inter a izbutit sa imprumute un mijlocas central din Primera Division. Este vorba de olandezul Wesley Sneijder, de la Real Madrid, pentru care echipa lui Mourinho a platit 4 milioane de euro (un an de zile) si pentru care aceasta va avea o optiune de cumparare de 18 milioane de euro.

Olympique Marseille îl va transfera pe Gabriel Heinze

Heinze, în vârstă de 31 de ani, are contract cu Real Madrid până în 2011, iar salariul său anual este de 4,2 milioane de euro pe an. Jucătorul urmează să semneze un contract valabil trei ani cu Marseille.

Sursa citată scrie că argentinianul va forma pereche la gruparea franceză cu Souleymane Diawara, în timp ce Vitorino Hilton şi Julien Rodriguez vor fi rezervele lor.

Gabriel Heinze evoluează din 2007 la Real Madrid, după ce a mai jucat la Valladolid, PSG sau Manchester United.

Formaţia din Ligue 1 este interesată şi de transferul fundaşului Pape Diakhate, dar Dinamo Kiev cere 10 milioane de euro în schimbul lui, în timp ce clubul francez este dispus să achite cu patru mai puţin.

Brazilianul Elano la Galatasaray Istanbul

Galata nu a dezvăluit valoarea tranzacţiei, însă, potrivit ESPN, conducătorii clubului turc au acceptat să plătească 8 milioane de lire sterline (9,5 milioane euro) în schimbul mijlocaşului ofensiv brazilian, exact suma pe care Manchester City a achitat-o ucrainenilor de la Şahtior Doneţk în urmă cu doi ani, când l-a achiziţionat pe Elano.

Fotbalistul brazilian a disputat 80 de meciuri în toate competiţiile pentru Manchester City, înscriind 18 goluri.

Alexander Hleb a acceptat să fie împrumutat un an la Stuttgart

Mijlocaşul a fost inclus iniţial în operaţiunea de transfer dintre Barcelona şi Inter Milano, în cadrul căreia campioana Italiei l-a cedat pe Zlatan Ibrahimovic şi l-a cumpărat pe Samuel Eto’o.

Potrivit mass-media spaniole, jucătorul nu a dorit să fie împrumutat la Inter, preferând să se întoarcă în Bundesliga.

Hleb (28 de ani), venit anul trecut la Barcelona de la Arsenal, nu a reuşit să se impună la câştigătoarea Ligii Campionilor.

Alexander Hleb hat einen glücklichen Eindruck bei seinem ersten Training hinterlassen. Er freute sich über die sehr vielen Zuschauer.

Er könnte am Freitag gegen Wolfsburg als Joker eventuell eingesetzt werden, die Erwartungen die an den Weltklassespieler gestellt werden, sind sehr hoch.

Dreamer0304

“Einen Weltklassespieler verpflichtet”

“Ich freue mich sehr, dass der Transfer geklappt hat und wir Alex nach Hause geholt haben. Das war keine leichte Aufgabe. Mit ihm haben wir einen Weltklassespieler verpflichtet, der die Qualität unserer Mannschaft noch weiter erhöht”, sagte Stuttgarts Vorstand Sport, Horst Heldt, zum Transfer.

Herzlichen Glückwunsch für diesen Clou.

Alexander Hleb ha sido cedido al Stuttgart por una temporada. El club alemán asume la ficha completa del jugador.

El jugador bielorruso del FC Barcelona, Alexander Hleb, jugará esta temporada en el Stuttgart después que el FC Barcelona haya cerrado el acuerdo de cesión con el equipo alemán.

El centrocampista de 28 años volverá a jugar la Bundesliga con la camiseta del Stuttgart cuatro años después de dejar el equipo alemán, donde jugó de la temporada 2000/01 a la 2004/05.

Con la cesión de Alexander Hleb, el Stuttgart asume la ficha completa del jugador. Recordemos que el centrocampista ya no ha viajado a la gira que el primer equipo de fútbol del Barça ha iniciado por los Estados Unidos.

