LONDON – ARSENAL captain Cesc Fabregas has brushed off recent speculation linking him with a move back to Spain, saying he is determined to play a role in the Gunners’ future successes.

Reports from Spain last week said Real Madrid and European champions Barcelona will battle to sign Fabregas at the end of the season.

However the Spaniard has reiterated his commitment to the Gunners and says he is fully behind the long-term strategy put in place by French manager Arsene Wenger.

‘I am so happy here,’ Fabregas told the Daily Mail. ‘And I want to continue to be part of what is happening here. Definitely. If not I would have left when I had the opportunity, three years ago, two years ago or last year.

‘I believe in this team and I feel we can achieve things. The boss believes in us more than anyone, and I feel I am part of it. He makes me see that as well. And I don’t want to fail here.’ Arsenal welcome league leaders Chelsea to the Emirates stadium on Sunday, where a win for Carlo Ancelotti’s side would move them 11 points clear of the Gunners.

Arsenal have been ravaged by injuries in recent weeks and Robin van Persie, Gael Clichy, Nicklas Bendtner, Kieran Gibbs and Abou Diaby will all miss the weekend clash. — AFP

Source: Straits Times, 2009

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Dinner dates, a night at the town, private massage service or whatever else you fancy.

Metro Touch Singapore Escort Companionship

(+65) 90973455 ( 24 hours )

www.metro-touch.com ( visit us )

Tomorrow sees us face Chelsea, who the media would have us believe have already run away with the league and everyone else is just scrapping for second place. Now I think I recall Chelsea racing into an early lead last year and not being crowned champions?

Picture from arsenal.com

Arsène gave his press conference yesterday and the first thing to be touched on was the team news. Compared to the previous game we are, of course, definitely without Kieran Gibbs; he had surgery on his broken first metatarsal, which went well according to the surgeon but the young English player will be out “for at least 3 months”. Arsène was questioned on who would fill in at left back, he responded with

“we have three very good left backs, however we only have one remaining”

I think this points to us seeing Armand Traore starting, which will worry some including me. However he needs game time and whilst a game of this magnitude might not be the best place to get that we need someone who is firstly a natural left sided player to fill this gap and we shouldn’t shuffle our pack elsewhere which might leave us more vulnerable.

William Gallas is rated as 50/50. I expect him to start tomorrow, this is his sort of game, and it is against his former club. Without him I worry we might be a bit more vulnerable to the Drogba/Anelka threat, something which Arsène will not focus on or change his game plan specifically, we will stick to our game first rather than playing to what Chelsea can do. With a team of our, purported, strengths that’s what we need to be doing.

Sunday’s game is also our Charity of the season game. This year the charity of the season is the Great Ormand Street Hospital and all Arsenal players and Directors will be donating a day’s wages to help raise funds for the world-renowned children’s hospital and are encouraging supporters to give what they can through the ‘Be a Gooner. Be a Giver.’ campaign. The picture above comes from a recent video shot for the charity campaign and can be viewed in full at beagoonerbeagiver.org where you can also donate online. The club has a target of £500,000 to raise for GOSH this season.

Picture from arsenal.com

Arsène also talked about Cesc in his press conference, a journalist asked what he brought to the team. The manager responded with the fact that he is a winner, he has become a complete midfielder (in no doubt down to Arsène’s tutelage) who can now defend as well as attack. He also noted how he is physically different to how he was 2 years ago. He is one of the cornerstones of this team, and I think the new formation benefits him greatly and we are witnessing his best football so far in his career.

When asked about last season’s 4-1 defeat at home to Chelsea, Arsène said that is hurt very much, that week was pretty crap as a fan having gone out of the Champions League to Utd a few days before then seeing Chelsea beat us comprehensively at home. Comparing this season’s Chelsea to that of last year Arsène said they are pretty tight at the back, having only conceded 8 goals in the league, and this game will be one of our biggest tests so far but as a team you want to play in these games. He feels that the team can no longer be considered too young, which is true they have been together a number of years and hopefully can go on to win something this season.

Picture from arsenal.com

There was a question regarding how clinical the team can be in the absence of van Persie (given we have only missed him in two games I hardly think it can be considered but that’s the press for you). Theo Walcott was mentioned as this giving him a chance, Arsène feels that he can play through the centre. However he does not want to rush him back from injury as he has done that on a number of occasions previously and it has cost him. But with some more experience of the central role he can learn in this position. I expect to see Theo come on as a sub in this game, perhaps for Eduardo as our front man, or even in addition to him with Eduardo moving out to the left.

As for our starting team tomorrow I find it too hard to call, there will be a few moves due to injury but it’s the forwards who are up in the air. I suspect we will opt for pace and skill but which of the pool of players Arsène picks from will be interesting. There is no doubt to the importance of this game, all is not over if we do not win, but we need a strong committed performance from the players. We need them out of the blocks firing, just like the home league game against Utd about this time last year. A fast pacy start, shock Chelsea, strike when they are off their guard and get an early lead. Our defence does worry us, Anelka and Drogba are a massive threat and we will need to be ready, especially at set pieces. I think Vermaelen will be massively up for this game, hopefully he will show Drogba that we are no soft touch.

Here’s to an Arsenal win tomorrow. Come on you gunners!

Or simply a case of multiple personality disorder?

I can’t be sure.

by K.Anand

A poll in the UK once rated Arsene Wenger the most influential manager in the English Premier League. Not to take the shine away from another successful manager in England, but the main reason that Wenger edged that other fellow was he brought about a structural change to the way a football club is run. Not to mention, he won the league title in his first full season, something that took seven years to achieve by his main rival.

For all intents and purpose, Wenger brought about a tsunami of change to Arsenal from the moment he first walked into the hallowed grounds of Highbury. He may be many things but most important of all, the classy Frenchman is the best thing to happen to English football since Herbert Chapman, another great manager at Highbury back in the 1930s.

Since his entry, the English Premier League (EPL) became more of a competition, as no other club could really measure up to Manchester United’s (MU’s) might in the mid-to-late 1990s on a consistent level. Leeds United were on the decline after their 1992 success, Blackburn Rovers were just one-season wonders, while Newcastle United had some hope for more than just a season or two but just could not overcome some psychological barriers to achieving greatness.

I am of course talking about pre-Big 4 days in the Premiership. Yeah, Liverpool were always up there too, trying to reclaim the title they last won in 1990, but they just didn’t have the same type of players nor management which brought them so much success in the 70s and 80s.

Then came Wenger in October 1996 and suddenly there was something different in the air, a freshness to the style of play besides a new fitness and health regime at Highbury that transformed and extended the careers of many senior players at the Arsenal.

Within seven months the Gunners were on the brink of Champions League (CL) qualification, but ended up third, just a point behind Newcastle. Back then, only the top two sides in the EPL qualified for the CL.

But just 12 months later, in May 1998, Arsenal had overcome an 11-point lead by MU to win their second Championship of the decade, having won the previous First Division title in 1991. Not only that, the Gunners also won the rare League Championship and FA Cup double. All this, in his first full season as manager of Arsenal. What more could a true supporter ask for.

Wenger then started work on the second part of his revolution in English football.

Now, many managers come and go in the top flight in England. That has always been the case. It is not a new phenomenon.

The difference between all of them and Wenger is that Wenger truly had a plan, a long-term plan, and he set about getting it all on board with the club’s directors and staff to make sure that Arsenal are a successful club for many years to come, not just short-term glories. Any championship or cup won were just the bonus.

The foundation for that success included the new stadium with an increased capacity (almost double that of Highbury), a scouting network and advanced training facilities that no club in England, let alone Europe, can match. In less than 10 years, Wenger achieved all of this and has increased the value of Arsenal far beyond what trophies can bring in the short term.

