Arsenal Football Club Players, the Arsenal Team, Fixtures & Matches - An Arsenal Blog!

Another trophyless season...

2007-03-11T12:47:00.000+05:30

The last fortnight saw us crashing out of three different tournaments - Carling Cup, the FA Cup & the Champions League - and only a run for next seasons Champions League qualification is now a task which remains for us to compete for the rest of the seaason. Which also means another tropyhless season after we were so near to grabbing a Champions League trophy last season against Barcelona.

Its confirmed now that Henry is bound to miss the rest of the season after Wengers gamble on a less than 100% fit Henry to produce goals in the crucial tie against PSV backfired. Adebayor gets another match ban which is in adition to the three match ban he is also serving following the Carling Cup brawl against Chelsea and is set to miss out the match with Everton too.

It may take some time for the players to get over the PSV match but I am sure they are strong enough to comoe out of that and take stock of what we do have in hand rather than what we have missed out and come back firing on all guns! Come on you Gunners......

Arsenal Wins Chelsea Loses

2006-08-24T23:36:00.000+05:30

Arsenal 2 - 1 Dinamo Zagreb
Middlesborough 2 - 1 Chelsea

The Home of Football - opened to arsenal fans today !

2006-07-20T21:00:00.000+05:30

20,000 lucky arsenal fans grabbed the opportunity today to see the first team squad practise at the Emirates stadium for the very first time as part of the 'Members' Day'.

The Emirates Stadium - a sneak preview...

2006-07-19T20:44:00.000+05:30

Some 20,000 arsenal fans will get the chance to have a first look of the fantastic, brand new Emirates stadium as part of "Members' Day' before the stadium hosts its first match in the form of a testimonial to arsenal legend Dennis Bergkamp on Saturday.

Lilian to Barca.
Buffon an excellent signing by all means.
Curtis too expensive.

The new arsenal jersey

2006-07-18T20:33:00.000+05:30

The new Arsenal jersey shall be on sale from today.
Senderos has been sidelined for 3 months by a shouldr injury he suffered in the World Cup.

Mondays...

2006-07-17T21:51:00.000+05:30

Ashley releases his book...

Cole to Chelsea

2006-07-14T22:12:00.000+05:30

Cole not inviting Wenger to his marriage party.
Has talked about his fallout with then Vice Chairman in the Chelsea tapping-up case..
Looks more likely to move to Chelsea against a 16M pounds buy-out clause in the contract rather than stay at Arsenal

Has invited Sol and Henry though.

Thursday titbits!!

2006-07-13T21:13:00.000+05:30

Cesc staying...
Agent denies Ribery bid...
Sol asking huge wages..
Saviola and Curtis Davies

after the world cup...arsenal

2006-07-12T01:29:00.000+05:30

Now when the dust has finally settled after the World Cup , its time to cast our minds and eyes back to the events and happenings related to the Premiership....

The Zidane issue has taken a huge portion of the news and headlines and attention and FIFA is to probe into this matter now.

Italians the World Champions

2006-07-10T20:37:00.000+05:30

Italy won the World Cup in a penalty shot out when the scores remain levelled after 120 minutes of play.

Zidane red carded for head butting Materazzi and had an abrupt end to his final international game for France. Though scored one thru a well taken penalty to give France the lead as early as the 7th mnute.

Henry and France in Finals

2006-07-07T22:59:00.000+05:30

Henry to fight in the Finals..
Confidence high in France squad
Lehmann to give place to Kahn

Arsenal - o7July, 2006

2006-07-06T22:00:00.000+05:30

A bitter defeat for Jens
Henry earns a penalty for France

Thursday Titbits

2006-06-29T21:13:00.000+05:30

Not much arsenal related news though today...

More soon...

Try, try try but all in vain! Only Pain for Spain

2006-06-28T20:28:00.000+05:30

Patrick Vieira scores a neat header. Ribery too and then Zidane makes it fabulous.
Henry passes into the area. Ribery & Pat miss it.France made to pay for miss. Spain earns penalty. David Villa puts it in. 1-0.Zidane passes. Henry passes. Ribery takes it. Ribery scores. 1-1. Possible target Ribery. Scored by now how many goals/ hw many assists. Evaluation!
Puyol hurts / fouls Henry. Henry earns a free kick from a vital position. Zidane takes it. Pat heads it. 2-0.
Henry is called off. Wiltord comes in.
In 92+’ , Zidane wraps it up.Its pain fr spain. They head home. Bow out. Crash out. But the odds r reduced now fr france. And they take on brazil now in the quarters.
Another game Brazil Vs Ghana. 3-0.
Gilberto plays for ? mins.

Ghana played well. Came close. Second goal offside fr brazil. Poor refereeing throughout. Gana debutants. Africa proud. Essien doesn’t plays.

2 days off in the Wcup

Arsenal at the World Cup - Day18

2006-06-27T17:33:00.000+05:30

Big Phil is out injured for 2 months with a dislocated shoulder but the Swiss couldnt help much to avoid to add disappointment to his injury as they lost out 3-0 on penalties to the Ukrainians yetserday and consequently bow out. The swiss conceded their first goal since the start of the tournament when that first penalty went in after either side failed to score for as long as 120 minutes. The swiss ended poorly as they couldnt drive in even one penalty.

The other match where there wasn't any Arsenal interest was the one between Italy and Australia. The Italians won 1-0.

Now for today.

Today we have Gilberto, Henry, Reyes and Fabregas involved amongst the few arsenal players left now in the tournament apart from Jens, Sol, Cole and Theo.

Gilbertos Brazil take on Ghana and Henry & Co take on Spain wherein we have Reyes and Farbregas in todays knock-outs. The match between Spain and France is of particular interest to me as Spain have been scoring goals after goals right from the begining of the tournament and France just got into their grove by beating Togo 2-0. Spain seem to have an edge but you never know if the game goes to extra time or even to penalties.

Arsenal at the World Cup - Day17.

2006-06-26T18:08:00.000+05:30

After Adebayor, Freddie, Van Persie exit.
A game with 4 red cards and 8 yellows...
Reyes gets a game.. finally. And puts in a free kick to be headed home.
Today Swiss Vs Ukraine.. Senderos out injured. Johan Djourou in...

Rosicky Czechs Out!

2006-06-23T20:10:00.000+05:30

Rosicky joins the list of arsenal players who have had to face the disappointment of an early World Cup exit as the Czechs lost 2-0 to the Italians yesterday. Rosicky played his part well for a full 90 minutes but couldn’t do much for his team which played with 10 men after Jan Polok was red carded.

Even with 10 men the Czechs looked like scoring but in the end the Italians made their extra man count. The dismissal of the Czechs is highlighted more from the fact that the Czechs have a FIFA ranking of 2 just after Brazil who are No.1. The arsenal player is obviously sad heading home and his disappointment is clearly reflected in his words – Tomas Rosicky

I am very sad and very disappointed to be going home. The Italians were not that
good, they didn’t have too many chances. We still were in this game even through
we only had ten players for a long time. I don't want to think any more about
the World Cup right now, for me it's finished.

Materazzi and Inzaghi scored for the Italians to top Group E and will now play Australia who drew 2-2 with the Croats in an another fixture. And Ghana who after having won 2-1 in another group E fixture yesterday finished second to Italy in the group E to clash with Brazil in the knock-outs.

Gilberto Silva played a full 90 minutes in the 4-1 spanking of Japan by Brazil who finished their group F with maximum points.

Whats for today?

Courtesy of the fact that France has not won a game yet in this World Cup - in fact not any since their last World Cup triumph in 1998 – they now face a must win fixture against Togo, losing which will see them out of the tournament. Speaking of Togo we have another arsenal player there in Adebayor who is not worried to face France or the club skipper Henry and ready to swap his jersey with Henry after a Togo win. Joking, but here are Adebayors’ true words –

This match against France is very important for me, the team and the whole country. There's a lot of pressure on us, so we have to stay calm. I'm not worried. We have a good team and we can win.

We'll both play the way we can and we'll see what happens. I'll even try and swap shirts with him at the end of the game!

Another match where there is arsenal interest is the match between Spain and Saudi Arabia wherein we have our very own arsenal wonderkid Cesc Fabregas. After his brilliant and undisputed contribution in Spain’s win against Tunisia its time that the lad is given a start for Spain.

Also the Swiss take on the South Koreans today. Therein we have Senderos involved.
The Swiss will do with a draw but the Koreans need a win here. Also lot depends on this one for France who failing to beat Togo today will finish third and the Swiss and Koreans will go through.

Hoping that the Swiss beat the Koreans 5-0 and Senderos gets 3 out of them while France wins 5-2 with 3 for Henry and 2 for Adebayor!!

A for Arsenal, A for Aston Villa, E for Emirates

2006-06-22T17:51:00.000+05:30

3 arsenal players were involved yesterday at the World Cup as Holland took on Argentina and the Ivorians played their last match of this World Cup against Serbia and Montenegro.

The match between the dutch and the argentines was expected to be the more interesting one out of the two but it turned out to be otherwise. Instead Ivory coast came from two goals behind to defeat S & M 3 - 2 and recorded their first victory in the tournament with a gripping performance. Emanuel Eboue played a full 90 minutes but Kolo Toure was an unused sub. Both the teams had crashed out already. So Toure and Eboue now head home. They played well their part and Toure felt that it was a difficult group to be in for the Ivorians:

It was a great match, a really exciting one, and we proved that we’ve got some great players. We found ourselves in a really tough group with some big teams, which is why we’re not that disappointed – not that we’re totally happy either. In any case, this win was a good one for our fans.

In the other match RVP played for 67 minutes and was then substituted. Neither sides manged to scoe and it was a stalemate.

Arsenal is involved today too.. as Rosicky's Czechs are to clas with the Italians today. It would be a thrilling game as both the sides need a win to assure some sort of safety to move to the next round. Hoping that Rosicky gets some tonight to make the Czechs and us gooners pround.

Jens wins the game, Sol gets a game !

2006-06-21T18:24:00.001+05:30

Five arsenal players involved in yesterdays happenings at the World Cup.

England who have not beaten Sweden since the last 37 years failed for one more time yesterday as the match between the two ended with two goals a side each. It was an interesting game to watch especially as England finally put up an inspired display and took the lead twice but all in vain as the Swedes attacking play paid off and they twice they came from behind to level the scores. They particluarly made England panic with their set-pieces. In fact both their goals came through set-pieces.

Freddie played his part well but couldnt get on the score sheet himself as Allback and Larsson were the scorers for Sweden.Ashley Cole played the full 90 minutes but couldnt help get himself a clean sheet as Sweden struck twice. Sol atlast got a game when he came on as a sub for the injured Rio Ferdinand in the second half to make it 50 caps to his credit now. Sadly Theo couldnt get a break again inspite of an injured Owen been led off the pitch as early as the 4th minute as he was replaced by Crouch.

As a result of the match both the teams advance to the knock-out stages with England as the leaders of group B and the Swedes the runner-up. Hence, England shall now face Ecuador while the Swedes are pitted against the mighty Germans.

Another gunner involved was Jens for Germany who got a clean sheet for the second time in a row as the Germans defeated Ecuador 3-0.

Now for today...

Toure and Eboue shall pay their last match in this tournament as they take on Serbia and Montenegro having had already crashed out of the Cup after the defeat to Holland.

The most interesting fixture today is the one between Holland and Argentina.

Its got to be an exciting match as both the teams are tough to break and are scoring goals. There is the Arsenal interest in the dutch side as Robin Van Persie is certain to be included in the first 11. He scored a brilliant goal against Ivory Coast and Van basten is confident of his capabilities. Let him score 3 past the Argentines today!

Cesc & Senderos advance! Adebayor ...

2006-06-20T16:09:00.000+05:30

No less than five Arsenal players involved yesterday. Let’s begin!

