Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur

Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur
Barclays Premiership
Sat, Dec 2, 2006, 12.45pm


Arsenal play local rivals Spurs in this Premiership football match at the brand new Emirates Stadium


Arsène Wenger is waiting on the fitness of Thierry Henry ahead of the North London derby on Saturday.

Th Arsenal captain has a problem with his sciatic nerve and tests will be conducted on Friday. Apart from that there were no new injuries in the defeat at Fulham on Wednesday.

“Thierry has to be assessed and we’ll make a decision on him tomorrow,” said Wenger in an exclusive interview with Arsenal TV Online on Thursday. “It is a problem with his sciatic nerve. Everybody else has come through the game well.”

The Frenchman rotated his squad for the fixture at Craven Cottage and pledged further changes for Tottenham's first visit to Emirates Stadium. He remain tight-lipped regarding the players who will go in and out but promised that the crucial Champions League game against Porto would have no influence.

“Not at all,” said Wenger. “The Tottenham game is the important game of the week now. It is in front of us. We must give everything to win this game then see what we do afterwards for the Porto match.”

( Edit Score )

Arsenal 3 Tottenham 0
Adebayor 20, Gilberto 42 (pen), 72 (pen)

[ Source : Arsenal.com ]

Arsenal face 'moment of truth', says Wenger

THE next 12 days could make or break Arsenal's season, manager Arsene Wenger said.

Arsenal, sixth in the table and 13 points behind leader Manchester United, plays London rival Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea in the Premier League as well travelling to Portugal to face Porto in the Champions League in that time.

"The period that comes up now for us is the moment of truth," Wenger said on Tuesday.

"We must not hide. There is a big obstacle in front of the players but I feel they are ready to jump it. If they are not, we have no chance to do it. They will try, I am confident."

Arsenal has played some entertaining football this season but inconsistency has left the Londoners well adrift of United and champion Chelsea, which is three points behind the leader.

Wenger also said he was disappointed that striker Thierry Henry had not picked up the European Footballer of the Year award.

Arsenal captain Henry finished third behind Real Madrid's Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro. Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon was second.

"It is a mistake," Wenger said. "It shows that the people who vote look only at the World Cup ... They make their decision on that."

Wenger also said he was disappointed that striker Thierry Henry had not picked up the European Footballer of the Year award.

Arsenal captain Henry finished third behind Real Madrid's Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro. Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon was second.

"It is a mistake," Wenger said. "It shows that the people who vote look only at the World Cup ... They make their decision on that."

[ Source : newsnow.co.uk ]

Trio return to the squad for trip to Craven Cottage

Fulham v Arsenal
Barclays Premiership
Wed, Nov 29, 2006, 7.45pm


Fulham play Arsenal in this Premiership football match at Craven Cottage.


Arsène Wenger will welcome back three first-team players for the trip to Fulham on Wednesday.

Thierry Henry (neck) and Tomas Rosicky (hamstring) have recovered from injury while Robin van Persie served his one-match suspension in the defeat at Bolton at the weekend.

“Henry is back in the squad,” said the manager in his pre-match press conference. “Van Persie and Rosicky are back as well. But Abou Diaby, Lauren and William Gallas are still injured.”

The French centre half is the closest to a return. He looks likely to miss the North London derby against Tottenham yet should be fit for the visit to Portugal next week.

“He’ll be short for Saturday but he will make Wednesday,” said Wenger. "He has a good chance to make the game at Porto.”

The manager also revealed that Julio Baptista would be rested for the game at Craven Cottage.

[Source from; arsenal.com]

Henry back to lift Arsenal after Bolton loss

Arsenal will be hoping the return of star striker Thierry Henry will inspire them to a much-needed victory in Wednesday's London derby against Fulham at Craven Cottage. The France frontman, who was beaten into third spot in the European Footballer of the Year Award announced Monday, is expected to take his place in the starting line-up after a neck injury forced him to miss the Gunners' 3-1 defeat away to Bolton on Saturday.

But Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger warned against becoming overly reliant on the 29-year-old captain as his north London side bid to stay in the title chase.

"Thierry Henry has played a lot of games up front on his own this year and that is a lot of work to get through," said Wenger.

"However, I always think you should not focus on just one footballer. We know that Thierry is an essential player for us, but on individual occasions we can win without him."

Wenger will have noted that Arsenal's best Premiership result of this year's campaign -- a 1-0 victory at leaders Manchester United in September -- came without their talisman and Wenger will also be looking to Robin van Persie to provide some attacking flair with the Netherlands international due to return from a one-match suspension for Wednesday's game.

Czech Republic midfielder Tomas Rosicky could feature after being sidelined with a hamstring problem but Arsenal will have to do without defender William Gallas, who is out with a thigh strain.

The Gunners' reverse at Bolton leaves them in sixth spot in the Premiership and trailing leaders Manchester United by a mammoth 13 points, after the Red Devils drew 1-1 on Sunday with visiting champions Chelsea.

Wenger will be looking for an upturn in his sides' away form at Fulham, with the Gunners having gleaned just one point from a possible nine in their last three league games away from home, and the size of the challenge is not lost on midfielder Gilberto.

"Now it is time for us to realise every match must be like a final if we are to win the title," said the Brazilian, who scored at the Reebok Stadium on Saturday.