En su única temporada como azulgrana, el bielorruso Alexander Hleb disputó un total de 34 partidos oficiales, distribuidos en 19 de Liga, 7 de Champions League y 8 de Copa del Rey. Fue en esta última competición donde fue más habitual ver a Hleb en el once titular.

En total el bielorruso participó con 1.768 minutos jugados en la temporada de la consecución del triplete. De estos minutos, 772 fueron en la Liga, 403 en la Champions League y 593 en la Copa del Rey. Hleb no consiguió estrenarse como goleador azulgrana durante la temporada pero hizo dos asistencias de gol, ambas en la Liga.

What you missed while your gas station was being featured in “Gourmet Magazine”…

• Your Liverpool update: Right back Philipp Degen is happy he’s gotten good playing time in all preseason friendlies (even though they haven’t won a game yet), Liverpool may enter the bidding for former striker Peter Crouch, and Steven Gerrard was found not guilty of affray after admitting that he’d punched a man three times. Wait, what?
• Think Emmanuel Adebayor moved for the money? Well, he says that Arsenal sold him for the money. So there!
• Portsmouth have signed a sponsorship deal with Jobsite; presumably, the partnership will allow them to start recruiting some players.
• Arjen Robben could be moving to…Fenerbahçe?
• Alexander Hleb might screw up the Imbrahimovic-for-Eto’o deal by turning down a year-long loan at Inter; Hleb’s loan, plus €45 million, were Inter’s other conditions of the swap. Why Ibrahimovic is thought to be worth €45 million, a year long loan for a decent midfielder, AND a striker who can actually score in the Champions League is not discussed in the article.
• Real Madrid is finding that it’s difficult to sell players when you’re the only team who has any money.

As the Austrian tour continues and the preseason apex, the Emirates Cup, quickly approaches, at least one man’s future with the Arsenal is still very much in doubt. Phillipe Senderos joined Arsenal as an eighteen year-old from Swiss club, Servette, in the summer of 2003 for an undisclosed fee rumoured to be around £2.5m. He made sporadic appearances through the 2004-05 campaign before becoming a semi-regular in the club’s final year at Highbury due to Sol Campbell’s recurring injury problems. It was with Senderos, paired with Toure, at the back that got Arsenal to the Champions League Final in Paris in May 2006 on the back of an amazing defensive run. In the first two group matches, Arsenal conceded in back-to-back 2-1 wins home to FC Thun and away to Ajax. They would go on to finish the group stage and survive three knockout rounds against Real Madrid, Juventus, and Villareal without conceding again, and Big Phil was at the heart of it all until an injury forced him to miss both the second leg at Villareal and the Final. Heading into the 2006-07 season, it looked like it was time for Senderos to solidify his place in the starting XI, but the subsequent Ashley Cole-situation saw William Gallas join the club. Injuries, including a shoulder problem from the World Cup, plagued him throughout much of the 2006-07 campaign, and, when William Gallas was made captain in the summer of 2007, Senderos believed he had seen the writing on the wall.

After apparently being considered as a possibility for the captaincy in 2006, Senderos was back to the Carling Cup. However, in early 2008, Senderos was back in the starting lineup as Toure was away for the ACN and Arsenal put together a solid run through January and early February cementing their lead at the top of the table. He’s always been prone to making errors, having earned the nickname “Blunderos” amongst a certain section of the support. That is not so much out of the ordinary for a young centre-half. But his gaffes against Liverpool in the Champions League Quarterfinal seemed to leave an especially bad taste as the final nail in the coffin on a team that had begun collapsing long before Liverpool. In the summer of 2008, with his displeasure at the situation well known, Milan came knocking for the Swiss international. Sort of. With the return and semi-emergence of his international partner, Johann Djourou, Senderos happily agreed to a year-long loan deal to Milan with an eye to an eventual £6m move. But Senderos never really impressed at Milan and, after dealing with injuries early on, saw only 15 appearances. Despite making known his desire to remain at the San Siro, he was allowed to return to Arsenal this summer.

