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!

Everyone knows the qualities of Cesc Fabregas. Every week, the man is linked with a move back to Barcelona. Fair play to the man, that he always states he is not interested in a move back to Spain. He says that he is happy at Arsenal and wants to stay.

Alex Song is never asked about his future, perhaps because he wasn’t signed from a fashionable club.

I first saw Song play in the Carling Cup quarter-final away to Doncaster Rovers back in December 2005. Arsenal were poor that day but won an exciting game on penalties after Gilberto Silva had scored a last minute equalizer in extra time to make the game 2-2. Arsenal eventually won the tie on penalties to book a place in the semi-final against Wigan Athletic. Eboue’s run and cross for Arsenal’s equalizer was forgotten by many Gooners. Instead, the Negatives moaned about the performance of Alex Song, who was making one of his very few starts for Arsenal aged just 17. The two Doncaster goals were the fault of Senderos, but not many Gooners mentioned this at the time.

Cesc made his Carling Cup debut at 16 and his Premiership debut at 17. Song was not far behind the Spaniard making his Arsenal debut at 17 but had already played 34 times for Bastia as a 16 year old.

If Wenger gives a 17 year old first team appearances, then that player has to be something special. Henry at Monaco, Anelka, Fabregas, Walcott, Ramsey and Song at Arsenal.

The difference between the two is where Wenger signed them from and their roles in the team. Cesc was poached from Barcelona. Song was bought from Sporting Club de Bastia for one million pounds after an initial loan deal. Bastia play in the island of Corsica in the French Ligue Two. In 1978, they reached the UEFA Cup final losing to PSV Eindhoven. In 1981, they won the French Cup and in 1997 they won the much maligned Intertoto Cup.

Bastia are not a big club in France. Their English equivalent is Coventry City.

Barcelona are the current Champions League holders. They have won La Liga 19 times and 25 Spanish cups.

Alex Song plays for Cameroon. Cesc Fabregas plays for Spain.

One player has a fashionable football CV. The other, not so much.

Some people might think that Song’s real job is to dominate the midfield, to break opponents hearts and minds, by denying them possession of the ball and blocking the route forward. However, there is more to Song’s game than just protect and support. The man has dribbling skills and is very dangerous going forward. Darren Fletcher he’s not. Lothar Matthaus is a better description.

In November 2006, Song was booed by Arsenal fans after a 2-1 loss to Fulham – the Cottagers first win against Arsenal for 40 years. At half-time, Song was replaced by Cesc Fabregas and was eventually loaned out to Charlton Athletic later that season, making 12 appearances.

Many Arsenal fans at the start of this season said that Song was not good enough for Arsenal. Some even suggested that Wenger should buy a Phil Neville type of ‘holding’ midfielder.

These fans should be sent to prison.

Unfortunately, Song is being sent to play for Cameroon in the African Cup of Nations in January. If Cesc was going, I would be concerned. But in the case of Song, I am bothered.

The man is irreplaceable.

Keep it Arsenal

¿Y si Guti no hubiera jugado en el Real Madrid?. El otro dia volviendo de Madrid de realizar un reportaje, cámara al hombro-ya os adelantaré algo-, me paré a pensar en un jugador, José María Gutiérrez, Guti. Aquel que me conoce sabe que no soy para nada subjetivo en este asunto. No me gusta Guti. Lo siento, pero no le trago. Creo que solo existen dos deportistas a los que odie al mismo nivel, Lebron James y Cristiano Ronaldo. No tengo explicación. Se me atravesaron en su momento de manera irrecuperable. No quiero negar sus cualidades, solo digo que no me gustan.

Pero no quiero hacer de esto una crítica a Guti. No discuto que sea un buen futbolista, con un gran último pase. Pero ya, no acepto más. No voy a aceptar el marketing realizado desde Madrid y sus medios de comunicación para ensalzar la figura a la altura de crack mundial. Han tratado siempre de poner a Guti a la altura de Xavi, por aquella manía madridista de ser siempre los que más. Pero esta vez no funcionó. Xavi es el mejor mediocentro del mundo y Guti tan solo un jugador muy irregular con un buen último pase. Lo siento señores del Marca, pero es así.

Eduardo Inda, director de Marca

Y por fin llegamos al punto cumbre. El diario Marca es el gran culpable de ello. Desde que Unidad Editorial se hiciera con el diario, y Eduardo Inda se convirtiera en cabeza visible del mismo, su tendencia favorable hacia el Real Madrid se ha multiplicado por mil. Pero este artículo no es para hablar del madridismo del Marca-algo que trataremos pronto-, sino para hablar de Guti. Porque, aunque sea de manera subliminal, nos han intentado colar a Guti como un Xavi, Cesc, Silva o Iniesta. Por ello, siempre se le requería en la selección. Pero Guti no es, ni ha sido uno de los cinco mejores medios de España. ¿Por qué iba entonces? Porque jugaba de blanco.