With arguably the best set of young players in the land, and an average age of 25 years (sometimes less, if Almunia & Gallas are out) for the first team, I know I speak for the majority of Arsenal supporters out there who are more than satisfied with what the gaffer has done. The present and the future, both look bright for the Gunners thanks to Wenger’s persistence and efforts from that fateful day he became manager of a club he almost share’s a first name with.

I dare supporters of other clubs to a debate on whether their club has a better formula that has worked successfully from the start of a manager’s reign till today, and with good future prospects, both financially as well as on the pitch.

To bring it all into perspective, let me refer you to this gem of a quote from the genius himself, as reported on Arsenal.com : “When people say ‘you have no trophy for four years’, I say ‘yes, you are right’ but in these four years we were in the final of the Champions League and the Semi-Final of the Champions League too. Had we won the Carling Cup, people would not say that.

“For example you go out in the first round of the Champions League and you win the Carling Cup, you have one trophy. But for me it’s worse.”

These days, football supporters expect their team to win trophies every season. Worse still, the instant-gratification demanding fans of today expect heads to roll if their team doesn’t cut it. We have to take the ups and the downs, the good times and the lean years. That is what supporting any club is all about – loyalty, positive-thinking and having hope.

Between 1968 (winning the European Cup) and 1993 (EPL), MU won four FA Cups (1977, 1983, 1985, 1990), one League Cup (1992) and a Cup-Winners’ Cup (1991). They were even relegated for a season in the mid-70s. See what they have won since 1993. Likewise, compare Liverpool’s tally of success in the 70s and 80s with the lean years since 1991.  These are perfect examples of the ups and downs.

I have had more ups than downs, highs than lows and celebrations than dejection as an Arsenal supporter in the past 13 years than I care to count and I gotta feeling that this season is going to be a good, good season.

* K.Anand has been supporting The ARSENAL for more than 30 years, and rates Tony “Mr.Arsenal” Adams as his favourite player ever. He founded the Arsenal FC Supporters Club Malaysia (AFCSM) in 1999 and was President of AFCSM for the first 6 years.*

Tuesday evening brought us one of the strangest matches this supporter has seen in a long time. Arsenal completely dominated the entire match yet they won only 2-nil and Standard Liege hit the post twice. Coming back from injuries, we saw Carlos Vela get a long-awaited start and Theo Walcott get in on some action, but we also saw Kieran Gibbs go out for months just seconds from the final whistle and William Gallas look worse than Rocky after 12 rounds with Apollo Creed. We saw three clear penalties that weren’t given because, as Alan Parry said, “They must not have penalties in Austria,” referring to the officials’ home.

I am conflicted as to what I should think about the match. The injuries to Arshavin, Gallas, and Gibbs certainly overshadow the great attacking performance. I certainly don’t agree with Paul Merson and Myles Palmer that Arsenal could’ve lost this match. Of course, Standard’s first time hitting the post came before Nasri had opened up the scoring but even at 1-nil down Standard rarely looked a threat going forward.

Song had a great match and news of his newly-signed long-term deal yesterday was more than welcome. But it seems all eyes were on Vela, and rightly so. Ever since his magnificent introduction to the club with some truly wonderful goals in last year’s Carling Cup, we’ve all been waiting for him to get a right chance in the first team. He didn’t do as well we would have hoped the other night but he has been out injured for most of the season. Nevertheless, the internet’s resident bitter idiot, Myles Palmer, wrote, in an article entitled, “Carlos Vela needs to grabs this chance.If not, adios”:

It’s about time his Arsenal career took off. Seriously, how long can anybody be a promising young striker? If Vela was any good, shouldn’t he be in the team by now?

Huh? He’s been at the club for a year. He was injured at the start of the season. How long can he be a promising striker?? Are you serious, Myles? Not half as long as your beloved, English Theo Walcott, that’s for sure. “If Vela was any good?” Anyone who saw his performances last year in the Carling Cup KNOWS he is good. His problem has been that he is not only stuck behind van Persie but Eduardo as well and so he has not gotten the kind of playing time we all would have hoped. Is everyone else as sick of this tool as I am?

The injury to Gibbs is the most problematic for Sunday as I doubt many of us have much confidence in Traore or Silvestre stepping into the left-back spot against Chelsea. I would think the Boss may have to bite the bullet and play Eboue there.

Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers…

This weekend our opponents are local rivals Arsenal and the fixture is probably the most important game we have played against Arsenal since a 1-1 draw in 2007 that ended our slim title hopes.

Arsenal like in 2008 have had an amazing start to the season, with the young players groomed by Arsene Wenger playing attractive attacking football and surging up the table.

In 2008 Arsenal buckled under the pressure and we narrowly missed out to Manchester United in the title race, it has now been 6 years without a title and patience at the Emirates can only buy so much time and the question is how this crop of players will react when the pressure mounts?

Despite defeat to Sunderland last week the match on Sunday brings the league’s two form teams together and gives us a chance to record 3 straight wins against last season’s top four sides.

Hopefully Carlo Ancelotti will have an almost full strength squad to pick from for this game with Lampard, Drogba, Ashley Cole all expected to be fit in time for kick off after recent injury problems.

The game itself should be quite open with plenty of chances with the leagues top scoring teams pitted against each other, the key however will be the midfield battle and Chelsea must ensure that Arsenal’s flair players are not given the time on the ball they crave.

On balance I think that Chelsea are stronger across all over the pitch and have a much more settled and balanced line up than Arsenal with or without the injuries, defensively we have the best defence in the league so far this season and the capabilities of our forward and midfield units are the stuff of dreams.

Ideally for me the Chelsea team to face Arsenal would be.

Cech  A. Cole, Terry, Carvalho, Ivanovic, Lampard, Essien, J. Cole, Mikel, Anelka and Drogba 

This is a fairly standard team for the players available however due to Arsenal’s attacking prowess I would give Mikel the nod ahead of Michael Ballack to provide the back four a more defensively minded midfield option.

Prediction: well I will let you do this bit, what do you predict?

FACEBOOK

Kerrea Gilbert has opined that he will be leaving Arsenal in the New Year, looking for a January move to another Premier League club. Having plied his trade in the lower divisions on various loan deals, it is perhaps hardly surprising that he views his future away from the club.

Such departures are nothing new and with Eboue at the top of the pecking order of reserve right backs, the club is well served by those within and out on loan. There have been murmurings that Gilbert has authority issues, incidents whilst on loan have surfaced to reinforce that perception, rightly or wrongly.

With a young squad, the number of departures in coming seasons will increase. The number of players in the first team is finite and as the average age drops, the previously sought promotion route from the reserves to replace an ageing player diminishes. When competing against players the same, or of similar, age ability becomes king. It is frustrating in the mind of the lesser player, even the most magnanimous will have the belief in their own abilities to the extent that they feel that they are more than adequate for first team duties.

Juggling these resources becomes polarised further with the quota systems envisaged by UEFA and the squad limitations similar to those of the Champions League that the EPL wants to impose. Contract negotiations are increasingly becoming public knowledge as agents seek to pressurise the clubs to compromise, wages closer to those being demanded rather than offered. Such matters are not the entirity of a players decision, first team action is high on their list of priorities as evidenced by Fran Merida.

The cycle of young players coming and going is a by-product of the Academy. Recently, the names of over 100 players who had left the club having come through the youth system was circulated. The majority of those have forged careers elsewhere albeit few in the upper echelons of the game. That suggests that Wenger has by and large shown good judgement in this area. An interesting comparison would be between the big four clubs. Accusations that Wenger does not allow English talent to flourish might just be shown to be wide of the mark.

Tacit admission of that came at the weekend with calls carried in Sunday’s papers for Wenger to become the figurehead of the 2018 World Cup bid, or as it is now described widely doomed 2018 World Cup bid such is the media perception of the impending disaster that is looming. Careful, there is a danger Arsene might be considered an honourary Englishman by various hacks in months or years to come.