I must admit that in the beginning I did not begrudge his desire to move in a bid to play regularly. I have always assumed that the errors would dissipate with age and experience. We had already seen him perform successfully at the highest level in the Champions League. So when Milan came in, especially for a loan rather than a transfer, I could understand his desire for the move. Yet, I will be honest and say that his comments upon his arrival in Milan left a more bitter taste in my mouth than any of his past mistakes on the pitch. Here they are:

I am really happy to play in a team like Milan. For me, this is a dream come true. In the past I have achieved some success….Today I can say I have reached a superior level by coming to this club.

Senderos at Milan

Now, you may say, “What’s so wrong with that?” Or “You have to say things like that when you join a new club.” But that is a load of crap. Having already saw the ill-advised exits of Flamini for AC Milan and Hleb for Barcelona that summer, it was Senderos’s words more than the actual move that disturbed, because, not only did it add salt to the wounds created by Flamini and Hleb’s departures, but, it also encapsulated the way footballers seem to think about certain clubs. If you look at reality, he was joining a club that was preparing for the UEFA Cup and hadn’t been a factor in the Serie A title race for some time and was leaving a club who had led the Premier League for most of the season, had knocked Milan out of the Champions League, and was coming into their prime rather than watching it in the rear-view mirror. How does just joining a UEFA Cup bound club, no matter who they are, make a player think he has “reached a superior level” just by joining the club. On loan, no less? It is a hold that history seems to have over the present. Clubs like Madrid and Milan were highly successful in the 80s and 90s, when modern footballers were growing up watching the game. To them, it seems recent results matter much less than those from 15-20 years ago. Senderos’s comments are also meant to throw a reassuring bone to the Milan supporters

I know, this is nothing new and we see it all the time in football. But the lack of respect for Arsenal as a club amongst players continues to nag at me. We have one of the greatest stadiums in the world, possibly the greatest manager in the world, and in the last ten years we have set numerous domestic records in England. The problem, for me, so much is not an inability to draw big names to the Emirates, since we have shown we can draw big talents. The real problem is players that leave thinking the pitch is greener and the level superior at Milan or Madrid or Barcelona. We all know how that usually works out.

I had always doubted whether Big Phil would be able to return to the Emirates following those comments. But, I realized that most Arsenal supporters probably didn’t pay much mind to those comments as we had far more pressing concerns at the time. As it stands now, the Austrian tour and preseason camp are basically a football purgatory for Senderos as he considers his next move. When asked about his future, the Boss said, “It’s open. At the moment he is looking for solutions. He has many opportunities but he has to decide on his future.” A Cultured Left Foot seems to think that this “sends a clear signal that he is not considered a part of the manager’s long-term plans.” But, to me, it seems more that Wenger has resigned himself to that fact that Senderos is not willing to stay and fight for a place in the team. Rumours have linked Senderos with moves to Hertha Berlin as well as Bordeaux in a swap deal for Arsenal stalker, Marouane Chamakh.

Tras la negativa de Laporta de pagar lo q Lendoiro pedia por Filipe Luis,,va a llegar como primer refuerzo del Barça y ocupar el later Izquierdo, el brasileño Maxwell Scherrer Cabelino Andrade de 27 años de edad y procedente del Inter de Milan,,del mismo club es tambien el q supuestamente es el segundo fichaje del club blaugrana y no es otro q el giganton sueco  Zlatan Ibrahimovic a cambio de 35-40 o 45 millones(no esta clara la cifra aun) mas el delantero camerunés Samuel Etoo y la cesión de Alexander Hleb. Con este fichaje se descartaría el del Guaje Villa,,aunq aun no se sabe q terminara pasando.

Maxwell

Zlatan

Barça

Barcelona midfielder Alexander Hleb is a transfer target for Aston Villa, according to Daily Star Sunday.

The Belarus international has been enduring a tough time at Camp Nou, as first team opportunities are proving to be very elusive.