Por lo tanto, cada vez que lean la editorial del señor Inda hablando de que Guti es un genio para él, o al director adjunto del Marca, Santiago Segurola decir que el 14 blanco es un incomprendido y qué es un jugador fascinante; piensen que es la voz de la imparcialidad la que les habla. Esa voz rellena de peloteo cual pastel, cuya guinda es una jugosa exclusiva blanca. Así es el periodismo en este país. Este será mi mundo, y lucharé como pueda por cambiarlo.

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…

Tottenham’s staggering 9-1 win over Wigan at the weekend saw a number of records either broken or equalled. As well as being Spurs’ biggest top-flight win, Sunday’s one-sided clash at White Hart Lane also saw Harry Redknapp’s side become the second Barclays Premier League team to hit nine in one match. Jermain Defoe matched Andy Cole and Alan Shearer’s record of five individual goals in one Premier League fixture, while Wigan’s Paul Scharner got in on the act by claiming the ‘Thierry Henry slam-dunk of the week award’ as he claimed the Latics’ solitary goal.

Unsurprisingly, Defoe’s five-star performance helped him to earn the highest Actim Index score of the season, a sensational 87 points. The England striker’s mammoth score eclipsed that of Tottenham team-mate Robbie Keane, who held the previous highest total of 80 after scoring four against Burnley. Another Spurs star, Aaron Lennon, picked up 60 points this week to move back into the Team of the Season.

Despite the efforts of Wigan, Spurs do not have the highest number of players in the Team of the Week. That honour goes to London rivals Chelsea, who strolled to a 4-0 victory over struggling Wolves at Stamford Bridge. French winger Florent Malouda grabbed the Blues’ opening goal and picked up a healthy 39 points, while fellow goalscorers Michael Essien and Joe Cole also eclipsed the 30-point mark to book their place among the week’s top scorers.

Stoke’s televised victory over bottom club Portsmouth could politely be described as one for the purists. However, although entertainment was in short supply in a dire clash at the Britannia Stadium, the Potters can claim two of the week’s 20 highest scorers. Jamaica forward Ricardo Fuller grabbed the only goal of the game with 16 minutes remaining and earned 32 points, while Dean Whitehead claimed 26 points for his efforts in midfield. Stoke’s highest-scoring player remains highly-rated defender Ryan Shawcross. The giant 22-year-old, who captained the club for the first time at the weekend in the absence of the suspended Abdoulaye Faye, is in 44th position overall with 159 points.

Didier Drogba may not have featured for Chelsea this weekend due to injury, but the Ivory Coast striker has still moved to the top of the overall Actim standings after Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas endured a torrid time in his side’s clash with Sunderland. Fabregas led Drogba by two points ahead of the Gunners’ trip to the Stadium of Light and was expected to extend his lead at the Actim summit. However, the Spaniard went on to record a miserable score of -4 as Arsene Wenger’s side slumped to a 1-0 defeat, putting Drogba back on top. Arsenal forward Robin van Persie was another to miss the latest round of Premier League fixtures through injury and he has slipped from third to fifth in the overall standings as a result.

Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher has come in for significant praise in recent months, with many observers highlighting his importance to Sir Alex Ferguson’s side. And the 25-year-old Scot made another fine contribution as United eased to a 3-0 victory over Everton, opening the scoring with a sublime half-volley. Fletcher’s 29-point total sees him leap from 79th to 45th in the overall standings, making him United’s fourth highest-scoring player of the season.

Birmingham goalkeeper Joe Hart insists he still believes he can break into England’s squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. And the 22-year-old stopper, on loan at St Andrews from Manchester City, did his chances no harm with a fine performance in Birmingham’s 1-0 win over Fulham at the weekend. Hart picked up 21 points for his efforts – the highest score by a goalkeeper this week – and will hope to maintain his good form as the season progresses.

View the latest Actim Index >

La Eurocopa es un campeonato de selecciones masculinas nacionales de fútbol. Es organizado por la UEFA cada cuatro años. En su edición inaugural, el torneo se denominó Copa de Naciones de Europa o Copa de Europa pero en 1968 recibió su denominación actual.