The World Cup team could do considerably enhanced by his inclusion. Compared to native managers, Wenger has the advantage of being intelligent and able to string a sentence together without resorting to tired cliches to express football ideas. He has sufficient standing within the world of football to be listened to rather than gladhanding with people who scratch their heads afterwards, wondering who the hell he was. More than anything though, it would give him something to do during the interminably dull international weeks instead of fretting about the state his players will be returned to him in.

’til Tomorrow.

Arsenal got into the knockout stages of the Champions League for the tenth straight year with a 2-0 win against Standard Liege. There were injury problems though after the match with Gibbs being sidelined for close to 3 months with a fractured metatarsal and this after he came back from a minor injury to feature in this match. Gallas had a clash of head with Arshavin and was subed midway. Wenger though in his post match interview has said

Gallas has a slight ankle problem and a swollen eye. I think he will recover from the eye and the ankle soon.

Though he didn’t mention by when, I assume he meant before the weekend match. Gibbs he said was more serious.

Nasri capitalised on a defensive slip up and slotted in the first goal. He along with Fabregas controlled the midfield throughout the match. The second came from a Denilson long ranger. Playing in his 100th match, Denilson took his chance and drilled a wonderf ul shot from outside the penalty box high into the box.

Fabregas earned a unnecessary yellow card in the fag end of the match which resulted in the Standard player being sent off for a “headbutt”.

So now all set for the season-defining sunday thriller against Chelsea.

Arsenal ensured qualification for the knock-out stage of the Champions League and also confirmed their place as group winners with a 2-0 victory against Standard Liege last night.

The first half started very well for Arsenal, the opening 15 minutes in particular providing multiple chances, unlike the tie in Liege in September. The opening goal looked inevitable as Arsenal showed once again the pacy attacking football we have become accustomed to in recent times. However our defensive frailties were apparent throughout the half and at times Thomas Vermaelen looked like the only defender who was concentrating as a number of poor passes and missed tackles allowed Liege the opportunity to attack. The first half was overshadowed after a clash of heads between Gallas and Arshavin, the former having a very swollen eye and the latter with a bloodied head as a result of the clash.  This reduced Arsenal to 9 men whilst both players received treatment and Liege looked to capitalise, however a defensive slip allowed Nasri to cooly finish for our opening goal.

However Liege could easily have been back in the game not long after our goal, a challenge in our area by Gallas looked a clear penalty and replays merely confirmed this. However the referee waved play on and we were lucky to get away with that. As the half continued we looked to press home our advantage but the goal didn’t seem to arrive, this was all to change when Denilson hit a screamer from 30 yards out which went into the top of the net. 2-0 just on the stroke of halftime. The game was well within our grasp.

Gallas was replaced at halftime by Sylvester, I suspected due to his eye injury, he fitted in well but his challenges were initially mis-timed and you could see he lacks match practice.  The second half was not as high tempo as the first but we looked to control the game as time went on. However we continued to make defensive errors that a more capable team would clearly punish us for, hopefully this is enough warning for Sunday. Late into the game Kieran Gibbs went for a shot and the Liege defender left his leg in which Gibbs collected on the follow through, he went to ground and when he initially mouthed “ok” to the bench all looked well, but as soon as he stood up and put weight on it you could see he was in agony and came straight off.

It was confirmed this morning that he fractured a metatarsal in his left foot and will be out for 3 months, yet another injury for us!

Arsène in the press conference spoke of how we had a good first half and controlled the game but eased off in the second half, I think the players could sense they had the game under control. However had Liege scored a goal I wonder how the players would have reacted, I suspect we will get far sterner tests of a lead in the latter stages of this competition.

Arsène also confirmed that Gallas had an eye and ankle injury, the eye will be fine for Sunday and he “hopes” the ankle will be fine as well. Andrey Arshavin received staples in his head at half time, he will be available on Sunday.

So for the 10th season in a row we are in the knock-out stage of the Champions League, top of the group means a more advantageous draw, but given some of the teams who could be second I think our only benefit will be the second leg being at home. We can now look to the game on Sunday against Chelsea, more on that in the next few days.

Ah, good old Arsene Wenger. I get so much material from his comments, and once again one of his interviews has brought up another interesting topic. I actually quite like the guy, but sometimes he makes the odd quip I vehemently disagree with. He made such a comment just yesterday.

Club versus country arguments are tricky affairs these days, and Wenger has reacted angrily to a question about Theo Walcott and the World Cup.

“We do not pay players to go to the World Cup. We pay them to do well for Arsenal. The first pride of a man is to do well for the guy who pays you in life,” he said.

Now as much as I understand the sentiment, I cannot help but disagree. Yes, Arsenal pay the player, they coach him and they develop him. But if you were to ask any player ‘what do you aspire to?’, anybody whose first answer does not include ‘play at a world cup’ wants shooting.

I understand Wenger’s perspective. I appreciate it must infuriate managers when their star players are unavailable for weeks or even months at a time, even more so when they get injured playing for their country. A player getting injured in an international friendly must be the worst of all.

However, if you were to ask an English football fan would they rather their club win a trophy or England win an international competition, I believe 9 out of 10 would take the national team. And, quite frankly, so they should. (I’m not quite sure about Scotland fans, particularly when you take the Old Firm into account. It would seem Celtic and Rangers fans don’t want to agree on anything, so in my experience many have abandoned Scotland for the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland/England. But to avoid opening a can of worms, I’ll stick with England fans for the sake of this blog.)

Now Mr Wenger’s first loyalty is always going to be to Arsenal, and I would hope his players have the professionalism to be able to put the World Cup to the back of their minds. That being said, EVERY Premier League player should want to go to the World Cup. I believe Wenger would have got more out of his players by playing up the World Cup, not diminishing it. Indeed, Steve Bruce took that approach with Darren Bent, and that praise for his striker will lift his confidence and lead to better performances. It may even earn him a call up ahead of Heskey or Crouch. Indeed, if goals are the barometer for a striker, he’d be on the plane already.

One of my pet hates as a football fan is seeing a plethora of players pull out of international squads, normally at the request of their clubs. Manchester United used to be the biggest culprits. How many times was Paul Scholes removed from England duty because of ‘injury’, only to line up for United the following Saturday? Now many top clubs complain about ‘pointless friendlies’. I couldn’t disagree more. An international manager has maybe a dozen games a year to assess his squad. He needs friendlies in order to have his players gel before qualifiers and international tournaments. However, clubs pulling all their best players out of international squads MAKE the friendlies pointless. And I can give you an example.

England’s game against Brazil a couple of weeks ago had possibly 2 of Capello’s favoured 11. Because of that, England could not properly test themselves against the best in the world, the reason why the friendly was booked in the first place. (Well, that and an add-on to the Wembley friendly a couple of years ago.) But it was the actions of the clubs that made this game worthless. Yes, I accept there were a few genuine injuries, but how many players were back in their club sides the next week?

Trouble is, the clubs have so much power these days. I can see international friendlies becoming a thing of the past, simply because clubs won’t release players. But it doesn’t stop there. I seem to remember several clubs trying to stop players going to the Olympics and the African Cup of Nations. It’s ridiculous! Top clubs sign players who are internationals and then COMPLAIN when they play for their country! Mind-boggling.

The danger here though is if clubs can stop a player from playing in a friendly, then move on to the Olympics and African nations, what’s to stop clubs pulling players out of the European Championships or the Copa America? And then moving on to the World Cup?

Now some may say I’m being OTT. Fine, I may be a bit of an alarmist, but there’s a reason for that. There is nothing like international football for bringing the country together (or tearing it apart, depending on the result!) How much do we look forward to the World Cup/ European Championships, to large barbeques or days in the pub? How much do we enjoy the camaraderie shared with fans of every club, of congas in the street or jumping in fountains? How many of us have experienced nights we’ll never ever forget through the beauty of international football?

Those nights to me are sacred. The massive highs and the crushing lows that only come with the international game, and they MUST be preserved.