The former Stuttgart man has only made 19 league appearances for the Spanish giants since his £11.8 million move from Arsenal last year, and it is believed that he would like a return to the Premier League.

Villa boss Martin O’Neill is yet to make his first summer signing, but is thought to be on the lookout for a defender to replace Martin Laursen, who was forced to retire at the end of last season through injury, as well as looking to boost his options further forward.

Villa have the transfer funds available, as American billionaire owner randy Lerner has stated that he is willing to hand O’Neill massive funds for the summer, and a move for Hleb could be forthcoming.

The 28-year-old would have a much better chance of regular first team football at Villa Park, and it is believed that he is keen on a move away from Camp Nou.

The Birmingham based club are also looking to strengthen their midfield after losing captain Gareth Barry to Manchester City.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger could also bid for Hleb, with the midfielder set to cost around £7 million.

Hleb has not yet scored for the Spanish club, but picked up a domestic and European cup treble last season.

Goal

This weekend marks the close of the 2008/09 campaign for three members of the first team squad, seven or so days before the rest return to pre-season training. If nothing else, it highlights the fallacy of FIFA and UEFA’s claims that they care about the players. With a World Cup twelve months away, the scheduling of international tournaments remains open to question. The Confederations Cup they will say represents the opportunity to test what is ready in South Africa and see what they have left to do ahead of 2010. Well, quite a lot if the reports of room shortages on the British and Irish Lions tour is anything to go by.

Spain play this evening against Egypt and I guess Cesc will participate at some point and then disappear off for three weeks or so break, which despite having missed four months will be well-deserved. Theo Walcott and Kieran Gibbs play on Monday in Malmo having played their respective parts in England Under-21s win over Sweden. Despite going three goals to the good, England contrived to almost screw it up by ending the match level and down to ten men. Walcott was left to plough a lone furrow when Campbell left the field and gained first hand experience of how hard it is to play the central striking role he craves, especially against a well-marshalled defence and with many loose passes to chase.

Fair play to Walcott though for he continually put himself against a barely mobile opponent but too often this was on the right hand side with no support in the middle. The level of the young England team’s passing belied their Premier League experience and it was not too difficult to see why Arsene looks to get hold of the youngsters before they make the national squads. Bad habits are hard to lose once you get over a certain age and plenty of the England team reverted to type, hacking the ball clear instead of retaining possession once they were numerically disadvantaged.

Credit to the two Arsenal youngsters though for when their turn in the spot-kick drama came about, they fulfilled their side of the bargain with consumate ease, Gibbs especially confident with a no-nonsense effort that essentially won the shootout. What did emerge is the gulf in refereeing consistency. I have seen plenty of ‘keepers do the cod-psychology that Hart became immersed in; I cannot recall ever seeing one booked for it. If that is the standard, then so be it but let it at least be applied at all levels, across all competitions and not the whim of one over-zealous referee.

Having suggested in yesterday’s comments that the club could persuade players to change agents, Andrei Arshavin decided not wait for Arsene to make the change, sacking Dennis Lachter off his own back:

Recently I sent a formal letter to Dennis Lachter, which said that I do not want him to continue to represent me and that I will act on my own behalf. This is no way associated with my Arsenal contract. On the contrary, I want to express my deep gratitude for Lachter’s help in moving to the English club.

Lachter is not one of my favourite people due to his involvement in Alexander Hleb developing a taste for Italian ice-cream parlours but he should be given some credit for his role in getting Arshavin’s deal through. I suppose.

There is no reason why a footballer should need an agent. In days of old, the players would turn to a lawyer and an accountant when any contracts were being negotiated. Even in this day and age, the PFA provides ‘Agents Services’ and will deal with this on behalf of a player. For commercial activities, the player might need someone but let us be honest, if a player from abroad is available, Arsene is not going to sign him just because he is phoned by an Agent, is he? Months of scouting will have gone into assessing his abilities and background checks so surely it would be quicker to negotiate directly rather than waiting for another wheel in the transfer cog to relay messages. Without agents though, how would the media get another story…

The winner of this week’s least complete headline goes to Sky Sports with ‘Galliani claims Wenger talks’ which appeared to have the phrase ’sense whilst I talk complete bollocks’ missing. Either that or the AC Milan bigwig was genuinely surprised that Wenger possesses verbal dexterity. Personally, I prefer the former since it would be a refreshing change for a football administrator to be entirely honest about their own failings.