La competición fue fruto de un francés, Henri Delaunay, secretario de la Federación Francesa de Fútbol. Fue quien comenzó a barajar la idea en 1927 pero hasta 1954 no fue cuando empezó a ser una realidad. Algunas selecciones se mostraron reacias a la competición y se consiguió instaurar en el Congreso de la UEFA en 1957, dos años después de la muerte de Delaunay. En su memoria el trofeo que se entrega al ganador lleva su nombre.

Hasta la Euro de 1976 solo participaban cuatro países. Entre 1980 hasta 1996 el número aumentó a ocho. Actualmente son 16 pero en la Euro de 2014 se aumentará a 24 los países que la disputarán.

EUROCOPA FRANCIA 1960.

La competición se dividía en una ronda clasificatoria y una fase final que se disputa en el país anfitrión. Competían un total de 17 selecciones. En esta faltaron países como Italia, Alemania Federal o Inglaterra. A la fase final llegan la Unión Soviética, Checoslovaquia, Francia y Yugoslavia.

En la final ganó la selección soviética (2-1) y destacó el papel del portero soviético Lev Yashin que fue como un muro frente al equipo yugoslavo.

España participó en la ronda clasificatoria pero el General Franco impidió que la selección soviética entrara en España y quedó eliminada de la competición.

EUROCOPA ESPAÑA 1964

Se mantuvo el mismo formato que en la anterior edición. Esta edición la disputaron 29 selecciones.

En la final España se impuso a la Unión Soviética (2-1). La final se disputó en el Santiago Bernabéu. A los seis minutos Jesús Pereda marcó el primer gol del partido, en seguida la selección soviética marcó el empate y a seis minutos del final del partido Marcelino con el memorable cabezazo le dio su primera Eurocopa a la selección española.

EUROCOPA ITALIA 1968

El formato se renovó y se constituyó el formato que ha llegado a la actualidad. En esta edición debutó la República Federal de Alemania con un gran Gerd Müller.

La final la disputaron Italia contra Yugoslavia. Después del tiempo reglamentario el resultado era de empate a uno y la final se resolvió dos días después con un nuevo partido que ganó Italia 2-0.

España cayó en cuartos de final frente a Inglaterra por 2-1.

EUROCOPA BÉLGICA 1972

La fase preliminar se dividió en ocho grupos con cuatro equipos en cada uno. La gran favorita para ganar el título era la República Federal Alemana.

La final se disputó entre la Unión Soviética y la Alemania Federal (3-0) con un gran protagonismo Beckenbauer y Müller.

España en esta ocasión no consiguió pasar la fase de grupos.

EUROCOPA YUGOSLAVIA 1976

Esta Eurocopa ha sido y será eternamente recordada por un penalti que lanzó Antonin Panenka y bautizó con su nombre una nueva modalidad de tirar una pena máxima. Los checos eran los favoritos en esta ocasión aunque el torneo contó con nombres como el de Johan Cruyff o John Toshack.

En la final se encontraron Checoslovaquia y la Alemania Federal. El partido tuvo que resolverse en la tanda de penaltis con el mítico penalti de Panenka que dio a Checoslovaquia la Eurocopa.

España cayó en cuartos de final frente a la Alemania Federal.

EUROCOPA ITALIA 1980

En esta ocasión la UEFA dobló el número de participantes, ocho países entraban en la fase final del torneo. Fue la primera ocasión en la que el equipo anfitrión se clasificaba directamente. Destacó la presencia de Kevin Keegan o Bernard Schuster.

La final fue disputada por Alemania Federal y Bélgica. Partido en el que se impuso la Alemania Federal por 2-1.

España no pasó de la fase de grupos.

EUROCOPA FRANCIA 1984

Destacó la presencia del mejor centro de campo con Michel Platini que era la estrella de la Juventus. España quedó primera de grupo y en las semifinales derrotó a Dinamarca en la tanda de penaltis y llegó a la final contra Francia.

En la final entre Francia y España, los galos se adelantaron de la mano de Platini y en el minuto 90 Bruno Bellone certificó la victoria para los galos.

EUROCOPA ALEMANIA FEDERAL 1988

Entre los grandes favoritos para ganar el trofeo estaban Francia, Italia y Alemania. Con la eliminación de Francia, Italia y Alemania se repartían el favoritismo.

En esta ocasión debutó en la fase final la selección de Irlanda. Jugadores como Paolo Maldini, Frank Rijkaard y Ruud Gullit destacaron en la competición.

En la final se enfrentaron la Unión Soviética y Países Bajos, pese a todo pronóstico. La competición la ganaron los Países Bajos con goles de Gullit y Van Basten.

España no superó la fase de grupos.