Portugal recently insisted Christiano Ronaldo reported to them despite Real’s protestations he was injured. I can’t but help applaud Carlos Queiroz for his standpoint, and if I was England manager I’d do the same. I think it’s time to end the sicknote mentality, and make clubs understand that national sides supercede all club sides.

Under Fabio Capello, England have a manager strong enough to do just that. Wenger can stick his bottom lip out all he wants, but Capello will undoubtedly pull rank if he has to. And that, my friends, will see the theatre of international football live long into the night.

Roll on June 11th.

It’s a fun-filled week after that excruciatingly long (in my mind) and pointless (ditto) International break. I won’t spoil too much (up here) because there are a few matches to take joy from today and I wouldn’t want to steal my own thunder by spilling the beans right away. So I’m just gonna take it slow and leave the best posts to la -

ACF Fiorentina 1-0 Olympique Lyonnais – Well, La Viola have sealed their Group of 16 qualification! Fiorentina will be joining their French compatriots (ha!), having defeated said Frenchmen by a single goal at the Stadio Artemio Franchi this evening. It would be Juan Manuel Vargas who provided the difference for the home side, with a spot kick on 27′ after AC Milan almost-signing Aly Cissokho downed Marco Marchionni in Les Gones’ area. However, I think the true credit for the victory belongs to Sebastien Frey, whose stellar display between the sticks saved Cesare Prandelli’s men’s collective behinds time and time again – their defense simply is not the same without Alessandro Gamberini marshalling the back line. Oh, one other minor detail regarding their match: it eliminated Liverpool  from the Champions League. Humble Fiorentina move on, while the Scousers are sent home to cry in their… scouse. Beating up on a French team and an English team with the same result? Two birds with one stone, I say. All that’s left to do is seal first place with a victory at Anfield – normally a tall order, but hell, I’m feeling good about it right now.

Your clock is ticking, Rafa!

Liverpool 1-0 Debrecen – Need I even bother? Does it matter? Liverpool have been knocked out of the Champions League as a result of La Viola’s win over Lyon (for those of you who may have skipped the above paragraph) David Ngog put the Reds ahead early in a game which they started confidently – the Frenchmen was first to the ball within the box on 4′ to poke home and give his side an early 1-0 lead. Rafa Benitez’s men put in a spirited performance in the first half, but by the second they were well away what the score was in Firenze and, with their destiny out of their hands, seemed content to simply boot the ball around. Now completely out of Champions League running despite tonight’s victory, the only heart that the Merseysiders can take is in the fact that they can get their revenge on Fiorentina by spoiling their 1st place hopes at Anfield in 2 weeks time. It seems strange after a victory, but Rafa Benitez unemployment watch, anyone?

Rubin Kazan 0-0 Dynamo Kiev – Rubin Kazan were crowned Russian champions earlier this week, but were unable to work any magic in snowy Tatarstan tonight to bolster their European hopes. Both the Russians and Ukrainians seemed aware of the importance of the match, which could have seen either rise to within grasping distance of Round of 16 qualification, and both sides started the match with tense and tentative play, unwilling to give ground but unwilling to push too far forward as well. The visitors actually dominated the play for much of the match, carrying possession and keeping the Rubinovye on their heels. However, it would be the Russians who came closest to scoring in the 90 minutes, with Oleksander Shovkovski being forced to swat away an acrobatic attempt from Alejandro Dominguez just before the halftime interval. In the end, neither side would get ahead, but both still have a chance of qualification thanks to the result that Barcelona and Inter achieved at the Camp Nou this evening.

Xavi will haunt Jose's nightmares for weeks.

Barcelona 2-0 Inter – Ah, the European Inter we know and hate – and the European Barcelona that we know and (some people) love. Italy’s most dominant team domestically once again failed to show up on the European stage, and were beaten black and blue (get it?) all over the match by a dominant Blaugrana side in Catalonia. It was all Barcelona from the very start, as the home side started early and didn’t really slow it down until the match was more than won. I Nerazzurri were reminded of their own glaring deficiencies as they found themselves unable to deal with Barca’s more technically proficient midfield (Xavi, anyone?) and perhaps the more forward-thinking tactics of Pep Guardiola. Barcelona struck twice early in the match, with Gerard Piqué side-footing in a corner on 10′ and Pedro volleying into the top corner after some beautiful team build-up on 27′. To illustrate the point of Catalan dominance, Inter didn’t even get their first shot off until 35′, and Victor Valdés wasn’t called into action until almost halftime to make a routine save on Diego Milito, who wasn’t looking very princely tonight. The scoreline could have been a lot higher if not for the world-class netminding of Julio Cesar, who proved a strong last line of defense against Barcelona’s constant onslaught. Though not exactly a blowout, Inter’s match has shown once again that Jose Mourinho’s men simply do not have the quality or the mentality to succeed in European football. Mourinho himself spoke of the large gap in quality after the match, citing individual talent as a key area in which La Beneamata simply could not compete. I tend to agree, and with creative genius Wesley Sneijder sidelined that gap becomes even more apparent, but I also think it comes down to tactics. Barcelona always play football on their own terms, with brilliant passing and constant movement, while Mourinho’s men play a more tentative game, content to simply grind out wins while expressing only momentary flashes of genius. Regardless of this result, it seems that both these sides will be advancing to the next round (unless Inter lose at home to Rubin Kazan in a fortnight), but to be swatted out of the Camp Nou so easily is surely a blow to i Nerazzurri and especially their loudmouthed tecnico.

Arsenal 2-0 Standard Liege – A run of the mill match for Arsenal – a Beer and Waffles speedbump, if you will. The Londoners cruised past their visitors at the Emirates Stadium on the strength of 2 first-half goals from Samir Nasri and Denilson on 35′ and 45′ respectively. Manuel Almunia was saved his blushes once by the grace of the woodwork, but other than that it was mostly smooth sailing for the Gunners, who have apparently bounced back nicely after a half-arsed defeat to Sunderland on the weekend. As predicted/warned waaay back when, Arsene Wenger’s men have topped Group H with ease.

Unirea Urziceni 1-0 Sevilla – This one’s just up here for its comic value. Sevilla have looked strong all season, both domestically and in European competition, but have fallen for the first time in these group stages after the Romanians were gifted a win through an Ivica Dragutinovic own-goal and the help of the woodwork. The match’s only goal came just before the interval, with the Serbian defender heading an incoming long ball directly into the back of his own net. Comic gold, that (when it’s not happening to you, anyways). Though the Andalusians continued to dominate much of the play throughout the second half, they were unable to overcome that deficit and ultimately fell to the home side in Bucharest. Dragutinovic’s own-goal may have helped the Romanian side to qualify, as they now sit second in the group behind Los Rojiblancos with 8 points. Interestingly, Urziceni have only score 6 goals in this competition, and 3 of those have been own-goals gifted to them by their opponents! If these guys make it through, they’ve definitely earned it.

These are th- Well, you get the point.

We got a good laugh after reading a quote from Arsene Wenger when asked about Theo Walcott’s chances of making Capello’s English squad for this summers World Cup in South Africa…

“For fuck’s sake the World Cup is in June. Is he on holiday until June 11? You cannot be serious.”

Yea, F-that, Wenger!! You tell ‘em.

Source: http://www.thespoiler.co.uk/

Arnie Wagner sends out emails to the supporters after each league match.  God bless his French heart, he does it week in, week out, win or lose.  Let’s have fun with the latest one, FJM-style.

Dear Supporter,

I was asked after Saturday’s game whether we missed Robin van Persie but I don’t think we can blame that for our 1-0 defeat.

No, we cannot blame a goal-less game on the loss of our leading goal-scorer and striker/talisman.  Nope, shouldn’t ever even DREAM it.

We lost a game where we can only fault ourselves because we didn’t score, some players were not at their best and we gave a goal away on the only situation where Sunderland could score – on a set piece.