Cesc Fabregas came on for Spain yesterday in the match against Tunisia as a sub along with Raul in the 45 minute and demonstrated exactly why he is such an important asset for the club. The Spaniards were trailing to a goal by Tunisia from as early as the 8th minute and were like that the entire half. Then our super boy Cesc appeared and made an impact soon. As soon as he came on he struck a 20 yard kick only to be fisted by the Tunisian goalkeeper Ali Boumnijel. Then Cesc played his part. In the 71st minute Joaquin Sanchez made a cross from the right of the box which was dummied well by Torres for the ball to be received by Cesc who took a first time shot on the goal but the goalkeeper Ali Boumnijel parried the ball which fell in the path of the onrushing Raul who actually did well to slot the ball home on the rebound and make Cesc’ s effort count. Spain had equalized now.

Both the substitutions had paid off but there was more to come from the arsenal player. Soon he got into the box again and his effort was blocked by the goalkeeper. Soon Spain took a lead in the 76th minute. And Cesc was to be involved in that too. This time Cesc delivered an exquisite pass from his own half to coincide with Torres excellent run and Torres rounded off the goalkeeper before he put the ball in the net to make it 2-1 for Spain. Spain eventually won the match 3-1 after Torres slotted another one through a penalty late in the game. A nice game for Fabregas but not so for Reyes as he was an unused sub in the match. Fabregas played his part very well and if only he could have scored one for himself. No worries. He will get scoring himself soon!

Later, after the game, Cesc stressed the importance of the win for Spain by saying:

We had belief and it’s always important to come back in the game like that because we knew that a win would put us into the next round.

The significance of the contribution made by Cesc wasn’t lost on the Spanish coach Luis Aragones when amongst other things he said:

We dealt with it after the break though, with Xavi improving and Cesc (Fabregas) coming on and doing a good job. In the second half, we played our quick, technical game and created danger. We don't have huge, physical players, so we have to rely on our strengths. Raul is fast and has great technique, and that paid dividends. Bringing him and Cesc on worked out very well.

There were 2 matches that involved Arsenal players yesterday. One was the one wrote of above i.e. Spain Vs Tunisia and the other one Togo Vs Switzerland. I have finished off with the first one wherein we had Cesc and Reyes involved, now the second one. In the second we had three arsenal players taking part and they were Senderos and Johan Djourou for Switzerland and Adebayor for Togo.

Senderos played a full 90 minutes as the Swiss won the match 2-0 with a goal in each half. That gives Senderos a second clean sheet to his name in two matches until now in the World Cup. Johan Djourou was an unused substitute here. With the win the Swiss have made their qualification foe the knock-out rounds a good possibility and with that comes for Senderos more chances to play for his country.
But, as I said earlier, another arsenal player Adebayor was involved in the game. The defeat was a blow for Togo who were making their debut in the World Cup and have now crashed out on account of two back to back defeats. Adebayor himself played well but couldn’t conjure up a goal. Later Adebayor said:

The Swiss were strong on the counter-attack. We had problems with our build-up play. I was always asking for the ball but unfortunately I didn’t always receive the support. We’re not disappointed because we gave our best and could have won
the game.

It would have been fantastic to see him score some goals in the World Cup but it’s not so the case as he and Togo now head home.

Lots of news to come in tomorrow as a few more arsenal players involved in todays fixtures as Germany(Jens) takes on Ecuador and Sweden (Freddie) will fight it out with England (Ashely Cole, Sol and Theo).

Lets hope Theo gets a break today.

Robin and Henry score, Toure & Eboue ...

2006-06-19T18:03:00.000+05:30

Henry socred an elusive goal yesterday for France against the South Koreans which was also the first goal scored by France after their World Cup victopry in 1998 as 2002 saw them head home in the very first round with the humiliation of not even scoring a goal. SO henry ends that drought thats the good news but also there is bad news atleast for me that goal couldnt gather much success for France as after taking the lead through Henry's 9 minute goal a sit-back-and-defend-approach backfired for the French and the Koreans much to the disappointment of Thierry Henry scored through ManU's Park Ji Sung late in the second half.

Later Henry felt it to be a shame to let go a goal so late and he has words to express the disappointment.

It’s a shame we conceded a goal right at the end because we were very calm and
were defending well.

Thats for Henry but theres more in terms of Arsenal players today...

Sadly enough Toure and Eboue had to face the disappointment of an early exit after all their hopes were dented by the defeat to a resilient Dutch side scoring two goals one thry RVP and other trhu ManU's RVNistelrooy. But luckily RVP is still there and have actually confirmed a place for Holand in the second round. Wat a scorcher of a free kick he scored and theres still more to come they way he is playing.. So sorry to Toure and Eboue but Best of Luck for RVP as he advances to the next round.

Also Rosicky and the Czechs face an uphill task in facing Italy after the Czechs incredibly lost to Ghana 2-0 though the Czechs played with 10 men for a large part of the match.

Freddie header makes Paraguay head for home

2006-06-16T20:09:00.000+05:30

An 88th minute rare but brilliant header from Ljungberg sent the 50,000 Swedish fans present in Olympiastadion into rapturous celebrations and Paraguay back to home. The Swedes won the match 1-0 courtesy of Freddie's late goal and are now favourites to end second in the Group B table behind England. Freddie's goal also meant that now Paraguay will have to bear the disppointment of an early exit.

The win was very crucial for the swedes to harbour any hopes of qualification for the knock-out rounds after having been held to a goalless draw to Trinidad and Tobago in their World Cup opener. The point I want to make here is that a Gunner, an arsenal player scored THAT important goal and that makes me feel say Hhhhhuuuuurrrrrrrrrraaaahhhhhhh! And he was the Man of the Match too! Huuurrrrraaahhh!!

After seeing Rosicky drilling two past USA, Fabregas helping Torres for Spain and now Freddie scoring the all important one for Sweden its Henrys' turn now to get on the score sheet. And if only he could hammer 3 past the South Koreans on Sunday then it would start to look a perfect Arsenal up there at the World Cup.

Won't it?

Jens keeps the poles, Cesc creates history!

2006-06-15T16:27:00.000+05:30

Jens started for Germany and kept a clean sheet yesterday as the germans finished 1-0 against Poland with a winner in extra time through Neuville as the Poles finished goallles and with ten men.

Other Arsenal players involved yesterday in the World Cup were spaniards Reyes and Fabregas against Shevchenko's Ukraine. While Reyes was an unused substitute, Cesc Fabregas created history when he came on in place of Luis Garcia in the 76' minute and became the youngest Spanish to ever play in World Cup. He played well and had a hand in the goal scored by Fernando Torres in the match that Spain eventually outplayed 10 men Ukraine 4-0 .

More arsenal players shall be involved todays as the following fixtures take place

England Vs Trinidad and Tobago AND Sweden Vs Paraguay

For the Sweden match we have our dear Freddie Ljungberg rearing to play his part.

Ashley Cole is certain to start for England while Sol may continue to be an unused sub as he was in the match against Paraguay. The significant thing here is that whether or not Thoe can get a share of the match today. Though Sven has been syaing that Rooney if fit for the match but personally I dont think that would be able to play any part in todays game as Sven wont risk to play Rooney unless he is 100% match-fit which I dont think he is now. So that sets up a nice opportunity for Theo to come on at a later stage of the match and score one in the dying moments when England would be desperately searching for a goal and become a hero overnight.

Best of Luck for Theo, and all other Gunners too !!

French unable to scale the Swiss mountains !

2006-06-14T20:57:00.000+05:30

The match between France and Switzerland turned out to be a stale draw though either side could have atleast scored one goal each. A shot from Henry which seem to be goalbound was handed by Muller in the box and the ref didnt gave it Henry's way. Senderos played for a full 90 minutes while Johan Djourou got a good 15 minutes as he came on a sub and could have even scored in the dying moments of the match.

Gilberto, on the other hand couldnt play a part as he wasnt even used as a sub in an another boring match that Brazil won 1-0 against Croatia.

Rosicky scores double, Robin and Robben !

2006-06-13T15:09:00.000+05:30

What a terrific match yesterday for Rosicky who blasted not one but two past the Americans and helped the Czechs cruise past with a 3-0 victory over USA.

When the Czechs were already leading 1-0, Rosicky made it 2-0 in the 36’ minute when he let go a swerving kick from a whole 30 yards that the American keeper Kasey Keller couldn’t do anything about but only dive in despair. Spectacular!!

There was more to come from him. Midway in the second half his right footed shot struck the crossbar. And then in the 76’ minute, after receiving a through pass from Nedved, the Czech raced through the centre and when in the area he very composedly clipped the ball into the net to seal the match in style and beauty.

Both the goals were executed wonderfully and were a joy to watch and deservingly Rosicky was declared the Man of the Match . Whoa!! What a Gunner! What a signing! Way to go, Way to go Arsenal!

What a start he has got for himself in the World Cup and this should go a long way to boost his confidence further, not that he wasn’t confident but now when he has already struck two in the opener Tomas must be rearing to go. It’s worthwhile to mention here that the Czechs own their qualification to Rosicky as had it not been for Rosicky’s goal against Norway in the playoffs the Czechs wouldn’t have been able to make it to Germany in the first place.In Tomas, Wenger surely has signed a ‘high calibre’ player as he had promised and there is more to come as we know that Rosicky will only get better and more lethal under Wenger’s management.

It’s a delight that Wenger got his hands on him before the world cup and I can’t wait to watch him in action for Arsenal.

Robin Van Persie has a point here for Robben!

Next action involving Arsenal players if the fixture Between Brazil Vs Croatia wherein Gilberto Silva can play and theres the match between France and Switzerland where Senderos will have to try to defend none other than his club captain Thierry Henry. Thats got to be interesting as well.

Gunners at the World Cup !

2006-06-12T18:22:00.000+05:30

Some action for our gunners yesterday and tomorrow too as France is scheduled to take on Switzerland and Czechs to face USA. Also Brazil have a match with Ghana. So the list of Arsenal players to be involved today and tomorrow includes Henry, Senderos, Gilberto and Rosicky too..

The World Cup begins ...

2006-06-09T22:48:00.000+05:30

Not much to write again today...

Cygan has a chance of moving back to France by way of a move to St. Etienne who seem to be assuring him of first team appearances. Thats news about players leaving the club but no sight of another signing.

So, finally the World cup begins today and with that the wait for a new Arsenal signing is now extended by another month, up until the World Cup ends. But now when all the top players will be fighting it to give their best throughout the tournament, Wenger has a wonderful opportunity to keep an eye on all those classs players and then (if he thinks) go for the best ones really suited for Arsenal.

That doesnt means that I am saying that Wenger needs big occassions like these to spot a new face. Wenger has such an astute and sharp eye for talent - Fabregas is whom I try to bring your attention to - that by any means he doesnt needs a tournament to spot his man but who knows if the cup may throw some surprises and someone MAY catch the eye of Wenger.

But most probably (if at all) Wenger signs a new arsenal player I think he has already marked him or them and is only waiting for the perfect time to arrive like say after the World Cup ends or just before the new season begins. Time will tell !!

Thats it until tomorrow but before that a best of luck for all the Gunners involved in this World Cup tournament and I wish that they all play their very best and make their countries proud and us gooners too!

Henry breaks the Great Wall of China !

2006-06-08T11:07:00.001+05:30

France played their last friendly before the World Cup against China and Henry was able to score one and assist in one. He first provided David Trezeguet in the first half a cross with which Trezeguet scored the opener and then in the closing stages Henry himself scored one from 30 yards after combining in play with Franck Ribery. China eventually lost 3-1.

Though France were not their usual self in this match as they were held for a long period to China but this is not a blog to stress about France OR China but this is a blog about Arsenal and arsenal players and as such its nice to see Henry doing all the good things.

Talking about arsenal players we have another one to talk about.

Jens has a take on England.

"We are ahead of them with our World Cup experience because we know how to do
the job better than England. That is something they don't have"

According to Jens the germans know how to get the job done and the english dont. He says that the germans have the "ability to perform when it counts most" and the brits dont. I wish that Jens would keep his mouth shut but he wont.

As far as this World Cup is concerned, it remains to be seen whether or not the germans have the capability to perform when it counts most but from his Champions League heroics we do know that Jens for one surely has it.

Sol set to leave!

2006-06-07T20:58:00.001+05:30

The probability of Sol joining Fenerbahce next season is more than the probability of Sol staying at Arsenal. So Sol seems more likely to go than stay.