EUROCOPA SUECIA 1992

En esta edición la selección de Yugoslavia estaba clasificada para disputar el torneo pero debido a la guerra de los Balcanes fue excluida y su puesto lo ocupó Dinamarca. Destacó la presencia de la selección de la Comunidad de Estados Independientes (CEI) que surgió después de la disolución de la Unión Soviética.

En la final se encontraron las selecciones de Dinamarca y Alemania. Dinamarca no notó la ausencia de Michael Laudrup ya que se impuso 2-0.

España no llegó a clasificarse para la fase final del campeonato.

EUROCOPA INGLATERRA 1996

En esta ocasión el número de equipos se aumentó a 16 que estaban divididos en cuatro grupos de cuatro equipos de los cuales los dos primeros pasaban a cuartos de final, fase que introdujeron en esa ocasión. Aparte de esas innovaciones también se decidió que las fases eliminatorias se decidieran con el “gol de oro”.

En la final se vieron las caras Alemania y la República Checa. Alemania una vez ya unificada consiguió su primer título europeo por 2-1.

España cayó en cuartos de final en la tanda de penaltis frente a Inglaterra.

EUROCOPA BÉLGICA Y PAÍSES BAJOS 2000

En  este campeonato destacó el centro del campo francés que consiguió hacerse con el título, futbolistas como Zinedine Zidane, Didier Deschamps y Patrick Vieira.

En la final Francia se enfrentó a Italia. Los galos se impusieron 2-1 con un gol de Trézéguet en el tiempo de descuento.

España cayó en cuartos frente a Francia con el famoso penalti fallado por Raúl.

EUROCOPA PORTUGAL 2004

Fue la Eurocopa de la sorpresa. Las denominadas “selecciones pequeñas” se impusieron a las grandes potencias futbolísticas.

La final fue un partido muy igualado entre Portugal y Grecia por 1-0. El gol fue obra de Charisteas tras un saque de esquina.

España no consiguió superar la fase de grupos.

EUROCOPA AUSTRIA Y SUIZA 2008

Llegó la hora de que España diera un golpe sobre la mesa del futbol internacional reivindicando la presencia de los “locos bajitos” que controlaban el balón y jugaban al toque.

El punto de inflexión de la selección española fue en cuartos frente a la selección italiana a la que se impusieron en una emocionante tanda de penaltis con un notable Casillas y un sobresaliente Cesc Fábregas que marcó el penalti que nos clasificó a las semifinales. Durante todo el torneo la presencia de David Villa fue destacable y terminó como máximo goleador de la competición.

En la final, España se impusó a la selección de Alemania con un gol de Fernando Torres y un gran control del equipo español.

La próxima Eurcopoca se celebrará en 2012 en Polonia y Ucrania. ¿Quién ganará esta vez? Contaremos su historia.

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.

This is a goal that I have to put among my favourites because of the build up and movement all over the pitch and the run off the ball by Theo Walcott to create the space for the goal.

There are so many coaching points in this clip it is worth showing your players.

Watch Walcott’s movement at the end of the move which drags Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, two of the world’s most experienced defenders, to create the space that allows Samir Nasri to score this goal.

It is the perfect example for any young player to watch, Walcott does not touch the ball yet has a big hand in creating the goal and Nasri explodes into the space to score.

Also look out for a great hook turn from Cesc Fabregas. The movement all over the pitch is very good.

Fabregas

Conform gsp.ro, FC Barcelona a inaintat o oferta incredibila catre Arsenal Londra in vederea transferului capitanului Cesc Fabregas. Milocasul spaniol care a declarat ca e tentat sa evolueze din nou pentru fosta sa echipa este curtat de ceva vreme de catre Laporta, “boss-ul” celor din Catalunya. Iar ultima oferta a cazut chiar ca o “bomba”.

Yaya Toure

Bojan

Dupa ce in decursul acestei veri a plouat cu transferuri pe sume imense, se pare ca si in aceasta iarna vom vedea macar oferte aproape imposibil de refuzat: Barca ofera 50 de milioane de euro + doi jucatori (Yaya Toure + Bojan Krkic) pentru Francesc Fabregas. Daca suma e in concordanta cu pretul real al jucatorului nu stiu sa zic, dar conform transfermarkt.de, va pot spune ca cei doi jucatori ai Barcei pusi la bataie valoreaza 25.000.000 E (Yaya Toure), respectiv 12.000.000 E (Bojan). Deci, matematic vorbind, Barcelona pune la bataie nu mai putin de 87.000.000 de euro pentru Fabregas – o oferta incredibila.