International breaks make me want to cry.  Cesc, Andrey, Gallas…too many minutes for their countries to try to make a useless Summer tournament.  Steve Bruce, you fat piece of gob, your lot can ONLY score on set pieces, which we don’t even WORK ON.  So there.

I believe it’s more down to the fact that we made a big mistake on their corner because the game was there for the taking in the last 20 minutes. But of course, when you’re behind, it makes it more difficult.

I just said I don’t work on set pieces.  ARE YOU DEAF?  Oh, and by the way, this is the part where I start the “they played negatively after their RIDICULOUSLY FLUKE OF A CRAP SET PIECE GOAL” bit.

Going forward we lacked sharpness and desire to go behind the defenders. We had chosen the easy part of the game, that is to always come to the ball and not to be exposed. But in football, if you want to score goals, you have to go behind the defenders.

Everyone was dog-tired.  Stupid World Cup qualifying, honestly.  I guess my biggest worry is that occasionally the captain and that little Russian don’t show up fully ready to dominate in the Wenger Arsenal way.  Lazy.  Well, that’s it, I’ve had it.  No brie and toast this week after training.  Oh, and since Liege is coming in, NO BELGIAN CHOCOLATES.  No, I’m not kidding.  Okay, maybe some chocolates, but NO BRIE.

I didn’t feel really under threat from Sunderland and if you look at what they created on Saturday you would be surprised. If you take a distance and you watch this game again, emotions away from the game, you will be surprised how little they created. But they took their chance because in some way they wanted it more than us.

They suck, we’re awesome, but you know that.  By some unholy pact with Satan, they scored this goal that bounced off like eight of our players, hit both posts and our keeper had all ten fingers on it before it trickled over.  TRUST ME.  That side, despite being in 8th place, is just pathetic.  I cannot fathom how Spurs got 9 against those world beaters from Wigan, while we couldn’t beat this League 2 equivalent side.  WHERE IS THE JUSTICE, GOD?  WHERE?

Sunderland were aggressive but you expect that. I think that they tried to stop us from playing, sometimes on the fringes of the rule, but that’s part of the game.

Steve Bruce is just an extension of that evil Ferguson, and by that extension, he is borne out of the Hellmouth.  They are filthy, filthy cheaters who won’t let us run free and complete 20 passes in a row should be banned from ever playing again (or even watching it on television) for their negative awful ways.  I HATE THEM SO MUCH.  Cheaters.

We are eight points behind Chelsea now but we have a game in hand. I didn’t expect them to drop points against Wolves at all. It’s very different when you have an international break and then play away from home. I feel there’s a massive difference. If we had played Sunderland at home, we would have won the game.

Oh, and Premier League schedule-makers, you are also the worst people I’ve ever seen.  HOW DARE YOU MAKE US TRAVEL?  Look, there are four other teams in London, can’t we just play them?  It’s just so unfair.  I think I need a tissue.  I hate you.

It’s important to win our next game on Tuesday night. We must forget about Chelsea until we have played Standard Liege.

We just made this week so much more difficult.  And I was really hoping to get a start on my Christmas shopping.  DAMN YOU DARREN BENT!  Remind me to set a flaming bag of dog poo on Redknapp’s door for selling that EVIL PERSON.

Thanks for your continued support.

Arnie, it’s my pleasure, mate.

Arsène held his usual pre-game press conference today ahead of our Champions League tie against Standard Liege on Tuesday night. The initial news from the press conference was on the player availability, it will be the same group of players who faced Sunderland with the addition of Kieran Gibbs who has surprised Arsène with the speed of his return. I think it is also good that Gallas did not pick up an injury despite limping for some of the game on Saturday. Arsène also talked about some longer term injuries; Bendtner and van Persie are both “some time away”, Gael Clichy is 2-3 weeks, he then said “have I forgotten somebody” only to be reminded of Abou Diaby who has 3 weeks out due to another calf injury.

I would expect some rotation to take place, Gibbs is likely to get the nod ahead of Traore and perhaps Senderos will join Vermaelen and Eboue in a back four. I suspect Theo might get the nod to start, perhaps through the middle. Attacking wise though it is very hard to predict who might start given the wealth of options in the team.

The mood in the squad is one of disappointment following the defeat at Sunderland, however a win would not only turn this round but also help us finish top of the group. Which should be what the players are focussed on at this juncture, Sunday can be thought about from Wednesday. We need to be focussed against Liege, they scored 2 quick goals in the away tie and a repeat of which is something which I don’t want to even comprehend.

Arsène said a top of the group finish would feel like a job well done, and despite only needing a point from the next two games to qualify there is no temptation to be defensive. I suspect this might be linked to the fact the team don’t understand such a concept, as enjoying as flowing attacking football is to watch it does not help calm this supporter’s nerves in tight games (or even those when we are a few goals up).

A win tomorrow would be a nice response from the players, not only to their disappointment but that of the fans as well. Defeats hurt, we as fans want to be back to winning ways and hopefully that will resume tomorrow night and carry on into the weekend.

Late news tomorrow either here or on twitter if any arrives.

There’s really no sense in dwelling on this match. Sunderland is a solid side this season that drew at United and beat Liverpool. Almost our entire side had been away from the club for two weeks on plane trips and playing in meaningless matches. “But the international breaks didn’t affect Chelsea or United or Spurs,” you will say. And I would say that you are right, but that doesn’t mean that it didn’t affect us. There are no excuses for losing the match but there are reasons.

Apparently, Arsenal’s title hopes are once again dashed, according to many. As of right now, this is just one disappointing result. It’s not the end of the season. But it does raise some serious questions. Was this performance indicative of how the team will perform without van Persie? That is the big question.

I tend to lean towards thinking not, but I am an one of those optimists when it comes to the Arsenal. I can’t see the side all of a sudden going from scoring 3 or 4 goals per match to struggling to score simply because van Persie has been removed from the equation and especially with Cesc, Arshavin, Eduardo, Rosicky, Nasri, etc… still on the pitch. It was a nasty day against an insurgent club on the Saturday following yet another two-week/two-match international break. Of course, despite those conditions, we still need to be able to get results.

Despite falling 8 points behind Chelsea (5 if we win our game in hand), we did control most of the game even if Sunderland did work harder against us in midfield than almost any other side we’ve played all season. Sunderland’s goal came off of a fluke bounce, though the bounce came after we failed to deal with a set piece, yet again. Aaron Ramsey failed to replicate his international form and Traore didn’t look altogether solid at left-back.

Another bright spot for me was the introduction of Carlos Vela. Arsenal looked more dangerous after he came on and if Eduardo cannot get it together, I now feel the Boss would not hesitate to use Vela more than he has in the past, having said openly that Vela is the reason Adebayor could be sold and not replaced. The return of Theo Walcott was another bright spot on an otherwise dismal Saturday afternoon.

Arsenal have shown themselves capable of picking themselves up from disappointing performances and getting back on track quickly. Following the Manchester defeats, we put together a 13-match unbeaten run which included 6 wins out of 7 in the Premier League. We have dealt with adversity well this season and we will now need to do it again.

In other news, Stan Kroenke has bought ten more shares and is now a mere 62 away from being obligated to launch a takeover bid. In other interesting news, Man City drew their sixth consecutive match and have won just one in their last eight, keeping only one clean sheet in that time, a nil-nil draw at Birmingham. Kolo Toure seems to have caught whatever disease it is that Adebayor has that keeps making him talk about Arsenal, saying:

I had problems with certain players at Arsenal, especially one, whose name I will not say because I don’t want to feed the controversy. I didn’t have much time on the pitch last year because I think there’s a player who got the manager believing that he and I had no understanding on the field. That did surprise me hugely.

I have never looked to put a spoke in anyone’s wheel at all. I have never wanted to be captain. My wish was to finish my career at Arsenal, but there are always banana-skins.