A myth has been put to bed as well regarding the transfer of Glen Johnson to Liverpool. Wikipedia has produced this answer for his desire not to return to Stamford Bridge:

’til Tomorrow.

A bright sunny morning, the media leaving Arsenal alone since they are all too busy revising their opinions of Manchester United from the only team in the world who can win something to a bunch of no-hopers, exposed by Barcelona. Which is all very nice, since Arsene has given them a little nugget that will no doubt be stored away.

In the aftermath of the Champions League final, he spoke of Thierry Henry’s departure from the club and the potentially negative impact that this had on the 2007/08 campaign:

Maybe he could have made a difference, maybe last year. We had 83 points and with him we could have gained two or three more that could have won us the championship.

A lot of conjecture within that statement of course. The team would have played differently since Henry and Adebayor were, and still are, two entirely different players. Such was the Frenchman’s hold over the club that many of the younger players were in awe of him, admitting that they would look to get the ball to their former captain for fear of being given a withering look. Part of the reason that the team did so well that season was youngsters growing up and taking more responsibility.

That is not to say that he would not have made a difference but it raises other questions such as would Adebayor have scored so many goals? It is not hard to imagine that his total would have been lower. The problems with 2007/08 were not attacking though, it was other areas. Yet in games such as the goalless draw at Wigan, Henry might have found the net to turn a draw into a victory. Little point though in crying over spilt milk; Henry was not at the club and we did not win the League.

Wenger did send out a message, one that will no doubt go unheeded in the major clubs around Europe: Arsenal are not a selling club. In an attempt to fend off expected – and perhaps already received – interest, the manager observed:

[Henry] was close to the end of his career. All these players [in the current squad] are at the start of their careers so it’s completely different. I think the exact opposite now – I don’t see why we should educate the players, get some stick and when they’re ready we sell them. That would be masochistic.

There is a perception that Arsenal are replicating Ajax; create a fantastic Youth Academy and sell the players to bigger clubs. It is there that the commonality between the Dutch club and Arsenal ends. Ajax has to bring in the revenue to survive financially, money that can only be truly raised by keeping good players and letting the excellent go. Arsenal has a business model that does not require this. With any Academy system, there will always be a lot of departures since places in the first team squad are finite. You cannot have a squad entirely composed of young players which Arsenal does not have, despite what some sections of the support and media seem to believe.

Wenger and those in the club recognise that external players will always have to be brought in to augment the youth. However, the nature of football in this age is such that his beliefs may have to be compromised. Taking Alexander Hleb as a prime example, the club could not hold onto the player simply because he wanted to leave. No matter how spurious his reasons in public, the club acquiesced to his wishes.

Wenger is right though to try to hold onto his better players. Only with them can he guide the club to the trophies which will keep those players happy. It is a vicious circle because if the players fail on the pitch, they can try to walk away, an option that is becoming easier with the weight of EU legislation behind them. The Webster Case was feared to be the tipping point, one step too far yet clubs are backing away following a recent ruling that upheld the spirit of that law yet forced the buying club to hand over several million pounds in respect of the ‘training fees‘ incurred by the reluctant seller.

With respect to leaving Arsenal, winning trophies is something that always drives players yet if they are honest, players will admit that Arsenal are in the top five or six of European clubs. It limits their options for an escape route, the only other reasons can be homesickness / trying a new culture or money. Despite what the media believe, there are not many clubs who pay players more than Arsenal when bonuses are taken into account, and they certainly do not pay all players more than Arsenal.

’til Tomorrow.