Apart from that Henry is poised to play alongside Djibril Cisse in a friendly against China before the World Cup and ex-gunner Alan smith who is along with the English squad in Germany sends a nice report back to Arsenal about the form and progress of the three Gunners involved in the english squad for the World Cup i.e. Cole, Campbell and Theo.

Thats it for today!!

Arsenal FC - Tuesday Round Up

2006-06-06T21:06:00.000+05:30

Double D voted out of FA and Jens feeling younger

2006-06-05T21:34:00.000+05:30

Arsenal - Thursday Round Up

2006-06-01T20:48:00.000+05:30

Arsenal - Wednesday Round up

2006-05-30T22:10:00.000+05:30

Big Fat Sam has a rant on how Double D made it to the top of the committee that selected the English manager and wants to know the extent of Double D's influence on the FA.

In an another news, two candidates fighting for the post of Real Madrid’s president have cited bringing Arsene Wenger to Real as their immediate priorities. This has now become a pretty boring issue given the fact that Wenger has on numerous occasions turned down this offer from both Real and Barcelona and has committed himself to the cause of Arsenal just before the Champions league finals…

Theo impresses Sven

2006-05-29T20:26:00.000+05:30

No interesting news to talk about today. Although there is little about that Theo, Jens and Sol.

Theo has impressed Sven-Goran Eriksson while training in the English camp and in an England B' sides friendly match against Belarus.

Theo's pace has caught Svens eye who said: "I am happy for him. There has been a lot of discussion about him and he has handled himself well. He did two or three things extremely well against Belarus and showed the pace he has is incredible."

And has encouraged Theo to play as if he has got nothing to lose!

"I have tried to give him the message he has nothing to lose and the only person who has something to lose is me. He is very calm, a little shy maybe, but I understand from Arsene Wenger he is like that at Arsenal. I am not worried about him."

"He fits in very well and he is not in awe. In training he is not waiting for others to give him the ball, he is shouting 'Give me the ball!'."

Jens,

Jens is desperate to seek glory in World cup after his cruel sending off in Paris saw his aspirations for European glory fall apart and wants Henry to score plenty of goals against everyone but Germany.

and Sol has declared himself to be over his past troubles and ready for the World Cup by saying: "I have been through a lot so it has been difficult but I'm through it now. It's all sorted now. "I'm much better, much happier and much more alive. Now I just want to play football. "The World Cup is football's biggest prize and I want to play a part in it."

I have been through a lot - So has Arsenal, because of you in the defeat against West Ham at Highbury, when you gave away two goals and walked out on the team in half-time.
It's all sorted now - No it isnt! You are yet to be included in the next seasons squad
Now I just want to play football - Except for Arsenal, that is !

Wenger showers praise on Pires

2006-05-27T14:37:00.000+05:30

Yesterday it was conformed that Pires has left Arsenal to join Villareal on a two years contract. The loss of Pires is a big one. And the Manager knows it.

Wenger knows the magnitude and class of Pires very well and has paid tributes to Bobby when he says: "He had class, humility and was always available to help people."

“At the end of the day [his leaving] was not down to money and it was not down to the length of the contract. Robert is a guy who loves to play. You can practice two, three four or five hours and it is never enough for him. He felt that he would play less. I think it was that which convinced him to go."

“For me the moment that summed up Robert was at the end of the season of 2002 when he came on the pitch [on crutches] and the whole team kneeled down for him.

“That tells you a lot about what people thought about him as a player and a person."

Best of Luck, Bobby!! :)

A Gunner departs! Pires leaves Arsenal.

2006-05-26T21:21:00.000+05:30

From the news confirmed by Arsenal FC it's sad to note that Pires has left Arsenal and joined Villareal on a two years contract. He played for Arsenal for six seasons and in the meanwhile contributed immensely to the Clubs success.

Wenger certainly wanted to retain Bobby at Arsenal and Pires' contribution to the Club is reflected in Wengers own words here: "Robert has had six tremendous years with us and made a huge contribution to the team’s success during his time here. He is not only a great footballer but a good man, so of course, we are sad to see him go. It’s difficult to pick out one or two highlights but he was superb in our double winning season during the 2001/02 campaign and contributed hugely to our unbeaten season with 19 goals. I would like to thank Robert for the dedication, determination and passion he has shown and wish him well in his career.”

His appreciation is best expressed by Arsene Wenger as : "He is not only a great footballer but a good man, so of course, we are sad to see him go".

Of course his experience was very very vital for the emerging crop of young but immensely talented Arsenal players to learn from while he would have been here but obviously the Club hasnt retracted from its stance of not offering players above 30 a two year contract which has ultimately led to Bobby;s departure. We wish Bobby the best of luck in his future endeavours.

Begkamps departure was inevitable but Bobbys could have stalled. But Sadly! that was not the case to be!

Vieira, Edu, and now Pires! In the midst of changing but promising times at Arsenal Football Club another beloved Gunner departs for pastures more greener!

Arsenal Football Club - 25May, 2006

2006-05-25T16:42:00.000+05:30

More news about Arsenal Football Club, Arsenal Players and Fans to come !

Arsenal Football Club - 24May

2006-05-24T20:46:00.000+05:30

Arsenal Unveils Tom-as the New Gunner!

2006-05-23T21:10:00.000+05:30

Arsenal have made the first signing for this summer and have unveiled a new Gunner named Tomas Rosicky. Tomas is a Czech international and joins Arsenal from German side Borussia Dortmund.

Rosicky, 25, is an attacking midfielder and has considerable experience under his belt having had already played in the Champions Legaue 31 times and has earned 53 caps for his country. As such he is not a fresher but one who is already successful and has a proven track record.

Arsene Wenger has his words for Rosicky. He says: "“We are delighted to welcome Tomas to our squad. He has great technique, skill on the ball and sharp passing. Tomas has good experience at all levels for club and country, and we look forward to welcoming him to Arsenal after what will hopefully be a successful summer for him at the World Cup.”

The complete details and statistics of Rosicky's club and international career is available here.

Wenger had remarked a couple of days back that he shall making 2 to 3 big signings this summer. One is done, we await for the other two!

Henry Going Nowhere!

2006-05-22T19:26:00.000+05:30

It was heartbreak in Paris but sheer joy embraces Gunners in London. Henry has come out with his decision that he has stalled the whole last year.On the verge of signing a new 4 year contract. Says will play for Arsenal until he can run.Henry going nowhere. So is Pires!

Henry is staying at Arsenal

2006-05-19T22:03:00.000+05:30

It was heartbreak in Paris but sheer joy embraces Gunners in London. Henry has come out with his decision that he has stalled the whole last year.

On the verge of signing a new 4 year contract. Says will play for Arsenal until he can run.

Henry going nowhere. So is Pires!

Posted by aragorn for Arsenal News

Heroic Gunners

2006-05-18T14:56:00.000+05:30

It’s heartbreak that we lost yesterday in the finals.

In a game as big as a Champions League final we played for 72 minutes with ten men after Jens Lehman was red carded as early as the 18 minute. Jens had to come off and Almunia replaced him while Pires -who seems to have played his last match for Arsenal yesterday - had to make way for Almunia.

But in spite of being one man down we took the lead in the 37 minute through a brilliant Sol header to a free kick from Henry after Eboue was fouled on the right hand side by Puyol. Even before the lead Barcelona couldn’t impose themselves upon us. We managed the deficit in number of players very bravely and didn’t gave anything.

We could have taken the lead within two minutes through Henry. Eboue passed the ball to Henry in the area and Henry with one deft touch freed himself of Marquez but when he should have scored from so near his shot was saved by Valdes, the Catalan goalkeeper. In such epic finales chances come at a premium and are to be taken whenever they come. This was the first that Henry wasted.

But the sending off had certainly ruined the game as a spectacular and prevented the game to turn into as big a thrilling encounter as much it was pitted to be. We had to foray very cautiously and after the red card our focus shifted naturally form attacking to defend first and surge ahead on the counter. A player less when playing against a team like Barcelona meant we were deprived of that attacking flow of play which we are capable off and that could have seen us win this game.

In first half stoppage time Barcelona came close to equalize through Eto who after receiving a pass with Sol at his back spurned quickly enough to beat Sol Campbell and struck a vicious shot which had it not been for a wonderful reflexive save from Almunia was destined to meet the back of the net. That was a sigh of relief!

Barcelona kept going after we took the lead but we seemed to absorb their pressure well especially the likes of Ronaldinho and Eto were taken well care of. It was to remain so until the 76th minute when Barcelona leveled through Eto. He got behind our back four and when left with only Almunia to beat he put the ball in Almunia’s right post. Though the Gunners claimed offside but the goal stood and Barcelona had equalized.

Things could have been otherwise if just six minutes before Barcelona equalized, Henry had not squandered his second chance of the night and put the game beyond the reach of already trailing Barcelona. Hleb sent Henry clear on the right side and from where he had a clear sight of the goal he took a weak low shot which was too close for Valdes who dived to his right and averted the ball to safety.

Soon they took a lead. Four minutes after Barca equalized, Larson fed the ball past Ashley Cole to the on rushing substitute Juliano Belletti on the right and Belletti took a shot that met a deflection from Almunia’s legs before the ball settled into the net.

It was 2-1 to Barcelona in the 80th minute and too much for us to battle against with ten men. We couldn’t come back into the game from there onwards and the match ended with Barcelona emerging victorious.

Our dreams are shattered and it’s obviously hard for us to take this defeat but we are indeed very proud of our brave performance. Barcelona were made to be such a great side before the pre-match hype that it seemed that they had only to turn up for the game. But that was not the case to be. We didn’t let lose our hopes when reduced to ten instead kept fighting and eventually took the lead. That says lots and lots about us. Fairly speaking Ronaldinho was supposed to be the difference tonight but what he did. We managed to keep him pretty low which is a huge credit to us.

Yet playing with ten men, against a side as capable as Barcelona who had a referee who kept making decisions in their favor was a difficult task. It just goes to show our spirits and determination. But we have gained a lot from this final and from the whole Champions League season this year. We are confident that we shall be back next year.

However disheartened we maybe but one can’t deny that Barcelona are a truly great side. If not the victory they truly deserve their position as worthy finalists.

Congratulations to Barcelona!!

It was a heroic effort by The Gunners. And it won’t be long enough before we are back!

The Champions League Final

2006-05-17T14:51:00.000+05:30

The day has arrived for the biggest ever match in Arsenal’s history and with it the chance to crown ourselves and become Champions of Europe.

There has been so much written and said about this game that I fail to imagine where to start from. We start with the team news. As speculated before Wenger has chosen Sol ahead of Senderos. It’s unfortunate that the player who has been so instrumental in getting us where we are today shall not be able to start because of being short of match-fitness. Also Cole comes ahead of Flamini. So Eboue, Toure, Sol and Cole are the back four. News is that Pires has got a nod ahead of Reyes. So Pires and Hleb are to start alongside Cesc Fabregas, Freddie Ljungberg and Gilberto while Reyes should start form the bench. We know that the formation is most probably going to be 4-5-1. The complete 21-man Arsenal squad can be found here.

Ahead of the game an assistant referee has been substituted after he was punished by UEFA for portraying a partial stance when in a newspaper his photo wearing a Barcelona shirt had been published. Meanwhile woes don’t tend to end for Spurs. Tests conducted by the Health Protection Agency have given a clean sheet to the kitchen of the hotel in which the Spurs had stayed before their final match of the season and had allegedly been food poisoned.

Now for the game tonight!

What used to be a distant dream is now a reality that’s staring right into our eyes. The Champions League final is just round the corner or should I say a few hours apart. It’s a big big night for the fans, the players, the manager and the Club. Those who can witness this in the Stadium, those watching it on TV where you maybe it’s going to be a treat for the eyes. We the Gooners, as fans of Arsenal Club wish our Club and the players very best.