Don’t want to feed “the” controversy? That hasn’t been a controversy for anyone but Kolo since last season. It’s amazing how both he and Adebayor are living in the past, seemingly with Arsenal constantly on their minds. No wonder they can’t win matches or keep clean sheets. I don’t think that Arsene Wenger needed William Gallas to tell him that there was no understanding between him and Gallas, or “he-who-shall-not-be-named.” Every Arsenal fan has “believed” that for years. There WAS no understanding.

Anyway, seeing as how I don’t want to dwell on our first lackluster match in a while and we have a fairly unimportant CL fixture standing between us and Chelsea, I’ll have to leave it there, for now.

What you missed while scientists were finding a new type of predator coral that can eat jellyfish…

• David Beckham’s LA Galaxy lost the MLS Cup on penalties to Real Salt Lake last night, but Beckham is still planning on coming back after his AC Milan move, possibly with an eye towards one day owning an MLS franchise. Beckham Beckham Beckham Beckham.
• Jermain Defoe scored five goals in Tottenham’s 9-1 demolition of Wigan.
• Barcelona drew 1-1 with Athletic Bilbao Saturday, dropping them behind Real Madrid on the table; even worse, Lionel Messi went down with a thigh tear that will likely leave him out of the Super Classico on Saturday.
• Gaël Kakuta, the controversial Chelsea youth prospect, made his debut against Wolves.
• Liverpool will have to beat Debrecini VSC without Fernando Torres and Ryan Babel; the way things are going lately, look for a 2-2 draw in Hungary tomorrow.
• Carlos Vela’s potential has convinced Arsene Wenger to stop trying to sign Marouane Chamakh.
• Thierry Henry considered quitting after his controversial double dribble against Ireland.
• Philipp Lahm says that Bayern Munich is “sick” and “lame”. No word on whether they’re also “bogus” and “heinous”.
• Switzerland’s FC Gossau and FC Thun have each banned players over their roles in a match fixing scandal.
• Palermo have sacked Walter Zenga for extending the club’s winless run to four games, knocking all the pieces over.
• Rubin Kazan’s scoreless draw with Zenit St. Petersburg saw them clinch their second consecutive Russian Premier League title.
• Gary Neville has hit out against “mollycoddled” players who collect paychecks but never seem to actually play rely on their agents to do everything for them.

Why do I always type a little blurb here? It never really says anything; I just feel weird diving straight into the match results themselves without any preamble. It’s too… impersonal that way. So hello, hi, here we are, so let’s get down to it:

Calcio:

AS Roma Totti 3-1 Bari – Romanisti always repeat one thing when Er Pupone is sidelined: No Totti, no Party. But sometimes we get so caught up in our own negativity that we forget the flip-side of that equation: Totti = party. Er Capitano made his return today against Bari, back from over a month out after going into knee surgery earlier in the season. And just to remind us why we miss him when he’s gone, he scored a hattrick. In the first half hour. The first came on 7′ – a spot kick after Jean-François Gillet downed Mirko Vucinic in the area. Then, only 7 minutes later, Totti launched a searing free-kick into the back of the net to make it 2-0. On 28′, he scored a world-class – and seemingly impossible – goal, beating Bari’s defense, Gillet and firing an acute-angle shot into the far corner. Beauty. Roma did their usual thing in the second half, sitting comfortably back on their large lead and letting i Galletti tire themselves out. However, the visitors finally pulled one back when youngster Marco Andreolli nodded the ball into his own net on 73′. A bit of a blemish, but a pretty good party nonetheless. To Gillet’s credit, he was outstanding for most of the match (those stretches when Totti was not destroying his self esteem), as was Julio Sergio, who was very solid behind the Roman back four. Mirko Vucinic was phenomenal, back to his old self again, while the only real black spot for Roma was Nicolas Burdisso, who was an absolute horrorshow at right-back. Also, the own goal was unfortunate. But all in all, a very good party with Er Capitano back at the helm. I can’t wait until we get Danielino back – then we can really party.

Inter 3-1  Bologna – The Inter Offside webpage referred to this match as a ‘Mortadella Speedbump’ — that pretty much sums it up for me. The reigning champions probably felt as if they could simply stroll into the Stadio Dall’Ara and come back out with three easy points, and their hosts failed to prove them wrong. There was a bit of tension early in the match; Diego Milito put Inter ahead on 22′ off of a corner from Maicon, only for Marcelo Zalayeta to equalize within 60 seconds, smashing the ball past Julio Cesar and into the top corner. The next 20 minutes saw both teams get really into the game, but Mario Balotelli should have put his side ahead when he beat the Bologna backline and dummied ‘keeper Emiliano Viviano – only to waste enough time that Viviano was able to get up and rob him of his much belated shot. One could see Jose Mourinho rise from his bench, flailing in anger. However, Supermario was able to atone for his sins just before the half; another Maicon corner saw the young striker rise powerfully in the air and head home to make it 2-1 for the Nerazzurri. He picked up a knock in the process, however, and was subbed off for Samuel Eto’o, who made a rare start on the bench. The visitors would make their lead more comfortable midway through the second half, with Esteban Cambiasso, who was in excellent form, burying a left-foot strike on 72′. To be honest, the hosts never looked like they were going to get back into the game, and Inter cruised to a comfortable win over the Emiliani.

AC Milan 4-3 Cagliari – It was a bit of a rollercoaster ride in the San Siro this afternoon, but i Rossoneri came out on top. Clarence Seedorf gave the home side an early lead on 5′, but gli Isolani weren’t interested in falling behind and Alessandro Matri equalized just 3 minutes later. The visitors would take the lead on 30′ when Andrea Lazzari found himself completely unmarked at Milan’s back post and gave his side a 2-1 lead. This time though, it was Milan’s turn to come from behind, as Marco Borriello and Alexandre Pato bagged a pair of goals in quick succession to put their side up 3-2 by the 39th minute. Pato’s goal was particularly nice, a rocket-powered blast into the top shelf which sent the San Siro crowd into an uproar. Milan would further consolidate their lead after the break, with Ronaldinho stepping up to the spot after Borriello had been felled in the area and burying it, sending Federico Marchetti the wrong way. He seems to score all of his goals that way, doesn’t he? More on him later. Cagliari was able to reduce Milan’s lead to a single goal when Nenê beat Dida on 68′, but Milan would hold onto their rather precarious lead and edge their visitors 4-3 in what turned out to be an exciting goalfest. Now, Ronaldinho. He was quite possibly – I’d almost say easily – the man of the match; back to his Barcelona form and full of tricks and flicks. That he only got onto the scoresheet via PK is misleading, as he was the creative force behind Milan’s devastating offense all night. That being said, their defending was quite shoddy, and against a better team (no offense, Cagliari, I like you guys) they might have come away with a rather different result. That being said, an excellent high-scoring match to put il Diavolo into 3rd place. Who says Serie A is boring?

Juventus 1-0 Udinese – Oh that’s right, Juventini say Serie A is boring. Because Juve is boring. I Bianconeri edged, well, i Bianconeri in Turin to keep their Scudetto hopes alive tonight. After the kickoff, it was all Juventus; Diego and Mauro Camoranesi both came close in the first quarter of an hour. After that though, the game went into a bit of a lull, and neither side looked dangerous (or did anything important) before the halftime break – unless you count a Udinese goal rightly disallowed for offside. After the restart, it was once again Juventus who set the pace, and this time it paid off. Summer signing Martin Cácares set up summer signing Fabio Grosso, who beat Samir Handanovic with ease to put the home side up 1-0 on 51′. Udinese fought hard throughout the remainder of the half, and both Handanovic and Gigi Buffon were called upon to make class saves, but ultimately the most exciting thing to happen before the fulltime whistle was Alessandro Del Piero’s appearance as a substitute. Juventino or not, you gotta love that guy.

Football:

A hattrick? No, that was just a warm-up.