Spanish footballers re-united this week for the International break. It was good to see España win their matches. The first one against Argentina (which felt a little strange to see Lio on the opposite side) and the second against Austria.
I couldn’t help but notice that the Barca boys (and Cesc…but what the hell, he’s still a Barca boy) stick together at mealtimes and during training. It looks like they don’t get enough of each other..Take a look:

The Barca Boys...and Cesc

A team that eats together sticks together?

Also, International break meant that everyone’s favourite “Bromance” was back together: Pique and Cesc ofcourse!
Pique Interviews Cesc

Now, I know I’ve written about how badly Gerard wants Cesc back at Barca, I wonder if he’ll make the move.

The Ultimate Bromance

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Footballers by day...

It’s always nice to see celebrities give something back, and the stars of Arsenal are no different. Arsenal have named Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity as their Charity of choice for the 09-10 season. The players will be donating a days worth of wages to the charity on the 29 November (yip, thats the day they face Chelsea) and that match will be dedicated to the charity as well. The Gunners will also be involved in fundraising activities throughout the season.

A little bit about the charity: Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) is one of Britain’s largest children’s hospitals and strive to research and provide treatment for just about any paediatric ailment.
However, when the GOSH folk realised that much of the facilities are now outdated, they needed funds to redevelop. Enter Arsenal! The Gunners are looking to raise £500,000 for the cause, and by doing so, they will help build a new Lung Function Unit which will hopefully be up and running by 2012.

Captain “Fab,” Theo Walcott, Andrey Arshavin and Bacary Sagna donned err..interesting furry animal costumes to make a promotional vid:

If you’re interested in the cause, want to donate, or just see what the Gunners have been doing for GOSH check out: beagoonerbeagiver.org
or greatormondstreethospitalcharity.wordpress.com
The sites also contain pictures, videos and articles showing the players and boss Wenger partake in various fund-raising activities. My personal favourite is “Arsene Wenger auctions his mind”.

The Boss doing his bit...

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Spanish footballers re-united this week for the International break. It was good to see España win their matches. The first one against Argentina (which felt a little strange to see Lio on the opposite side) and the second against Austria.
Besides the great football on show, there was much merrymaking. We couldn’t help but notice that our Barca boys (and Cesc…but what the hell, he’s still a Barca boy) stick together at mealtimes and during training. It looks like they don’t get enough of each other..Take a look:

Our Barca Boys Stick together

Also, International break meant that our Fav Bromance was back together: Pique and Cesc ofcourse!
Pique Interviews Cesc

We all know how badly Gerard wants Cesc back at Barca, Make the move Cesc!

The Ultimate Bromance

Not long ago this blog shows you pictures of Arsenal players like Theo Walcott, Cesc Fabregas, Andrey Arshavin and Bacary Sagna wearing animal costumes for filming a charity fundraising video. Now finally I can show you the high quality video ad:

Really nice ad and Arsene Wenger also made his cameo appearance in the video. It’s really kind of them doing these for the Great Ormond Street Hospital charity.

Well folks, it’s November. Which means it’s almost December. Which means it’s almost January. Which means it’s almost time for the transfer window to open once more. Which means it’s rumour time.

In the past week I have seen several articles detailing certain high profile clubs (English) monitoring the movements of a “new Kaká,” a “new Didier Drogba” and so on and so forth. I’ve heard rumours about Roman Pavlyuchenko coming to Roma in a swap for Julio Baptista, of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar going pretty much anywhere but Milan, and of pretty much every single pleasant surprise of this year being on their merry way out the doors of their respective clubs. Not to mention players like Nani, Guti and Phillip Lahm, who have taken nasty swipes (however accurate) at their clubs via the press recently; with rumours of Lahm to Real Madrid and the other two far from spectacular, could these be foreshadowings of events to come in the new year?

I’ll rattle off some other trade rumours: Juan Manuel Vargas to Real Madrid, Edin Dzeko to AC Milan, Marek Hamsik to Chelsea, Sergio Agüero to Chelsea, Angel Di Maria to Chelsea, (and so on and so forth), Raúl to Retirement, Cesc Fàbregas to Barcelona, and even Wayne Rooney to Barcelona (ha!).

Will any of these rumours come true? Eh, maybe one or two. For the most part it’s probably all just a load of crap; the unfounded conjecture and speculation that always precedes the opening of the transfer window. It will be interesting to see just what does materialize in the new year, and especially how much the transfer window will be affected by the Real Madrid-inflation that occurred over the summer. In the meantime, let the rumours fly; ’tis the season!