We obviously do have the potential to match any team and its time for us to get one last time into our act and clear this one last hurdle. The feeling in the squad is optimistic. The players are confident so is the manager. We may be underdogs and Barcelona may be the favorites but so was the case with us against Real Madrid and Juventus. At that time, we defied the odds and played as one strong unit. We played collectively and defended collectively. We felt confident and played with a determination. Did not lose our nerves and in the end emerged victorious. Barcelona may be the odds on favorites but that should pose a good challenge to us. If we are to win the Champions League then why not win against the best?

We have everything needed to win tonight and truly merit our position as finalists. We have players who are immensely talented, skillful and raring to go. In Wenger, there is an ambitious manager who can certainly motivate the payers to achieve this monumental victory and in Henry there is certainly an inspirational leader, a captain who leads by example. We have all the ammunition required. If we can put up a determined effort and play to our potential and get into our rhythm early on then undoubtedly we have as good a chance to grab this one as Barcelona have.

Potential, talent, form etc are the important ingredients necessary to win these epic finals but the most vital factor that determines the outcome is your thirst. You have as much big a chance of winning a final as big is your thirst to win it. If you have the thirst then you know what shall quench it.

It’s a big occasion in Arsenal’s history. You don’t land everyday in a European Cup Final. We cannot go down without giving a fight. And we trust our players to do exactly the same tonight. A fight to finish!

Whatever may be the odds and however well placed Barcelona may be than us to win this final but victory will favor the side with the bigger thirst.

Come on u Guuuunnnnnnnnnneeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrsssssss !

Countdown To Paris - 1 Day

2006-05-16T14:32:00.000+05:30

Champions League Final staring at us!

More on Team News, Selection Policy, Formation, Determination, Thirst and quench. Wenger, Eboue, Henry & Lehmann.

Countdown To Paris - 2 Days

2006-05-15T13:54:00.000+05:30

2 days Left for our showdown with Barcelona in Paris!!

Shaun Shunned! Walcott Stunned

2006-05-12T18:03:00.000+05:30

Congrats to Henry!! He has one Football Writers Player of the Year award for the third time and deservedly so. Wenger surprised at the inclusion of Theo Walcott while Walcott himself is still shocked at his call to the English Squad. There is a deal between Wenger & Sven that THeo would not play in the Champions League final in Paris. Instead he will be travelling to Portugal along with other english players for training.

Also Steven Gerrad has welcomed the Svens decision to include Theo and remarks that Theo may be the 'ace' in the pack. Thats it for now... More on the preparations for the finals later!!

Arsenal: Richer By £52M

2006-05-11T20:28:00.000+05:30

Try as they might! But all in vain! The Premier League has outrightly rejected Suppppurs plea to replay their match against West Ham and have thereby quashed any last remaining hopes of Spurs to qualify for Europe next season.

While Wally still continues to come to terms to the stunning but pleasant news that he is amongst the ones who shall board the plane to Germany some financial crunching has revealed that the Gunners have just earned themselves as much as £52.7 million by way of prize money and TV cash from all competitions. And in that, we have surpassed money-bags Chelski, ManU & Pool. Half of that amount has come from Champions league its believed. Europe does pay!! Makes sense of Spurssss frustration over failing to qualify for Europe!

We all know that Wenger is a genius. Theo Walcott is the latest to learn that.

Upon discovering that current Highbury seats MAY leak a toxic called cadmium the authorities at Arsenal have helplessly decided to drop previously planned auctions for the seats to be sold to fans. So those who had already payed upfront shall now get their money reimbursed.

Winning anything is itself sweet! Wininng it at the expense of Suppurs makes it more sweeter! Until then let us the fans of Arsenal Club rejoice and bask in the glory of our qualification for Champions league next season - at the expense of Spursss!!

Shauns Boycott! Arsenal's Walcott

2006-05-10T17:31:00.000+05:30

In a stunning move made by Sven Goran Erikkson, to select players for the English squad to play in the forthcoming World Cup in Germany, the Swede has boldly given Arsenal's wonderkid Theo Walcott the call to the squad and has snubbed the likes of Darren Bent, Shaun Wright Philips and Jermaine Defoe in the process. Whooooaaaa!!

Its absolutely amazing especially given the fact that Theo is not only too young but has never even played in the Premiership before. He is yet to appear for the Gunners. Though Wenger had named Walcott many a times recently but situations that were favourable enough to give Theo is debut never arose. Obvioulsy, this unprecedented / shockening selection has raised many a eyebrows but Sven stands by his decision which he portrays as a gamble that he is willing to take. So do we gooners.

Most importantly, Sven himself is the sole responsible for the selection of Theo. He didnt arrived at this crucial decision on somebodys else's say or jointly. We all know, that Wenger does surely rates Walcott highly and when approacched by Sven Wenger promptly recommended Theo to Sven as World Cup material. That was it! Nothing more! Sven then himself took this all important decision.

If that does happen and we as fans do hope that it does happens so then what a Gunner will Walcott be!! The news is made more sweeter by Svens snubbing of Chelseas Shaun Wright Phillips on the pretext of not having enough first team exposure this season. The same being the case for Defoe. Incredibly for Walcott, he has already beaten two players belonging to our arch rivals without even kicking a ball for Arsenal yet. Hahahahahaha!!

Wenger has again pulled off a hat. Only this time, the hat was one that, if not for Wenger's brilliance in talent-spotting and magnetic personality, could have been worn by of Morinho and Jol.

Goodbye Highbury

2006-05-09T14:18:00.000+05:30

The Sun has set at Highbury!

With a heavy heart and fond memories we wish Higbury goodbye!!

A Gunner called Henry and an arsenal called Highbury!

2006-05-08T21:43:00.000+05:30

Arsenal 4 – 2 Wigan Match Report
Barclays Premiership
Arsenal Stadium, Highbury
Sunday, May 07, 2006, 3pm

In the last ever match to bid farewell to Arsenal football clubs’ home since 1913 what else could the Club, the manager, the players and the fans would have desired for. Everything they desired they got it. They got everything they desired.

In The-Gunners bid to qualify for Europe and mark the farewell to Highbury in the most spectacular of fashions, magnificent Henry rose to the occasion and struck a sensational hat-trick that left Wigan & Spurs in tatters and the Highbury crowd mad & jubilant.

No doubt the moment belonged to those who witnessed this great carnival with their own eyes but wherever you may have been and however you may have viewed this match if you are a true Arsenal fan at heart THAT ARSENAL FEELING in this momentous match at Highbury would surely have touched your hearts.

All throughout the match eyes were fixed on the Highbury happenings but ears were craving for the news of proceedings elsewhere at Upton Park. The feeling was there to sense, feel and caress. The memories were there to cherish.

Highbury - The Final Salute!!

2006-05-07T17:00:00.001+05:30

Alas! The day has finally arrived for Arsenal to finally bid goodbye to this amazing, beloved and historic stadium – Highbury!

What remains that Highbury has not seen? All. Everything. Premiership Titles, The Invincibles, FA Cups, Carling Cups, Community Shields and what not. Extraordinary players, magnificent managers, wall-like defenders, one-of-their-kind strikers, thrilling encounters, sensational matches, phenomenal victories, breath taking goals, legends, unforgettable moments, ecstasy, joy, pride and glory. I know Champions league remains but that dream is not far away too from being a reality. It’s never been so near for us in the case of European conquest and in reality, in this fabulous journey of ours to the final in Paris, the major steps we took forward came at Highbury! The destruction of Real was completed here, Juventus were demolished 2-0 at Highbury and lastly, though, the yellow submarine sank in Spain but The Gunners torpedoed them at Highbury. Let’s mark the end of this spectacular and glorious era with a 9-0 victory against Wigan. Let’s depart from Highbury with style, elegance, goals, victory and perhaps with a fitting end; by qualifying for Europe.

It doesn’t matters whom we play today! Because whoever they maybe we HAVE To win this last game at Highbury. It will be interesting to see who all of the gunners will be able to play their part in today’s last game at the Highbury. Obviously everyone will want to but obviously not everyone will be able to. Cole is likely to be continued alongside Toure, Sol and Eboue while Reyes, Cesc, Pires and Gilberto should all start in this all important match. Sadly Flamini, Clichy & Senderos will miss it so shall the permanent absentees Lauren & Abou Diaby.

A lot is riding on this match apart from a must-win performance required to leave Highbury in style and on a winning note. With our champions’ league qualification hinged to the hopes that elsewhere in London, at Upton Park, West ham defeat or at least take 2 points from our fourth place rivals Spurs, equally important for us is a favorable result for us there as much as it is for us to win today. While West Hams’ victory will just kill spurs European aspirations even a draw there will see us win this race to fourth by virtue of our goal difference. We as fans can only hope!!

The players are bound to give their very best and give the fans a treat to watch. Henry is the man to watch out in this match. I have a feeling that he might even get a hat-trick. He is the captain. It’s the last match. We NEED a must win performance. We HAVE to qualify for Europe. All this sets the mood for Henry to just explode to his phenomenal best and sign off in a spectacular manner by leading the team to victory by his heroics in this momentous match for Arsenal football club.

Lots and lots could be written about the memories, joy and passion of everyone associated with this great stadium and Club and the sadness that the departure may ensue. But the bottom line is that we the fans, the players the Club will just miss it. Needless to say it will be an emotional game. Emotional for Wenger, the players, the fans and every Highbury faithful. A sensational victory coupled with qualification for Europe should just be the fitting and perfect achievements with which we can bid farewell to The Home Of Football!

Reyes of hope !

2006-05-05T22:23:00.000+05:30

Coming off the bench Jose Reyes scored a brace in the second half to keep our hopes of European play next season alive!

Another important win yesterday night leaves us with everything to play for in the last ever game to be played at Highbury against Wigan come Sunday. That everythinig includes, Champions’ league qualification, retaining our pride by winning over our enemy spurs in the race to fourth place and above all - victory in the last game at Highbury.

A goal from Freddie and two from Reyes saw us leave Manchester with 3 more crucial points that shall well be enough for a Champions league place in case West Ham snatch two points from Spurs on Sunday AND we win against Wigan.

As reported earlier Cole started for the first time since 7 months while Hleb, Reyes, Freddie Ljungberg, Gilberto and Van Persie were the absentees from Sunderland that returned in the line-up.

The game was hardly any appealing until when in the 20 minute Van Persie struck the bar but had been ruled offside before the shot. Then Sol made a block from Georgios Samaras in the 21st minute. Then at the half hour we broke the deadlock. Henry after controlling a pass moved square but in the process threaded a pass to Ljungberg who took one touch before steering the ball towards the inside of James’ left-post to make it 1-0 Arsenal. At that moment a smooth victory looked assured. But not so the case to be! By another 8 minutes City had drawn level with us with a scrappy goal from a set piece.

Joey Barton took a corner which went to Sinclair, who headed the ball towards the goal for Sommeil to equalize. The goal gave a balance to the match and City reasons to be optimistic. However, the magnitude of this match was clear to every Gunner and chances began to be created immediately. From a Henry corner when unmarked Sol should have scored he nodded wide

From a Henry corner unmarked Sol nodded wide when he should have scored. Very soon Henry after dribbling past three city defenders gave the ball to RVP. He intelligently laid it back for Henry in the area to see the captain uncharacteristically send it wide past the post when he should have at least tested James. So that was to be before half-time.

We started the second half well and could have taken the lead again within a minute from the restart if James wouldn’t have saved Persie’ shot. Soon it became quite an affair as City looked determined to gain something out of the game whilst we couldn’t settle for less than a win to remain in the reckoning for the fourth place. We had to step up the pressure. Henry sent Freddie clear in the area on the left in 53rd minute when Freddie went for it only to see his shot hit the post. At the other end Eboue saved a shot from Albert Riera. James again saved from RVP. Campbell stopped Vassell in the area. Then Hleb let fly from distance before James guided the ball clear at the eleventh hour. At the other end Jens saved two headers from Richard Dunne & Micah Richards each. In the meantime Wenger had substituted Cesc in place of Song in the 58th minute. Later he brought Pires & Reyes in place of Hleb & Persie respectively in the 72 minute. The substitution or one can fresh legs paid off immediately. Pires sent the ever energetic Eboue down the right who after reaching the byline cut the ball back to find Reyes to whose side-footed shot James managed to get hands to but not a grasp before it squeezed past into the corner of the net. The Gunners had the lead again. Soon Henry after brilliant play with the ball on the left squared to Reyes who dispatched a fantastic shot into the top corner of the net to seal the match and precious three points for us at 3-1.