Tottenham Hotspur 9-1 Wigan Athletic – Stop the press! What in God’s name do they put in the water in Tottenham? The Spurs recorded the second-biggest Premiership blowout in history at White Hart Lane over a hapless Wigan Athletic, with Jermain Defoe grabbing 5 himself in the second half. Peter Crouch opened the scoring for the home side on 9′, and believe it or not, that was it for the first half. Defoe got started right away after the break though, netting on 51′ and 54′, before Paul Scharner (who may have also pulled a Thierry Henry) pulled one back for the Latics to make it 3-1 on 57′. Defoe wasn’t done yet though, and to complete his hattrick restored the Spurs 3-goal margin just seconds later. Aaron Lennon got in on the action with a goal of his own on 64′, and then Jermain Defoe topped off his hattrick with a brace on 69′ and 87′. Chris Kirkland put the ball into his own net on 88′ to make it 8-1, and then Niko Kranjcar scored in the 4th minute of stoppage time to make the scoreline a whopping 9-1. To put this into perspective, didn’t table-toppers Chelsea lose to Wigan this season? Holy shit, dude.

Chelsea 4-0 Wolverhampton – Speaking of Chelsea, Carlo Ancelotti’s men took part in a rout of their own this weekend, though it seems rather paltry in comparison with their London neighbours’ rather excessive beatdown. The Wolves simply had no chance at Stamford Bridge, and with Florent Malouda opening the scoring with a 25-yard strike on 5′, it seemed a cricket score was imminent. Michael Essien furthered that notion, bagging a brace within a 10 minute span by finding the back of the Wolves’ net on 12′ and 22′. The visitors simply had no response to the dominant Chelsea play, and their ill-advised 2-5-3 formation left plenty of gaps for the Blues to exploit. The teams went into the half with the score 3-0, but not before Sylvain Ebanks-Blake forced a class save from Petr Cech. As the game progressed, Wolverhampton reverted to a more solid 4-4-2, it was not enough to stop Joe Cole from scoring his first Premiership goal in over a year, making the score 4-0. Another quite impressive blowout/shutout from Ancelotti’s men, but until they score 9 goals I think they’ll feel that their crosstown rivals have the upper hand. Then again, they’re leading the league, so who cares about the Spurs?

Liverpool 2-2- Manchester City – Every time a Koppite cries, and angel get its wings. Or so I’ve been led to believe. Either way, both the Reds and the Blues (no, no, other Reds. Other Blues too.) dropped points and further away from the top 4 with a 4-goal draw at Anfield on Saturday. Martin Skrtel gave the home side the lead on 50′, only for Emmanuel Adebayor and Stephen Ireland to respond on 69′ and 76′ respectively to give the Citizens a 2-1 lead. A loss at this stage in the competition would have meant disaster for the Scousers, but luckily Yossi Benayoun cut any Mancunian celebrations short by responding with a goal of his own on 77′ to equalize and make it 2-2. And 2-2 the score would remain. This result is neither a complete disaster for Mark Hughes or Rafa Benitez, but you gotta think that the two of them, and their grossly underperforming squads, have gotta be feeling a little uncomfortable right now.

Manchester Utd 3-0 Everton – As for the other Reds and Blues of Manchester and Liverpool, a draw was not in the cards. The Red Devils trounced the Toffeemakers at Old Trafford to stay within five points of Chelsea in the table. Darren Fletcher opened the scoring for the homeside on 35′ with a beautiful goal that has been compared (somewhat hyperbolically) to the work of Zinedine Zidane. After the half Michael Carrick and Luis Antonio Valencia would add a goal each, while David Moyes’ men could do little but keep the scoreline respectable. I gotta say, the Merseyside derby is going to be downright depressing this year…

Pictured: Arsenal player not fit for today's match.

Sunderland 1-0 Arsenal – Oh, Arsenal. The Gooners had gone over a dozen games without a loss, but as usual Arsene Wenger’s men got a little too close to the sun and their wings simply burned up. Also, they had a lot of injuries. The Londoners put in an unfocused and ramshackle performance against a determined Sunderland side who clearly wanted the result more. And they got it. Sunderland simply rode out wave after wave of potent Arsenal attacking play, though admittedly, it didn’t seem like the Gunners wanted to do much other than controlling the ball in midfield. On 71′, the home side finally got their chance and Darren Bent buried it to make the score 1-0 for the Black Cats. Wenger’s men had simply no will to get back into the game (perhaps their minds were occupied with thoughts of next week’s clash against Chelsea) and ultimately fell to a steely Sunderland side. This is the second time this year that the Black Cats have beaten a top 4 side – and this time it can’t even be blamed on a beach ball.

Futbol:

Real Madrid 1-0 Racing Santander – Well, Los Galacticos are still without their biggest star – Cristiano Ronaldo – and they’re still not playing as ‘Galacticos’ perhaps should, but they’re finally where Galacticos should be: on top. Gonzalo Higuaín provided the difference that Manuel Pellegrini’s men needed to take down mid-table residents Racing Santander, with a strike from close range on 22′. Both sides had second-half goals disallowed for offsides, with both Karim Benzema and Sergio Canales putting the ball into the back of the net only to be notified by the referee that they need not celebrate. As has been the norm this year, Madrid did not completely convince, but their narrow victory was nevertheless enough to see them go top of the table for the first time this season after Barcelona picked up a similarly unconvincing result in Bilbao.

Because Bear Country is more frightening than Basque Country.

Barcelona 1-1 Athletic Bilbao – Treble Champions they may be, but at times this season Barcelona have failed to look the part. They faltered again in their title race during this weekend’s trip to Basque Country. Though many of their starting 11, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, were out with knocks, one could still expect Barcelona to produce a result against midtable opponents such as Bilbao. Early in the match, Los Leones put pressure on their visitors, peppering them with corners and free kicks, while Barca looked simply content to play on the counter. Soon however, Barca wrested control of possession from their hosts, and began to look like the side to score, though when it came to finishing they came up empty – at least in the first half. However, after the restart the Blaugrana got off on the right foot, with Daniel Alves running on to the end of a perfect throughball from Xavi and finding the back of Bilbao’s net. Athletic immediately responded by bringing Toquero into the game; a move that would prove very effective as the substitute would equalize for the home side within 10 minutes of coming onto the pitch, running onto a long ball and smashing it home. All that was left to do for Bilbao was to park the bus and ride out the waves of Barcelona attacks – which they did – in order to gain a point and drop the reigning champions down to second place. What has happened to Pep Guardiola’s men?

Fußball:

Bayern München 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen – Well, Die Roten haven’t sunk any further into their slump, but they haven’t de-slumped either, achieving a draw against league-leading Bayer Leverkusen at the Allianz-Arena this weekend. Mario Gomez and Stephan Kießling each netted for their respective sides early on in the match; both goals came within the first 15 minutes of play. Bayern started off energetically, with their aggressive attack leading to Mario Gomez’s opener on 8′, which he sidefooted in on an advantage play after Miroslav Klose was fouled. However, their visitors soon caught up to them in pace and were able to exploit the home side’s defensive weaknesses; Kießling easily beat the offside trap and slotted the ball coolly past Hans-Jörg Butt to make it all square on 14′. Each team had spells of pacy and bright looking attack, but neither could capitalize during those stretches; Leverkusen keeper Rene Adler saved his side time and time again with world class saves to prevent Bayern from getting out in front. Even Thomas Müller, who has so often been Bayern’s ace-in-the-hole this season proved ineffectual, and was subbed in the second half for Ivica Olic, returning from a lengthy injury layoff. The chances petered out towards the end of the game, and a 1-1 draw it would remain – a result that sees Bayer reclaim 1st and Bayern languish in 7th.

Werder Bremen 6-0 SC Freiburg – Poor Freiburg. On more than a few occasions this season they have found themselvesin situations where they are simply out of their depth. The home side suffered a humbling defeat to Die Grün-Weißen in their own Badenova-Stadion, falling 6-0 in an all-out slaughter. Hugo Almeida opened the scoring for the visitors on 33′, Marko Marin added a second on 55′, Almeida doubled his money on 57′, Mesut Özil netted on 67′, Naldo on 73′ and substitute Markus Rosenberg made it 6-0 with 8 minutes left to play. Freiburg once again made a case for having the worst defense in the Bundesliga (they have the highest number of goals against; 30) and sit 13th in the league table, while this victory propels Werder Bremen to second, just a point behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen. I guess the English aren’t the only ones who know how to have a good blowout!