What you missed while discovering that jellyfish are not only poisonous and swarming; they are also immortal…

• Scotland national team manager George Burley, who survived not qualifying for the World Cup, has been sacked after losing to Wales in a friendly over the weekend.
• Rafa Benitez claims that he’d resign if Fernando Torres were ever sold; Liverpool faithful glad that they at least know how to get rid of him now. Meanwhile, Benitez has supposedly been mulling over signing Lassana Diarra with the imaginary money he doesn’t have.
• Solomon Kalou was dropped from the Côte d’Ivoire squad over the weekend after an altercation with West Brom defender Abdoulaye Meite.
• Russia is hoping “to entertain” tomorrow against Slovenia; personally, it’d be really entertaining if they happened to choke and lose to Slovenia.
• Jose Antonio Reyes: “Cesc Fabregas will stay at Arsenal.”
• Gerard Pique: “Cesc Fabregas will return to Barcelona.”
• Two Estudiantes fans were shot by a rival faction of other Estudiantes fans. Damn.
• Fiorentina left back Juan Manuel Vargas will not be heading to Real Madrid.
• The head of the Japanese FA has requested that FIFA reconsider banning vuvuzelas from the World Cup.
• Eduardo’s ready to dive right into the roster spot vacated by Robin van Persie in Arsenal’s lineup.
• David Beckham says that internal friction with Landon Donovan has made the Galaxy a better team.

Our regular Guest Contributor, Ted Harwood, takes a look at Cesc Fabregas’ secret weapon, Alex Song, and his emergence this season as one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League. Song’s form is directly related to Cesc’s performances this season of 10 assists in 10 league matches, just one less than the total that led the league last season, as well as his 9 goals in all competitions. His confidence going forward is down to his confidence in Song. You get the sense that he is inspiring the same sort of confidence that Flamini did 2007-08, and it also shows how important the DM spot is to Arsenal’s style of play.

Alex Song is a player that has shown lots of potential since arriving on the scene at the Emirates in 2005.  He made sporadic appearances during his first year before going on load to the Addicks at the start of 2007.  Upon his return to the club in the fall of 2007, Song began to log significant time at both central midfield and center half in the Carling Cup and the Champions’ League.

Despite being named in the African Cup of Nations best XI in January of 2008, many Arsenal supporters remained unconvinced, some claiming that Song was too slow for the Premier League, some claiming that he was not confident enough, many saying that the club should have sold Song rather than Diarra (hopefully those same folks have at least changed their stance on that, now).  This season, at only 22 years of age, Song has really settled well into the defensive midfield slot of Arsenal’s new 4-3-3 formation and has been playing the game with verve, gaining much of that confidence that was perhaps a worry a couple of years ago for him.

With the help of the superb resource that is The Guardian Interactive Chalkboards, I took a look at all of Song’s performances in the league this season so far (every match bar the Pompey triumph).  The chalkboards confirmed what I had seen with my eyes and tried to piece together in the shoddy, ramshackle cabin that is my memory: Song has been, with one or two unfortunate exceptions, rock solid in front of the back four.

One of the areas in which Song has really stepped up his game is his passing.  His ratio of completed passes to failed passes is in the 10:1 range for every game, sometimes even better, and in all areas of the pitch.  We had caught glimpses of this in the encouter with Blackburn last year when he provided the final chipped pass for Eduardo’s insane outside-of-the-left-peg strike.  This year, he has been efficient in distributing the ball to Cesc, to the wings, or to the back four when creative options weren’t immediately available.  His razor of a through ball for RVP to control and slot home versus Birmingham City shows that, when placed in an advanced position (an increasingly rare locale for Song), he can provide the proper pass for the forwards.  He almost never makes weak passes in dangerous positions, a potential area of concern a couple of years ago.

Clearances have been a bit of a problem, with The Guardian’s staff deeming many of Song’s  clearances to be “unsuccessful” (it is unclear what this means, exactly), but further investigation revealed that this has been a bit of a concern for the entire team, not just Song.  I’m sure that Wenger will have seen this in film review, and will take steps to make sure that when in danger, Arsenal do a more effective job of putting the ball as far away as possible.

Song’s tackling has been excellent, and, like his passing, he’s been nicking the ball away from opponents all over the field, left, right, and center.  On a couple of occasions (e.g. the Tottenham match) he has lost challenges in delicate positions, and the unfortunate penalty (if one can call it that) at Upton Park could maybe have been prevented with an earlier challenge by any number of Arsenal players .  Overall, Song has been the team’s best and busiest tackler.  In the Wolves game last weekend, things were pretty hairy for the first 20 minutes, and when Song came in, one could sense that Ramsey in particular relaxed, relieved of the heavier of his defensive obligations, and began to play his game.