City had put up a fight but couldn’t stop us from winning. Spirited they were but not anxious enough as The Gunners.

Manchester City Vs Arsenal Preview

2006-05-04T20:34:00.000+05:30

Thursday, May 04, 2006

The deserving gets the accolade! Jens has been announced as the Player of the Month in Arsenal.com’s poll for April’s player of the month. And rightly so! For the remarkable and outstanding performances Jens has delivered for the Club this season, in the Champions league and especially after his historic penalty save in the 88 minute of the Champions league semi final match against Villareal there is nobody else more worthy of this award. Congrats!!

Another must win game for us against Manchester City tonight to make the race to finish fourth go down the wire. A win will surely mount pressure on Spurs which is good for us.

Cole is set to start for the first time since October 2 in this game while Clichy has been rested and so is Dennis Bergkamp. Reyes (wisdom teeth), Gilberto (ankle) & Freddie – who was rested – are the absentees from the Sunderland match that are again in the squad. While Diaby has started a long spell on the sidelines after his horrific injury at the hands of Sunderland player Smith, Hleb is back in the squad and Adebayor is not available due to a sinus infection.

ManCity have been in an awful form both away and at home off late so they don’t appear to be as threatening as they might be on another day. Having lost even of their last eight matches speaks enough of their poor form but we have to kill the game as soon as possible. For us to play Champions league next year nothing less than a win would suffice.

Two more wins and a hope that West Ham can extract something for themselves against Spurs is the remaining arsenal we have to beat Spurs to fourth place after we left nothing in our hands with draws against Portsmouth & Spurs.

Wednesday Round Up

2006-05-03T22:24:00.000+05:30

Right from the beginning Villareal looked the team with more spark. If worthy of credit for creating numerous chances they own discredit too for being wasteful with them.

Records
Lehmann broke the record for longest defense. Edwin Van Der Sars record.10 clean sheets on the trot

Sunderland Vs Arsenal Match Report

2006-05-02T18:29:00.000+05:30

Sunderland 0 - 3 Arsenal

Barclays Premiership
Stadium of Light
Monday, May 1, 2006. Kick-off: 5.15pm

Another easy victory for us as we cruised along the match and won 3 – 0. With another three points in the bag our hopes are dim but yet alive to beat Spurs in the race to the fourth & final spot for next seasons Champions League qualification.

The match was a stroll for us as a goal from Henry, Cesc each and an own goal all arriving in the first 45 minutes wrapped the match for us in the first half itself.

Adebayor, Song, Pires, Diaby & Clichy started the match for us while Ashley started the match from the bench and come on midway in the second half. Everything went smooth for us except that in the dying minutes of the match Sunderland substitute Dan Smith made an awful two-footed lunge at Diaby which saw him to be stretchered out of the pitch. Later he was diagnosed to have a dislocated fractured ankle and can cause him to miss the remainder of the season. The tackle was bad and Wenger is furious about it insists that the defender should have been sent-off. Though further news on the extent of the injury should arrive later in the week the injury is cruel and has come at a crucial time.

So, with this victory, the club is still the race for the fourth spot and apart from winning against Man City & Wigan we hope that West Ham steal something from Spurs.

Sunderland Vs Arsenal Preview

2006-05-01T20:43:00.000+05:30

We have few injuries ahead of this match. While Gilberto (ankle), and Flamini (hamstring) are definitely out Hleb has a chances and Reyes too misses this fixture as he has had his wisdom tooth extracted. Although Ashley Cole has a strong chance of making a comeback to first team action after he came unscathed in the reserves 3-1 win over West Ham last Thursday and played for full 90 minutes.

Here

Wenger sheds light on his views and thoughts about the English coaching job and explains why it’s not the one that’s suitable for him though it makes him feel honoured when he is referred to as a possible candidate.

Though Sunderland who have already been confirmed as relegated should be not a tough one but the players should seriously see off this fixture as a mild slip up could cost us our Champions league qualification. You never know as Sunderland did draw at Old Trafford. Yesterdays Spurs win over Bolton not doing any favor to us; a win is not only required to reduce the deficit between them & us but also to keep a check on Spurs.

Sunderland v Arsenal - Round Up

2006-04-28T23:20:00.000+05:30

Mon, May 1, 2006, 5.15pm

We never looked threatening in the entire 90 minutes while they looked more likely the side capable of scoring. It was very important to make good use of the ball when we had possession instead we wasted our possession and never kept close control on the ball. We lacked the craft that could make our passing count as a result of which the players didn’t get even near to the box leave aside having a nice decent shot at the goal. On the other hand when the ball was not with us we lacked that defensive cohesiveness that could make it bitterly hard for Villareal to conceive openings as has been the case with our previous opponents. They constantly channeled chances from right and made us miss Flamini. Certainly, both Sol & Clichy started well but the balance that earned us nine consecutive clean sheets seemed to be non-existent. Of course, our defenders defended very well otherwise the match wouldn’t have ended with another clean sheet for us but to some extent this was also due to the extreme wastefulness of our opponents who created so many chances but could convert none.

If worthy of credit for creating numerous chances they own discredit for being wastelful with them. Apart from Gilberto, the midfield had a sloppy game. Hleb gave the ball away too much; Cesc was just about tidy, Reyes couldn’t get across their midfielders as a result Henry was starved of any worthy service playing lonely upfront. Not until Pires arrived in place of Reyes in second-half did the match look somewhat poised for us. When he arrived on the scene the midfield looked a little more stable but still devoid of any flair to manufacture chances.

The team looked disjointed and the efforts nervy. But we could definitely take solace in our defense once again as dodgy though, the defense did not cracked and got us one more morale-boosting clean sheet. By the way that was tenth on the trot and a Champions League record.

Obviously with two of four being seriously short of match practice the job was indeed applaudable and the result deserving.

Tourepedoed by Kolo, sunk by Lehmann

2006-04-26T21:12:00.000+05:30

Villareal 0 - 0 Arsenal.
Champions League Semi-Final, Second Leg.
El Madrigal, Spain.

Whew!!!

Did u see our performance last night??? We were way short of even half a decent performance required for any European match, leave aside a Champions league semi-final and yet we are through to the final in Paris. One cant imagine that the match ended goalless when the way Villareal played they could have ended with three goals. They on their part are left to rue their missed chances but we have a lot to ponder over our utterly disappointing display before we reach Paris.

One cant imagine that the match ended goalless when the plethora of chances Villareal created / crafted were there for all to see. They could have ended with three goals. They on their part are left to rue their missed chances but we have a lot to ponder over our utterly disappointing display.

However dismal our performance may have been but a berth in the Champions League final gives joy unlimited and compels to forget how we actually secured it.

ARSENAL HAS QUALIFIED FOR THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL ….(that’s important)

Huuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Operation - Sinking Submarine

2006-04-25T21:50:00.000+05:30

As feared from the Spurs game, the knee injury Senderos suffered is not one that can be ignored which means he won’t be available against Villareal. Bad that is. He & Toure have certainly mustered a sound central defensive partnership amongst themselves. The two along with Eboue and Flamini have been the rock solid defense marshaled by Lehmann, which has given us a record breaking run of nine consecutive clean sheets in Europe this season. In fact the report here suggests that not only will he will miss the match against Villareal but unfortunately it appears that he has finally played his last match this season.

Hence ahead of the match the manager has elected Sol to play in place of Big Phil. While Sol is short of match fitness Wenger has preferred him to Djourou to start the game on the base of experience. Wenger sees this as the best opportunity for Sol to show his strength and capability by making a strong comeback. He explains: “I decided to go for Sol Campbell because he has that kind of experience. I had Johan Djourou but he is 18. I feel Sol may be missing a game or two but can compensate with experience. Wenger defends his selection by drawing attention to the fact that it was Sol who was at the helm of our defense the year when we won the premiership unbeaten.

This could be a gamble in terms of our defensive solidarity. Experience is vital but match-fitness is too. Going by the look of past performances I personally think that he should have selected Johan Djourou ahead of Sol because we have seen Johan Djourou playing well before and Sol is some way short of match fitness but the manager understands his selection better than us and this is a gamble which Arsene Wenger is ready to take. Sincerely speaking Wenger had not much to choose from. He had Djourou & Sol to choose from and he has chosen experience over fitness. I as a fan have no complaints over the selection if whoever the manager brings gives his best and helps us maintain our solid defensive wall.

Reyes will be available again after serving his one-match European ban while Adebayor remains cup-tied. Meanwhile there is good news therein that Gael Clichy has recovered completely from the stress fracture in his foot and is back in the squad. That and the complete squad list you can find here.

Though by the look of it appeared that Villareal seem content with the result at Highbury the matter of fact remains that they have to at least score twice today night to win. And two goals are all that The Gunners have conceded in the entire competition until now. The last time someone got past our defense was Markus Rosenberg of Ajax on 27 September. After that we have produced a record breaking nine consecutive clean sheets. So we do have the defense required on big nights such as today and we have shown it before against Real, Juventus and Villareal at Highbury. As for the attack, its there to see how lethal Henry has been banging exquisite goals week after week. In the midfield Reyes, Hleb, Fabregas, Pires, Ljungberg and Gilberto they all have been fantastic. So no doubt that we have what it takes on nights like this. It’s down to our determination and thirst to win.

Wenger is clear upon the strategy to use for this match. He has decided to go for goals rather then defending the match. That Villareal have to come out to score is for sure. We need to capitalise on that. And the best way Wenger feels to tackle that is score ourselves. He says: “The best way to deal with that is to score [ourselves]. That would be ideal and that's what we'll try to achieve. We are a team who can always score goals. But as well I think that for us it’s most important to go there, form a good defensive base every time we go forward and try to win the game.

Even if we score one goal then they will have to score 3. A single goal from us can put the game beyond the reach of Villareal and we can book our place in the Final. As such it’s obvious that Wenger expects an attacking and exciting game tonight when he says “I feel the pace of our game will be the key, we will try to play at a high pace. I think they'll try to up theirs as well so you should see a much more exciting game in the second leg.”

So while we certainly have the defense in place that can take care of Villareal when they have the ball its important that we make the most of it when the ball is with us. But CAUTION!! It’s important that we remain alert. It’s not going to be an easy task. Though we managed to take care of their key players especially Riquelme very well, he will not be the same figure as in Highbury where he was on a leash as the whole team came there to defend. Their players would be up for it in front of their crowd and will try to throw everything at us that can give them a break. Their potential is apparent from the list of Clubs they have knocked out until now. The atmosphere would be cracking so it’s vital that we don’t crack under pressure.

The time has arrived for us now when a place in the finals of the Champions League is just one game away. Having come so far and making it to the finals would be a great reward for the mammoth effort Wenger and the lads have put in recently in Europe. We have really strived to get till here and truly deserve our position. Now, though is the most crucial time. Just one game and we shall then see from there how to take on the final from there.

One can say that our entire season has boiled down to two matches. One, that which we played with Spurs on Saturday and the second with Villareal in Spain. Losing the match with Spurs would have certainly left us with no chance of automatic Champions League qualification via the premiership route. A draw has at least kept us alive in the battle for the fourth position even though we don’t have anything in our hands now. We now rely upon on Bolton & West Ham to steal something from Spurs that could reduce the deficit between them and us. However small it may seem but nevertheless the chance that still remains with the draw has made it possible for us to harbour hopes in contrast to forgetting the fourth place in case we would have lost. So we didn’t pass out of this game with flying colours but still the race is not over and has given us something to salvage from this season in the premiership. Now, the second game. The second game is the Champions League game in El Madrigal today night! On this match hang our European aspirations. Kolo Toure gave us that important lead of one goal in Highbury on Wednesday. A lead of one goal is slender but it is a lead that counts. We have been running in this race for so many years now but never have we been so near to achieving this dream. Let the gunners make this a historic night.

The Gunners have Tourepedoed the Yellow Submarines at Highbury. Arsenal waits for them to sink in El Madrigal.