The Belgium International Thomas Vermaelen has already proved a bargain at £10million, as his club Arsenal go from strength to strength.

Arsene Wenger wanted a defender during last summer. It was the Frenchman’s top target, with money – for once – not an issue. Arsenal fans had been crying out for a no-nonsense tank of a player throughout what was a below-par 08/09 season for the Gunners.

Barely a month had past since the end of the campaign and in came that defender.

Wenger was more than pleased with capturing a player he envisaged as the final block of stone in his aching defensive wall. Arsenal fans have seldom been treated to getting what they want from their manager. A defender is what they all wanted and so, to Wenger, a defender was what they got.

The "Verminator"

Only Thomas Vermaelen wasn’t exactly what the Arsenal faithful were anticipating. A relatively young recruit, at 23 years-old the Belgium had only ever been tested in the Dutch league. He stands just under 6ft, yet reports suggested he is a monster aerially both in defence and attack. This was the guy – the tough tackling, no holds bar soldier – who was going to put a stop to the comedy of errors ever present in the Gunners’ back four.

Well, Arsenal fans can be forgiven for feeling a tad pessimistic of the former Ajax captain. However, they cannot be forgiven for doubting Arsene “Simon Cowell” Wenger. Many saw the signing as a failure from the Arsenal boss. Many felt his decision not to recruit an experienced defender like Cannavaro – even the proven Hangeland – was ample evidence showing Le Professor had finally lost it.

Only Vermaelen leapt out of the starting blocks.

A commanding performance on his debut away to Everton, along with a goal to boot, left Arsenal fans murmuring to themselves as to whether Wenger had pulled yet another rabbit out of the hat.

More impressive displays – and cracking goals – followed, resulting in the defender picking up the club’s player of the month for both August and September.

He is already a fans favourite for his never say die attitude, even when the team seem to be cruising. Arsenal’s number 5 is now fondly and harmoniously known around the Emirates as the “Verminator”.

It is a nickname that shows admiration whilst aptly describing the heroic attributes the youngster brings to the team.

The Verminator is a warrior.

He’s the player Arsenal fans dreamt of. He is a footballer who breeds professionalism, tirelessly thriving to be the best, to win every ball, every challenge and every game. His game is built around guts, graft and a touch of class.

Andrei Arshavin, the pint-sized Russia, was the star buy from Wenger in January. His goals have and will continue to grab the headlines from starry-eyed plaudits. The Verminator’s resilience should be heralded in similar fashion. He is the team’s hard man, a key reason as to why Arsenal have started so well and why his partnership with Gallas has blossomed. Where he is the chalk (toughness), Gallas is the cheese (artistry).

As Musa Okwonga pointed out in his book A Cultured Left Foot, every successful team needs a Verminator:

The hard man is a feature of any successful football team: its guardian, its cornerstone, and its dark heart…(they) are the anvils upon which the reputations of many opponents as beaten or broken altogether.

We looked a bit flat, not sure that the international break caused that but the team did not look as together as it has previously. Having just viewed the highlights on MOTD we cannot argue we didn’t have the chances, early in the game there were a couple there. What cannot be said is Sunderland are a poor team, they are well organised by Steve Bruce and can fully expect to be pushing for a Europa League spot come the end of the season.

There are claims of fatigue affecting players, but in all honesty a league and european campaign could have seen the whole squad play Saturday and Wednesday so I don’t fully buy that. Perhaps the travel has an impact, but we need to see players committed and full of energy from the off until the final whistle.

Arsène dismissed claims we missed van Persie, I have to agree from what I saw, there is quality in our attack to cover for him. Vela, Walcott, Eduardo are all there to take that front place. Perhaps being together over the next few days in training will see the team gel again.

So our third defeat of the season sees Chelsea edge 8 points clear of us. Next Saturday remains as important as it did before yesterday’s games, there cannot be an increase in require or desire to win that game based on what happened at The Stadium of Light. If people are to argue the reverse you have to question their outlook on our team and our league challenge, we have to want to win every game. Had we been 8 points ahead of Chelsea it would still be a must win next weekend. If anyone thinks Chelsea are going into next Sunday thinking it’s ok we have a decent cushion on Arsenal they have clearly been on what Phil Brown is on!

Midweek sees us face Standard Liege at home, our chance to put qualifying for the group stage to bed and get back to winning ways. More on that in the next few days.

Henry yang disudutkan karena dianggap tidak menjunjung tinggi sikap fair-play mendapat sejumlah dukungan dari berbagai warga Perancis yang berkecimpung di dunia sepakbola seperti Arsene Wenger,Zinedine Zidane, dan Patrick Vieira. Ketiga-tiganya menyatakan itu adalah keslahan wasit.

Henry juga telah mengucapkan maaf dengan pernyataan berikut,“Saya bukan wasit. Tapi jika saya sudah menyakiti seseorang, saya minta maaf,” tulis Henry di Twitter seperti dilansir Tribalfootball. Bahkan ia menilai tanding ulang adalah solusi yang paling adil.

Henry

Robbie Keane sendiri sudah mendengar pernyataan itu dan memuji sikap Henry melalui situs resmi Asosiasi Sepakbola Irlandia, Keane mengatakan,”Atas nama para pemain Republik Irlandia, saya ingin menyampaikan ucapan terima kasih kepada Henry atas pernyataannya [Jumat] sore yang menyebut pentingnya sebuah pertandingan ulang demi memenuhi keadilan.”

“Sebagai kapten dari tim Perancis, untuk membuat sebuah pernyataan seperti itu butuh keberanian dan kehormatan. Saya juga sebagai kapten dari Irlandia akan sangat senang jika ada pertandingan ulang untuk mewujudkan keinginan dari sikap fair play tersebut.”

“Sekarang kami hanya berharap Federasi Sepakbola Perancis bisa menerima keinginan dari kedua kapten untuk bisa mendapatkan hasil pertandingan yang terbaik.”

Tetapi pernyataan itu sia-sia karena Federasi Sepakbola Perancis menolak diadakannnya tanding ulang. “FFF memahami kekecewaan dari pemain, manajemen dan suporter Irlandia. Federasi juga tidak membantah kesalahan dari wasit sehingga gol Perancis yang menyamakan kedudukan tetap disahkan.” Demikian pernyataan dari federasi.

“Di akhir pertandingan dan karena Perancis juga pernah merasakan kekecewaan yang sama, maka FFF menyampaikan penyesalan dan bersimpati pada Irlandia.”

“Ditambahkan oleh federasi, “Thierry Henry, kapten tim Prancis, secara spontan mengakui handball. Di akhir pertandingan, dia mengakuinya kepada pemain Irlandia dan wasit serta media.

“Kejujuran ini merupakan teladan dari dirinya baik di klub maupun tim nasional. Karena mendapat tekanan yang berat, Federasi Sepakbola Prancis sepenuhnya mendukung dia.”

Di akhir statemen resminya, federasi mengungkapkan, “Asosiasi Sepakbola Irlandia telah meminta kepada FIFA agar pertandingan diulang. Namun, FIFA menolak permintaan itu karena aturan yang ditetapkan berlaku untuk semua pertandingan. Selama pertandingan, keputusan sepenuhnya berada dalam tangan wasit dan keputusannya adalah final. Karena itu, hasil pertandingan tak bisa diubah dan tidak bisa dilakukan pertandingan ulang. Keputusan FIFA mengikat untuk kedua
federasi.

Apakah benar ini kesalahan wasit bukan kesalahan Hand-ry ? Kirimkan tanggapan anda melalui komentar.