It is this last point that is most important; Song has seemingly gained the absolute confidence of his teammates.  It is no secret that the creative players in a 4-3-3 need to have faith that if they concentrate on setting up attacking moves, should something go wrong, there is a player nearby who will help them to sweep away the danger.  Much of the success that Cesc, Diaby, Ramsey, Eboué, and Rosicky are enjoying this year is due to the reassurance that Song will at least slow up and at most destroy any counterattacks that may come down the field. Song’s impact on the side was plain to see in the Wolves match when Arsenal struggled for the first 20 minutes until he came on.

The 2010 edition of the African Cup of Nations presents a new dilemma for Wenger with regards to Song.  In 2008, Wenger compounded the effect of Song’s absence by also selling Diarra, which left Arsenal a little thin in defensive positions behind Flamini at times and perhaps factored into the teams’ growing misfortunes as the season progressed from there.  This year, Wenger will no doubt have learned from 2008.  The fact that he did not bring in cover for Song’s absence in the August window may tell us something.  Transfer options, though, would appear to be limited or unrealistic; surely Yaya Touré would not come to Arsenal to plop back onto the pine as February rolls around.  Vieira remains, as always, a sentimental choice, but playing time is crucial for him as well in advance of June and the World Cup.

As in central defense, the problem is that one has to find a player who is better than the backups we currently have but not worried about being on the bench when Song returns.  Internal options would appear to be more realistic, if not necessarily preferred, although the options we have are perhaps better than people think.  Although Denilson is a different type of player, he achieves similar results to Song with his passing and breaking up of play via interceptions and the occasional tackle.  His form may still be a slight concern in six weeks’ time, though, and Wenger may see him as a forward-thinking central player at this point.

Another intriguing option, although it is hard to imagine Wenger doing this, is moving Vermaelen into Song’s position and placing either Senderos or Silvestre in the back four.  I am not convinced that this is an option, really, as Wenger will no doubt see Vermaelen’s aggression as key to the back four’s attitude this year.  As much as Vermaelen seems to offer going forward, if it were a larger part of his job, it is hard to judge whether he would pull it off.

Craig Eastmond played very well versus Liverpool in the Carling Cup tie, but may lack for experience.  This has not always stopped Wenger in the past, though; Ramsey, for instance, played in the defensive slot for the first time in my memory on Saturday, so we cannot say that Wenger would not try Eastmond there at some point (although, to be fair, Ramsey has more big-match experience).  And Wenger may just try Ramsey there again.  He seems to have eliminated Diaby from his defensive plans, admitting that the Frenchman has a bit of a nose for goal, and that this causes him to neglect his holding obligations from time to time.

Song’s form this year will be difficult to replace during his absence, but Wenger will no doubt have anticipated this problem this year and have any number of options in his mind.  One thing is for sure, though, and that is that Song is quickly developing into one of the better defensive midfielders that Arsenal have had since Vieira left, and hopefully this (at one time, anyhow, pleasantly surprising) development will carry over to other young players in the squad.

]]> http://medysept91.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/top-scorer-liga-inggris/ Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:12:45 +0000 medysept91 http://medysept91.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/top-scorer-liga-inggris/