The Final Derby at Highbury

2006-04-25T17:07:00.000+05:30

The match ended in a draw with both teams scoring a goal each. How I wish that we could have won our last North-London derby at Highbury but that was not the case to be. Robbie Keane gave the lead to Spurs in the early second half and with six minutes remaining Henry, who came onto the pitch from the bench in the second half, scored an awesome goal to equalize the scores and restore our pride.

Though our goal came through some neat play between Adebayor & Henry their goal was a controversial one and it remained the much talked about issue during and after the match. We all know what happened and with whom. Diaby & Eboue collided and the latter remained on the floor while the ball in Carrick’s position who waited to decide whether to continue playing or to put the ball out of play and then decided to play and passed the ball to Davids on the Spurs left flank. In the absence of Eboue, David could get along the channel and easily put the ball in the way of Keane who arrived by the time in the box near the right-hand post. He was left with the simplest of task to tuck the ball into the goal to give Spurs the lead. When David should have stopped and put the ball out of play he continued which led to the goal for Spurs. Wenger was furious and even the players protested but the referee deemed nothing wrong with it and the goal stood. Wenger was so outraged that he confronted Jol on the sidelines. Later Davids was sent off for a second offence.

But we can’t do anything now of it. We were looking for a win but could only take a point of the game. But we have the solace in the fact that at least we didn’t lost to Spurs in the final north London derby at Highbury. Full three point should have been the order of the day but to be honest we didn’t actually put enough effort especially in the first half. Spurs created more chances than us and we weren’t able to dictate the game. Honestly we didn’t woke up until they took the lead and their goal though disputed came as a shot in the arm for us. We then began to surge forward and to create chances upfront and then later deservingly equalized. Three points would have done our Champions Leagie automatic qualification hopes much good but now we are left to wish that somebody from either West Ham or Bolton take points away from Spurs and we win all of our remaining three fixtures. We can take solace in the fact that we didn’t LOSE to Spurs. This was their last chance to defeat us at Highbury which they couldn’t. A defeat at the hands of Spurs in our last north London derby at Highbury would have dented our pride in our outstanding record against them at Highbury and in the Premier League. Hence the goal from Henry sees our pride restored by remaining unbeaten to Spurs since the last 6 years. Hahaha!!

By the way later that evening Chelsea were kicked out from the FA Cup by Liverpool in the Semi-Final at Old Trafford.

Later Wenger called Jol a liar when Jol remarked that he didn’t saw the incident. Questions were raised whether Wenger should apologize for calling Jol a liar. But the proof is here (Thanks to arseblogger) . On this page the clip shows very clearly that Jol - who claimed to Wenger that he didnt saw the incident not only sees it but also asks his player Carrick to continue with the play while Eboue remained lying on the pitch injured. So there is the answer to that.

Arsenal 1 - 0 Villareal

2006-04-22T16:03:00.000+05:30

A win was certainly the minimum requirement in the match against Villareal to give Highbury a perfect European send-off. And the score was one that is very familiarly associated with us! Yes! With 1 nil to the Arsenal, Highbury finally bowed off from the European stage.

Also it was our first appearance in a Champions League Semi-final so it was nice to record a win rather a defeat or a draw. We defended well again as we have until now and it was crucial that we didn’t concede a goal. So another clean sheet followed with a strong performance from our defenders.

A disallowed Henry goal which by the look of it seemed to be an incorrect decision could have made the task much easier for us on our trip to Villareal next Tuesday. Two nil would have been a better score to take to our second leg but that was not the case to be.

But we have been playing extremely well in our European fixtures and in the second leg if we don’t get nervy and soak the early pressure by Villareal who shall be up for it in front of their own crowd then we are certainly capable of pulling out another nice performance that could land us well – in the Champions League Final. Lets hope so.

For the first time in this Champions league season we were favourites going into this game and we justified our position with a deserving victory achieved by a good team display and defence. The only negtaive that can be drawn is that we could have scored more. We are left only to rue our missed chances but it was not entirely due to us. We must say that Viilareal defended very strongly in the second half and their midfield indeed put up a fine display. Though it was apparent that they were relying upon their home fixture as the key but they were a good disciplined side who capabilities are well documented by the fact that have ousted Everton, Man Utd, Rangers and Inter en route to this semi final. Riquelme didn’t appeared as big a threat as he was made of to be but we also have to keep in mind that their obvious plan at Highbury was not to attack but to defend. They in a way quiet succeded in this task as a one goal lead is a slender lead to take to their ground but as I said before the vital thing was not to concede a goal and we did not.

The tie is by no means over as Villareal will be up for it in the return match and they shall be having the home advantage now. But we have nothing to fear. We have shown that we can defend at home as well away previously. It would be a tough game at their home but if we defend well as a team and be sharp and fast on our counter attack then we could definitely get an away goal as well. Its certain that now with our lead Villareal will be forced to attack and if we defend well and catch them on the counter-attack then we can nick another one there. Even one goal from us would make it a difficult task for Villareal.

So lets hope that we dont crack under pressure as one more sound performance shall land our club for the first time in the Finals of the Champiosn League.

Four minutes before half time Koulo Toure got the solitary but very vital goal for us after some neat passing between Henry & Hleb got Hleb to the byline from where he picked his man and passed the ball only to find Toure's leg which directed the ball into the net to send Highbury wild and crazy. WOW!! what a feeling!!

Ironically it was Toures first goal at Highbury but what a night to score it. We have to be very sharp in the next fixture in Spain and take our chances accurately. We can rue our missed chances at Higbury but wont be spared for that in Spain.

Also no injuries to any of the players in the game and this victory should be a massive boost for us to take on our rivals Spurs on Saturday. Just like a perfect European send-off for Highbury this victory should give us that confidence to finish off Spurs in fashion and style in what’s going to be the last ever North-London derby to be played at Highbury. Whooo!

Arsenal Vs Juventus - Quarter finals draw completed

2006-03-11T17:52:00.000+05:30

11 March, 2006

While we have been drawn against Juventus in the quarter-finals Wenger calls for a rousing reception from the fans to the return of Patrick Vieira. By saying “He has done so well for nine years for us, who has given us nine top, top years? A few players before, but of the foreign players I can only remember Patrick [and Bergkamp]. He has given nine years to the Club, that is why I want him to have a great reception. I am sure our fans are strong enough and big enough to do that.”

Out of a sudden PFA Chief Gordon Taylor & West Ham manager Alan Pardew have realised that there werent enough english players in Wengers squad that marched on to the quarters at the expense of eliminting Real Madrid on the way. And incredibly they are disappointed at that! Instead of applausing the effort put in by Arsenal to comprehensively beat Real both home and away and in the process remaining the only British side to bear the country's flag after big money Chelsea & reigning Liverpool crashed out; they have expressed diappointment at the lack of british players in the team that ousted Real. And though I had decided that I will certainly write an article to this effect time constraint has not permitted me to do so and hence I only leave you with what Wenger very aptly replied them with. Here is what Wenger has to say to both Gordon & Pardew and to all who think along the lines of these two.

After the celebrations for the quarters passage, all eyes are now upon our next fixture with Liverpool on Sunday. While Henry, Jens, Cesc and Freddie had all picked some kind of knocks at Highbury, all have recovered but a doubt remains about Freddie. As it has been the case for a while Sol, RVP and Cygan are our regular absentees though seem to be on their way back to full training by Sunday.

Liverpool couldn’t defend their European title losing out to Benfica and as such we can expect them to be down some what psychologically and that shoud be an advantage to us. Needless to say we should make good use of it as we just cannot afford to lose anymore. We have got to kill them, be it Liverpool or anybody else.

Wenger is currently not eyeing a backdoor entry to next years Champions League by winning it this year but instead is confident enough in the team to finish even above Liverpool who are currently third. When he says - "But at the start of the competition we didn't look at that. We just wanted to do as well as we could. We believe we will come back in the top four and I believe we can even catch Liverpool.” Way to go Arsenal!!

Wenger after Real win ! Jens wins award. Big Phil may too!

2006-03-11T04:44:00.000+05:30

10, March 2006.

There is so much to write to about in the wake of the demolition of Real Madrid and our qualification for the Quarter finals of the Champions League. Lets begin!

First of all the Manager. Wenger is proud of the team after this historic win "Of course I am very proud of my team, and very happy for the Club. But as well I thought it was a great football night because both teams try to play."

And has some special words for the youngsters in the team. He says "I believe that there is something happening in the team. They grow in confidence, they are showing . To go out there with such a young team and show that resilience, that determined attitude, is something fantastic. I think the young players have not only quality, but character, and they've shown it tonight."

When you talk about our team now then you cant fail to mention about our defence. So didn’t Wenger – Here he talks about the confidence that the young defence can derive from this successful defending of one nil goal lead - "We have still a lot to improve but for the confidence of a young defence it is very positive." He rightly boasts of our young defence - "It gives us great confidence because we are quite consistent, not many teams can say if we go to Real Madrid we don't concede and when we play at home we don't concede”,

While Jens has been churning out top-class performances week in week out for quiet some time now that have earned him the 'Arsenal – Player of the Month' award, he reveals that being on bench has actually helped him, while Big Phil has caught the eye of FIFA by his solid defensive display for club as well for his country Switzerland and has been highlighted as a potential candidate for the newly-created Gillette Best Young Player Award, to be presented during the World Cup finals in Germany this summer. Applause!!

Not Long Ago: A Fortress called Highbury and a Gunner called Lehmann

2006-03-10T01:27:00.000+05:30

Champions League Round 2 Leg 2
Arsenal Stadium, Highbury
Wednesday, March 08, 2006, 7.45pm

On the night when the Galacticos needed to shine the brightest The Gunners' it was who dazzled in the skies at Highbury.

A breathless encounter with the Galacticos of Madrid that eventually ended in a nil nil draw saw us go through to the quarter finals of the Champions League, eliminating Real out of the competition in the process. Hurrah!!

The hero of the game was by all means our German goalkeeper 'Jens Lehman. Though he was magnificent throughout but one of his saves was simply outstanding and one which denied Real their best chance to score against us. Had it not been for that save the complexion of the game could have been quiet different then it eventually ended with. But then as the saying, that, all is well that ends well!!

Until late yesterday Wenger was undecided upon the formation he was to deploy for this one but in the end opted the same formation and players that he did in Bernabeu. The result was the same too. Not literally though. That night we won courtesy a magnificent and stunning goal by lethal Henry while yesterday too we won; albeit by the virtue of our aggregate score. Isn’t that nice?

For a match that ended a nil nil draw it was truly an incredible one. Throughout the entire match numerous opportunities were created by both the sides but neither managed to score.

Lehmann was in the thick of happenings as early as the 2nd minute. Though it fell to Real but the first chance came within the 2nd minute. Ronaldo had the time and space to head the ball towards our goal but Lehman made a timely save. Immediately Roberto Carlos shot narrowly wide. An indication of how things would develop in this game.

But then immediately Reyes sent a shot wide. Soon in the 15th minute, Ronaldo found himself clear and was set to score only to be denied by a fantastic and timely challenge from Gilberto. Then a minute later Senderos squandered another chance when he failed to connect to a Henry free-kick. Then Hleb fired in the air, then before the half-hour Reyes shot at the goal was deflected by Salgado. Then came the most crucial chance of the first half. When Gilberto launched a high ball to the left of the area Henry was quicker to reach and control the ball before two defenders arrived. In the meantime Reyes was as free as a bee on the right. Henry passed the ball to him, Reyes was still clear but had to hurry his shot as two defenders were back tracking by now. With eight yards out he hit the ball, managed to beat Iker Casillas but his shot hit the crossbar. The agony of it!

Real replied soon and Zidane was able to find his way in Arsenal's box and was about to shoot when Kolo Toure produced an excellent challenge to clear the danger. In the second half too chances kept coming and being wasted. And then the best chance fell to Raul. Raul struck a shot that looked goal-bound but luckily for us hit the inside of Lehmann’s right post. The ball kindly rebounded back to him and then he again took a fierce shot which would have equalled the scores had not Lehman incredibly put his right arm to steer the shot away by his finger tips. A stunning save!! Especially considering that when Raul hit back, Lehman was on the floor trying to recover from the first shot but the keeper somehow managed to meet the ball with his right arm and avert the danger. A remarkable save.

We had our fair chances as well to kill the game off. Hleb saw a shot deflected wide. Same with Eboye. Then it was a sight to watch. Henry from 20 yards out danced with three Real players and then sent a fierce curler which was just tipped by Casillas. That was goal bound!!

Then Wenger bought Pires in for Reyes & later Bergkamp for Hleb. Real made changes too. The visitors kept firing passes and crosses and tried all their might at our defence but all in vain. Our last serious chance to score a goal came from a Real's corner. Casillas came up front to assist his team to take a corner. When the corner was taken, it fell to Pires who after running a few steps took a shot at the goal from his own half with Casillas and Roberto Carlos desperately running back with full might but the match ended goalless when Roberto Carlos stopped it just at the line.

The match ended goalless but Arsenal had emerged victorious. Real crashed out. The final whistle sent the Highbury crowd crazy. The players, the fans ecstatic!! And rightly so. It was a hard-earned passage. The players had put up an outstanding performance both in Real as well at Highbury to march to the quarters. As in Madrid, the players put up a determined effort and everybody put in their best. We came up with decent moves and could have scored at least 2 goals but that was not the case to be. Nevertheless, a truly deserving draw and a worthy qualification too.

Particularly appreciable was our defence. They were just not going to let anything thru. If our offensive strike at Real handed us a vital goal lead then our defence today actually saw us safe through the passage. In Zidane, Ronaldo, Raul and Beckham our defence was up against a fierce tide which they braved and kept at bay. Chances came and went but the defence held its own. Not only the defence but Ljungberg, Gilberto, Toure, Eboye and others they all put in tackles whenever needed. Henry again led by example by making two difficult tackles himself. As such to say it was heroic defending by the entire team. But the man who stood out in Real’s siege of Highbury was undoubtedly Jens. Even the captain and manager both attributed a large part of yesterdays clean sheet to Jens and couldn’t stop praising him. Marshalled by Jens our defence was solid and didn’t let Real to take a straw from us. That save of his from Raul’s rebounded shot was magnificent and momentous. If Real would have scored that goal, the match would have opened up again. Jens is certainly charged up and he has been putting similar performances now for us week in week out. Man! This guy certainly wants to be in Germany this year. Magnificent Jens!!

We have qualified for the quarters previously too but achieving it with a triumph over Real Madrid so sweet. With Chelsea knocked-out and eliminated out of the competition by Barca this qualification comes more sweeter.

It was an ordeal which we overcame with collective team work. We were skilful, determined, focussed and tactical. Another match where the team played with confidence and spirit. And that’s what exactly Wenger says here.

What a night for Highbury to witness. The Gunners of Arsenal have ousted the Galacticos of Madrid at THOF!! We had never played a competitive match before with Real at Highbury. So their coming was an event looked upon. When Henry led the Gunners out from the tunnel onto the pitch; one could sense the feeling that this was history in the making.

And led us he truly, to march on comprehensively, convincingly, defending, battling, defying into the next battlefield of this war of ours for the conquest of Europe.

Arsenal Vs Real Madrid - Preview

2006-03-08T23:27:00.001+05:30

A big match again for us tonight. Not wrong to say our biggest European match until now. Unlike the first leg the build up to this one has been evenly balanced. Last time around, just look, hear or read, it was just going to be another awful European night for us. But Wenger & his Gunners made the most of it and Wenger showed that when he is at his tactical best you can only be left amazed. Yes amazed they (the Real fans, the Club, the Galacticos) were at the way they were totally undone by the tactics deployed by Wenger and stunned at the goal Henry shone with.

But it’s still not over yet. We have still to be at our best to face this tide now at Highbury. The manager will again have to deliver his tactical incisiveness tonight so that 'The Gunners' can finish this two-legged demolition of Real Madrid in a remarkable manner.

The manager hasn’t yet made up his mind about the formation he is going to use, 4-4-2 of which he is an ardent disciple OR 4-5-1 which we all hate. Here he speaks about how the formation deployed has to have a balance of scoring as well as defending because the lead is not so big that we can keep defending for the entire 90 minutes and also the lead is such that Real would have to have a go at us. But before the match begins, surely Wenger; the tactical genius he is - would have had solved his dilemma.

Now, for the players. As in Madrid, in Reyes and Fabregas we have two Spaniards on show tonight. They have surely made an impression while in Madrid and now is the chance for them to make that impression permanent.

Pires and Almunia are back and you can get the complete squad here. Wenger's words suggest that maybe our wait to see Theo Walcott make his debut for Arsenal may end today. The important thing here is that he is not afraid of playing him. WOW!! Ljungberg as can be seen from the Fulham game is now contributing more and more to each game. As Wenger suggests he can get anytime into the second gear. Hope he gets into that gear tonight. The others in midfield; where I think the game today shall be won are Gilberto, Diaby and either Pires or Hleb whomever Wenger starts with.

Its pretty obvious that Real would be hunting for goals tonight and as such a lot is expected of our defence which would be pitted against a determined Real. In Ronaldo, Zidane, Raul, Baptista along with other Galacticos' there would be a force which shall try to squeeze out something of every seeming opportunity. As it is our lead is crisp and small but nevertheless important. So we can build our game around that lead. Flamini is again at left-back and will have to pullout a performance similar to the one in Madrid and Craven Cottage. He would have to be at his toes against a charged up Beckham. Senderos is again at the centre alongside Toure while Eboye shall start at the right-back.

Lastly Henry. The delightful goals he scored at the cottage and the way he gave Adebayor a goal on the plate only suggest that he is certainly on the prowl again now. He has started to make runs for every chance now and is leading the team from front. Absolutely essential for us to seriously have a go at any task. He could be only more lethal this way.

Wenger says “We are a little bit more under pressure to finish the job. But they are as well. That is why it is an interesting game.” Yes its an interesting game and its important for us; the fans, the Club the players to win this game as a lot still remains to be done in the Champions league and we can only set out for it if we win tonight.

A blazing victory at Fulham has just set the mood upon which we can look forward to this match. One can see that the spirit is back in the squad and we are now playing more as a team collectively match after match. And if the performance at Fulham is something to go by I think that we are back in the reckoning. We have defeated Real at Bernabeu. But certainly a demolition of the Galacticos at Highbury would be one of those peice of history that we Gooners had long awaited for our Club to create and a perfect triumph to bid farewell to Highbury.

Fulham Vs Arsenal

2006-03-06T21:29:00.000+05:30

Craven Cottage
Saturday, March 04, 2006, 3pm

At a time when we are currently fighting with almost 6 teams for a Champions league qualification our away day form and performance were just not supporting our cause. It was high time that Arsenal dumped its away day woes and seriously start taking points on the road.

And that we began with Fulham first, at Craven Cottage.

The Gunners thrashed Fulham 4-0 and grabbed the 3 vital points we have so rarely been able to gather on the road. Led by Henry, we put up an inspired effort against a Fulham side that had an impressive defensive record at home. A brace by Henry did the most for us while Adebayor scored his second goal for Arsenal and Fabregas too got on the score sheet after an impressive performance in his first Spain call up in a friendly against Ivory Coast.

We were without Pires while Cesc and Reyes started on the bench. Also Bergkamp and Ljungberg were back in the squad.

We managed to get hold on the game right from the start which was a positive sign. In the 13th minute Eboye sent a low cross for Henry who could have scored if he hadn’t applied a touch as heavy as he did. We were playing like the way we have rarely played away from home this season, making movements with which the Fulham defence could just not cope up with. But the crucial goal could only arrive in the 31st minute. Henry collected Diaby's pass on the left and went passed his marker and from a very acute angle sent a fierce shot into the top of the net. Another piece of individual brilliance from our captain. We had a one goal lead which we doubled just after 4 minutes. This time Ljungberg feeding Adebayor on the left. Freddie fed Adebayor with a clever pass on the left who sidefooted into the far corner. By now The Gunners had ragged through the Fulham defense. The situation became so worse that Zat Knight and Volz almost came to blows as they were leaving the pitch at half-time.

We were as sharp and likely to score anytime after the break as we were in the first-half. Henry after having had moved to the left sent a cross across the Fulham goal with none to send it into the net. Then we had four corners one after the other yielding nothing. Soon Adebayor missed a sitter. Henry fed him a pass and when he should have had hit it first time he dallied and shot wide only for an opportunity to go waste.Warner saved a shot from Hleb and then he made another fine save when Freddie's shot took a deflection from Adebayor. But it was not long that he was to be beaten again. Ljungberg fed Henry on the left who after racing through placed a shot at the left-hand post of Warner to score Arsenals third of the day. He was substituted by Reyes later but he had done his job for the day. Then with just 4 minutes remaining Flamini managed to get to the byline only to cut back to Fabregas who after having had come on for Hleb didn’t failed to manage to put the ball into the net for Arsenals fourth of the day and wrapped up Arsenals best away win of the season.

A very important victory for us from all aspects. Domestically, this win was much needed as we just can’t afford to lose anymore and would certainly come as a boost for the team as a whole. Also with the second-leg match with Real on Wednesday at the backdrop of our minds; this victory should allow us to face Real with renewed confidence at Highbury.

We could take a lot of positives from the game. We were sharp, offensive and ready to go front. The way we played seemed to suggest that at last we have rediscovered our long lost away form. But hopefully it should carry to all the games remaining in the season.

Next up Real at THOF!

Real Madrid Vs Arsenal

2006-03-01T05:01:00.000+05:30

Real Madrid Vs Arsenal
UEFA Champions League Knockout Stage 1st Leg
Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Kick-off: 7.45pm (UK time)

Real Madrid Vs Arsenal. How every Arsenal fan had relished this fixture ever since we were drawn against Real Madrid after we finished as leaders in the group stages? In fact we have been eyeing this fixture from quiet a couple of years now. Sooner or later it had to come. It had to come true in our last season at Highbury.

The respective records of both of us in Europe have been in sharp contrast. The Galacticos have such a proud history and impressive record in the Champions League that is second to none. They have been crowned champions of Europe so many times that can’t even remember. Least to say that they have even won it 5 times consecutively in a row. In fact they were crowned the European champions as recently as 2002. We on the other hand have never been able to find our way past the quarter-final stages in this tournament. Even the year when we were at our peak and played at our very best and won the league without losing a single match, the closest we came were to the quarter final stages.

The respective league records of both of us for the last 2 years have been in sharp contrast too, albeit this time, we having an upper hand. Real have been empty handed for quiet a few years now in the Spanish league. They have gone trophy less for years now in Spain. Barcelona has overhauled them as the leaders in La Liga. We on the other hand went unbeaten and were crowned the Champions of the English premier league in 2003-2004, finished second in the league and won the FA Cup last year. Have never finished outside the top two places under Wenger. Illustrious! Way back in 03-04, when we were playing flawless, charming, fluid and beautiful football match after match and eventually went unbeaten how we would have loved to have this fixture then at any point of time.

But.

Come February 2006 and we find that things have drastically changed for us. Plagued throughout the season with injuries one after the other to key players, a series of dismal performances on the road, an apparently non-committal Henry, under performing seniors, midfielders deputising as right-backs and left-backs, the problems! We were going thru a tough transition period. With the exception of a few matches, our performance in domestic competitions throughout this season - especially away - being so poor that we stood knocked out of the FA Cup, the Carling Cup and facing a fierce struggle to qualify for the final Champions League spot. Our domestic season had almost fallen apart with only a qualification for next years Champions League tournament remaining our only possible achievement. Can you imagine, we Gunners fighting in the English league for a fourth and final Champions League qualification spot? That too against the likes of Liverpool & Spurs. I can’t! U can’t too! I know, but that’s the truth. We were.

When the draw was made we were waiting for this game. Not only the Arsenal fans but many believed that it was a good tie for Arsenal as at that time we looked really capable and solid and they fragile and out of form. But since then our position in the league table like our form has only been plummeting and deteriorating. They on the other hand have gathered some good form and position in the Spanish league. When we were drawn against Real we were waiting for this game. Ah! And now! For many Arsenal fans this match couldn’t have been more ill-timed than now.