Inilah top scorers sementara liga Inggris (english Premier League) 2009/2010

01.Fernando
Torres
(Liverpool) 10
gol

02. Didier Drogba
(Chelsea) 9 gol

03. Darrent Bent
(Sunderland) 8
gol

04. Louis Saha
(Everton) 7 gol

05. Robin Van
Persie
(Arsenal) 7 gol

06. Wayne Rooney
(Man. Utd) 7 gol

07. Robbie Keane
(Tottenham H.)
6 gol

08. Jermain Defoe
(Tottenham H.)
6 gol

09. Carlton Cole
(West Ham Utd)
6 gol

10. Cesc Fabregas
(Arsenal) 6 gol

11. Gabriel
Agbonlahor
(Aston Villa) 6
gol

12. Craig Bellamy
(Man. City) 5
gol

13. Kenwny Jones
(Sunderland) 5
gol

14.Hugo Rodallega
(Wigan Athletic)
5 gol

15. Graham
Alexander
(Burnley) 4 gol

16. David Dunn
(Blackburn R.)
4 gol

17. Steven Gerrard
(Liverpool) 4
gol

18. Frank Lampard
(Chelsea) 4 gol

19. Dimitar
Berbatov
(Man. utd) 4 gol

20. Emmanuel
Adebayor
(Man. City) 4 gol

Yuk intip medysept 91 di
www.alexa.com

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NIKE CTR360 MAESTRI

Gerard Pique has reiterated his belief that good friend and Spanish National Teammate Cesc Fabregas will end up at Barca. (GOAL.com) He believes that Barca’s cantera class of ‘87 will all end up together, that is, himself Lio Messi and Cesc, who all practically grew up at La Masia together. They rose up the youth ranks and won everything that there was to win in their age groups. They were part of one of the most successful batches produced by Barca. Personally, I’d love to see him in a Barcelona shirt, but I don’t think its the time. He’s really flourishing at Arsenal. Also, where would he play at Barca? Their squad is brimming with world class players, why buy him and make him sit on the bench. I rate “Fab” but I feel the likes of Xavi, Iniesta and Messi are still better than him. Rumours of Henry’s fallout with the management have led me to believe that if the Frenchman does exit the club next year, the Blaugrana will make a move for Cesc.

by Jack Maidment

The Premier League is 12 games old and Chelsea are top. In the past few years the fact that Arsenal are lurking in second place, 5 points behind but with a game in hand, would have caused little concern in the leader’s dressing room.

Sure, Arsenal could play football in a way that was unmatched by any other collection of 11 people the world over but they simply couldn’t win enough games, couldn’t grind out victories against bruising opponents when they weren’t at their supreme best.

This year however, something feels different. To say that there is an inevitability about Arsenal’s Premier League challenge this year would be going to far, but it is clear that enough has changed to warrant a collective glance over the Chelsea shoulder.

The feeling is that this could be the season that the Arsenal squad that Wenger has nurtured for the past few years could finally be ready to cast aside their youthful shackles and mount a serious assault on the trophies that their fans have so dearly missed.

It is no longer enough for the likes of Alexander Song, Denilson, Kieran Gibbs, Theo Walcott, Nicklas Bendtner and Samir Nasri to be ‘promising’.

The increased spending of those teams trying to break into the top four and the Champions League bonanza that accompanies such a finish has placed enormous strain on Arsenal given the fact that no team is owed anything by one of the most competitive leagues in the world: heritage and history count for nothing, all that matters is what you do on the field.

Two early season defeats in Manchester may have been the wake up call to a team that has since gone 13 games unbeaten, scoring more goals than any other top flight team. At times they have been positively frightening. At others they have displayed the kind of grit and determination that has been so exposed in years passed.

The lack of trophies is as good a reason as any to finally deliver on the promise in which Arsene Wenger has shown so much faith. Also in the Arsenal mindset must be the possibility that another year of failure could be just enough to push Cesc Fabregas into the arms of long term suitors, Spanish and European Champions, Barcelona.

The acquisitions of Andrei Arshavin and Thomas Vermaelen have certainly showed the Arsenal captain the board’s commitment to providing a team that can make the best of the young Spaniard’s mercurial talents, but it remains the young players who must deliver in order to ensure success and the continued residence of Fabregas in London.

Despite their youth, it really is now or never for this Arsenal team.

With the January transfer window approaching I’ve put together a list of the players presently in the PL that I would most like to see at United. Don’t look upon it as a shopping list. The emphasis is probably on dreams rather than realism. But maybe three or four could conceivably be realistic targets. The list takes into consideration the new United policy of not signing players aged 26 or above for large transfer fees. I have no idea how strict this policy will turn out to be, but from a financial point of view it makes a lot of sense.

1. Fernando Torres, Liverpool. (25) Best striker in the world. Has an amazing ability to make the difficult art of scoring look very easy.
2. Cesc Fabregas, Arsenal.  (22) As close to Barcelona-passing as it gets in the PL. Would be nice to have him around when Scholes retires.
3. Luca Modric, Spurs. (24) Superb ball-control and incisive passing. Able to play on either wing or through the middle.
4. Theo Walcott, Arsenal. (20) Has enough pace to beat any defender in the world.
5. Jack Rodwell, Everton. (18) The most promising teenager in the PL. Equally comfortable in central defence or as a holding midfielder. An England star for many years to come.
6. James Milner, Aston Villa. (23) Hard-working midfield winger who is also the best crosser of a ball in the PL.
7. Thomas Vermaelen, Arsenal. (23) Central defender who can play a bit. Has taken to the PL like a duck to water.
8. Abou Diaby, Arsenal. (23) Classy box-to-box midfielder but strangely not a regular starter for Arsenal.
9. Micah Richards, Manchester City. (21) Has lost his way somewhat for City and England. Needs Fergie to re-ignite his tremendous potential. The next Patrick Vieira.
10. Stephen Ireland, Manchester City (23) A pity if City’s recruitment drive will put him in the shadows.