A lot of effort would have to go if we were to win this match. The manager knew that how this match was very important for the rest of the season. A win would do wonders but a defeat could have far more dire consequences than just being eliminated out of the competition. Much depended upon how Wenger was going to approach this game.

Considering the knock-out nature of this stage in the competition we had to have a cautious plan. If Real win at home even by one goal we would be left facing a mammoth task at Highbury. Firstly, We would have had to score at least twice to overcome the deficit and secondly defend very well so that Real can’t score a goal at Highbury. And for the second thing to not to happen our defenders will be left with a daunting task to finish because then Real will know that we would have to come out to score twice and that shall give them space and more chances which they usually don’t tend to waste. Also for each goal scored by Real at Highbury we would have to score two to neutralise the effect of away goals on the aggregate score if at all the aggregate score is equal. All in all any sort of win for Real at home would leave all of our players and the club in a position where we would have lot to lose if defeated and much to toil to win at home. Hence, a plan to try to somehow creep past this game undefeated and try our best to grind a win at Highbury didn’t actually sounded like a bad idea. And of course a win would do wonders for us.

Much depended upon Wenger's choice of the formation he was going to use in the game. 4-4-2 Or 4-5-1? In their midfield comprising of Gravesen, Baptista, Guti, Robinho & Beckham they had a lot of stability and energy. To counter theirs, we ought to have an aggressive midfield thru which they cant squeeze past. While we don’t like 4-5-1 but in deploying 4-4-2 with Pires, Fabregas, Gilberto & Ljungberg we were no doubt weak. Also, in that, we would be left to struggle a lot as compared to having five in midfield. Hence 5 in midfield though not the preferred option but a cautious alternative.

Against a background of this thread bare state of our squad, a disappointing domestic season and with players that have - barring a few exceptions - invariably turned up with inconsistent and under achieving performances, the game with the galacticos of Madrid loomed over the horizon.

We arrived in Madrid without several key players (Ashley Cole, Gael Clichy, Van Persie, Bergkamp, Kerrea Gilbert, Lauren, Cygan and Sol), all lost to injuries. Hardly any help for us. Luckily enough Toure and Eboye were back from their African Nations duties to help us reduce our defensive frailties. Eboye started at right-back, Senderos came in at the centre alongside Toure but still Flamini (a right-midfielder) was to play at left-back in the absence of Cole. Also, Reyes was able to recover from his injury just in time for this fixture. In him and Fabregas we had two Spaniards that were on show that night. While Adebayor was cup-tied, Abou Diaby was named in the squad. Even Theo Walcott was named in the squad. The other players were Lehmann, Gilberto, Hleb, Ljungberg and Henry. Those on the bench were Pires, Abou Diaby, Song, Manuel Almunia, Theo Walcott, Johan Djourou and Lupoli.

The pre-match hype didn’t help us at all.

A large part of the coverage was devoted to the Chelsea Vs Barca fixture which was scheduled one day after our match. But there was a lot of pre-match hype surrounding our match as well albeit all the hype was about how Real were going to defeat us and how we don’t stand a chance against them.

Long before the match kicked-off We had already been doomed as the underdogs. The odds were heavily against us. And we have no one to blame. Given our current state of affairs & form, no one will give us a chance away from home against even a half decent European side leave aside Real Madrid. And they of course, apart from playing at home, apart from their illustrious champions league triumphs and history had those two footballing genius - Zidane & Ronaldo, who only need that one moment of the entire game to turn the game upside down in their favour and to defeat any team in Europe - leave aside the strength in the array of other players at their disposal. And not to forget that no English team ever had defeated Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. Real’s Jonathan Woodgate saying "Real would destroy Arsenal". Hardly any help for us.

The odds were entirely against us. But fight we had to. And fight we would. And that’s what Wenger had in mind. Hence his input was important to the game. The players badly needed that extra boost of confidence. And Wenger was there to give it to them. Before match-day he again reiterated his belief in our players, in their ability and strength and insisted that he was sure that we can do well tonight. He asked the defenders & midfield to play together as a defensive unit. And most importantly when asked about Henry the manager said that he was sure that Henry would score tonight. That was so nice. Nice for the entire team. Henry doesn’t need that but at times it’s just important for the players to know the managers trust in them.

Also it was time for us fans to get behind our players and support them as always. And support we did. However bad their recent form may have been but they belong to our club. We love them and want them to perform at their best and achieve the best. Whatever maybe our past and whatever maybe their past, but ask any Arsenal fan and they will all agree that with no injuries to tend to, key players being fit and Arsenal continuing to play its so fluid and charming game we were certainly a match for any opponent on any given day.

So, finally the night arrived, the night for us Gunners with a huge task to attend to, a beast to tame, odds to defy and history to create and all this with little of form but lots of hope and conviction and a belief that Henry will deliver the goods for us tonight.

The matched kicked off and we had a chance as early as 80 seconds. A ball from Henry to Reyes on the left side saw Reyes take a weak left-footed shot which keeper Iker Casillas was able to put aside with his left hand. We could have had the lead. But the game moved on. 8 minutes gone and another chance arrived. This time Henry fed a pass in the box to Ljungberg who managed to beat Casillas but in the attempt pushed the ball wide. Before he could take another shoot Roberto Carlos came in with a tackle and the chance was gone. We could have been leading by 2 goals by now.

In the eighth minute Jonathan Woodgate had to come off due to injury. In the tenth minute another chance arrived. This time Reyes fed in a juicy cross from the left and Henry rose above his marker and when he should have scored he planted it wide of the box. Another golden opportunity wasted. By the way we had 3 of them by now but the score still nil all. We were playing with much needed confidence. We seem to had settled very quickly. The home side had hardly put an effort until now. At this time we were playing like as if we were the home team. We just needed to get into a lead to say for our efforts.

Then a chance came for the home team in the 26th minute. Beckham directed a header wide of the post when Zidane had crossed from the left. Another decent chance arrived. Ronaldo fed Beckham on the edge of the area but Lehmann rushed out to block Beckham’s shot just in time. The home side had warmed up by now. A long range shoot by Robinho was gathered by Lehmann and then he took care of a fierce 30-yard free-kick from Roberto Carlos. When two minutes as injury time were added to the play Ljungberg had a run only to be stopped by Casillas. Half-time. We certainly emerged as the more dominant team from the first half. Having had created three chances by now, We were just anxiously waiting for that moment to arrive.

Only a couple of minutes into the restart and the moment arrived. Nothing looked wrong when Fabregas passed the ball to Henry in the centre circle. But Henry had something else in mind. He started his run and immediately held off Ronaldo, went a little to his left and moved past Alvaro Mejia, then raced past Guti and into the area and muscled past one more defender in Sergio Ramos before taking an angled shot. Casillas stretched but the ball was past him and into the far corner of the net. Henry had delivered. Real 0 - 1 Arsenal. Yes we were 1-0 ahead in the 47th minute by way of a spectacular goal by Henry which left Real stunned and the 3500 travelling Arsenal fans ecstatic. Simply amazing! This was Henry's 34th goal in the Champions League and he celebrated it by running towards the Arsenal fans with his arms wide open. What a moment!

The game moved on with chances falling to both sides but neither being able to convert. Henry blazed a shot wide at the far and apart from Raul heading over the post the home side failed to seriously threaten us. They were just not sharp enough in the final third for what they are known to be. All this while our defenders had put on a determined effort and quiet successful at that.

In the 76th minute, Wenger bought Pires in for Hleb now and 4 minutes later Abou Diaby came in for Reyes. Soon Song came on to substitute for Fabregas. Diaby had a neat chance but was denied by Casillas. Pires had one of his effort saved late on when he managed to shoot an angled-shoot from the right into the hands of Casillas. A last real threat came from the home side when Beckham sent in a free kick from the right to be met by Raul who flicked his header towards the far post where there was none to send the ball into the net. That was the last real opportunity that the home side could come up with in the dying moments of the game and it was only a matter of time now when Arsenal would have created history.

The final score Real Madrid 0 - 1 Arsenal.

Arsenal had defeated the Galactico’s of Madrid with a resounding and historic victory.

It was a nice gesture afterwards when our captain Henry and the English captain embraced and exchanged jerseys with each other. The way they wished each other seem to suggest that they had lot of respect for each other.

Though it may have looked so but it wasn’t an easy victory at all. Our defenders defended well throughout and the midfield ran the show while our lone striker up front, Henry, strucked that crucial goal which has given us this lead to carry into the second leg at Highbury. Throughout the match we played collectively as a team and there was not one player who didn’t played exceptionally well. On the day when it mattered most our players rose to the occasion and simply out-performed Real and never allowed them to actually to get into the thick of the game. We certainly deserved every bit of this victory.

Our performance was brave, bold and simply amazing. In honesty it was a long time before we saw such a performance from our team but in the end we put up a determined effort and were duly rewarded. The only complaint if ever one can draw from this game is the lack of goals with which we could have actually won this game. Not less than 3 and that would certainly have left Real in tatters and an intimidating task to finish at Highbury. Now with only one away goal the job certainly remains unfinished for us.

What a match? What a victory? It was a historic victory for our club and a heroic effort from the Gunners. With this victory of ours we had pulled off a spectacular performance and an amazing display of team work. The odds were entirely against us and we were doomed to have another awful European night. But, Wenger & his Gunners had something else in mind. They allowed things to proceed as they proceeded and had firmly decided that they shall do the speaking on the pitch. And that they did! Also, for the record, Arsenal became the first English Club to defeat Real Madrid at the Bernabeu! WOW!! The joy! The delight!

The most important factor that helped us to win today was our player’s performances. Apart from that I think a couple of things went in our favour. As a large chunk of the hype was mounted towards the Barca and Chelsea match that was to be played a day after our match, much of the attention was diverted from us onto their match. Another factor that may have helped us was there wasn’t any previous match history between the two of us. We had never played a competitive match with Real until now. In the absence of such an history we were able to concentrate on our performance and result as there was nothing to demoralise or chose from the past. Instead of dwelling on the history we were able to concentrate on creating one.

There was one man who was extremely important to the build-up to this game and it could be no one else than our manager. In his pre-match talks Wenger appeared calm and confident. he talked about his views on defending this match, his belief and Henry.

As in any other fixture defence is always a key department to pay attention to. More so ever in this game because Real are one of the most offensive European side. Wenger too was aware of our defensive frailties and not one to ignore it. Hence, he suggested in pre-match talks that not only our defenders but the midfield along with the defence would have to play together as a 'defensive unit'. So the task of defending was not only left to the defenders. This strategy paid off and certainly helped a lot to keep Real at bay. He included Theo in the squad and was not afraid to play him if needed. He remarked that he didn’t included Theo to please him but to play him if needed. And very importantly he was convinced that Henry would score today.

Yes, Wenger was determined not to lose this match before kick-off. And I think personally, that he did a very wonderful job at that. Though we arrived at the Bernabeu at the back of a one nil defeat away to Liverpool and were heavy underdogs but Wenger very neatly managed to keep that pre-match hype and pessimism to get to our players. Instead, from the time he arrived in Madrid he successfully managed to generate a very optimist & positive feeling in the camp. Maybe the player’s weren’t fully confident to beat Real but they were not fearing them either. Which was very important. He instilled a positive belief in them. He really made the players believe that we could actually win the match.

And you know! That’s what we did!

And what else could be said about lethal Henry. Just like others he was outstanding and brilliant. He led the team from the front. His stunning goal gave us a resounding victory which would last long in our memories. Also his breath-taking goal at the Bernabeu should finally shut the mouths of all his critics, who even after his last seasons crisp goal against Bayern Munich at Highbury, had remain unconvinced that Henry doesn’t performs in crucial games. Do they need more to be convinced? No worries! Its just half-time and lethal Henry has a lot more arsenal than they think which he will unleash at Highbury.

Until then its one nil to the Arsenal!

2006-01-25T20:09:00.000+05:30

In the Name of Allah, The Most Beneficient and The Most Merciful.

La IlaHa Il-Lallah. Muhammadur RasuLullah.