"When you let the other team score first, then it is even more difficult especially when you have been playing well and they hit you on the break."

Arsenal do, however, have a game in hand on all their rivals and could go third if they win on Wednesay and other results go their way.

They will be hopeful of gaining maximum points as hosts Fulham go into the game on the back of Saturday's 1-0 home defeat to promoted Reading.

The Cottagers, now 12th in the table, have gained just one victory in their last six Premiership games and will be wary of being sucked into the relegation mire as they face four away fixtures out of six in December.

Manager Chris Coleman will also have to face going into Wednesday's game with an injury-depleted side.

"We are fully stretched now," Coleman said after the loss at Reading. "We lost Franck Queudrue today, and Michael Brown and Papa Bouba Diop are only 60-70 percent fit. We have got to do a bit of work in January (in the transfer market)."

However, victory over Arsenal could the west Londoners climb into 10th spot, and defender Zat Knight knows what a good week could do for the club.

"At the moment the Premiership's very tight," he told the club's official website.

"You can win one and be in the top ten, or you can lose one and be near the bottom. We know that we're not out of it and we've got a tough game on Wednesday against Arsenal followed by a tough game against Blackburn.

"If we can get at least four points from those games, we'll be delighted."


[ Source from : espnstar.com ]

Wenger hints at transition for first time

Bolton Wanderers 3 Arsenal 1

Transition has become a dirty word in football, particularly among the managers of the top clubs. Perhaps, above all, because it smacks of a defeatist attitude, an indirect way of saying to the fans: “We’re not going to win anything meaningful this year.”

For a long time, Sir Alex Ferguson had trouble admitting that Manchester United were in transition and only now, as his team appear to be emerging from a three-year hiatus, does he seem happy to embrace the word.

Whether Arsène Wenger accepts it or not, a period of transition is what Arsenal are going through. It has been happening for some time, it is just that an unexpected appearance in the Champions League final last season clouded the reality and gave the misleading impression that Arsenal were ahead of where they are.

Wenger was initially reluctant to entertain suggestions that a slow evolution is unfolding at the club, but reflecting on another chastening experience at the hands of Bolton Wanderers that left Arsenal’s title hopes in tatters, the manager seemed only to contradict himself and point, instead, to a work in progress.

“We made it hard for ourselves and it shows we are not mature enough to deal with it at the moment,” Wenger said. “The target is to get the best out of our potential and we just want to do that and see where we finish at the end of the season.”

Given that Arsenal are four points worse off than at this stage last season, when they clambered into fourth place at the expense of Tottenham Hotspur only on the final day, a repeat of that feat would probably constitute an achievement now that Wenger has given up hope of overhauling United and Chelsea in the Premiership.

“It is too many points to bridge,” the Frenchman said. “It is very pretentious to say we can be champions. We cannot claim to be title contenders when we have had lapses like we have had today.”

It was almost inevitable that Nicolas Anelka would end a 3½-month wait for his first Premiership goal for Bolton to put his former club to the sword, but the omens were never good for the visiting side, the average age of whose ten outfield players was less than 23.

Even with a full-strength team, Arsenal are beaten before they arrive at the Reebok Stadium these days, so without Thierry Henry and Robin van Persie, and no William Gallas or Lauren to call upon, their task was huge.

Credit must go to Bolton, nonetheless, who overcame the loss of both their full backs to first-half injuries to produce a performance that married silk and steel and one that belied Wenger’s belief that Sam Allardyce’s players are nothing but practitioners of rough-house tactics. For the record, Arsenal chalked up four bookings to Bolton’s three.

If Anelka’s first goal — a thunderbolt — was a contender for goal of the season, his second, a fine finish from an even better pass by Iván Campo, was that of a masterful poacher. “Nicolas was the difference,” Wenger said.

Arsenal hit the woodwork three times, but they were chasing the game from the moment Abdoulaye Faye headed Bolton in front in the ninth minute, and seldom looked like adding to Gilberto Silva’s goal. With Anelka firing, Kevin Nolan, the captain, believes that Bolton can stay third. Arsenal cannot hope for any better.

[ Source from : timesonline.co.uk ]

Bolton Wanderers v Arsenal Preview

Bolton Wanderers v Arsenal
Barclays Premiership
Sat, Nov 25, 2006, 5.15pm


Arsenal tries to put aside its recent misery at The Reebok Stadium on Saturday when it squares off against Bolton trying to keep sight of the Premiership frontrunners.



The Gunners have not won at Bolton since a 2-0 victory April 29, 2002, on goals by Freddie Ljungberg and Sylvain Wiltord en route to their last Premiership title. The last two matches have seen the Wanderers emerge with 1-0 victories on both occasions during the season as well as an FA Cup victory by the same margin.

Arsene Wenger's squad enters this match in fourth place with 22 points through 12 matches, but Arsenal is 12 points behind first-place Manchester United and nine in back of reigning two-time champion Chelsea, who are playing each other in a titanic clash at Old Trafford.

While the Gunners played Newcastle to a disappointing 1-1 draw at home last weekend, Wenger is hoping the momentum of Arsenal's 3-1 Champions League win Tuesday over Hamburg will provide some needed confidence.

"I feel we showed against Hamburg great character, great spirit.

"We want to fight for the Premiership championship,'' Wenger said. "We have dropped too many points against the so called smaller teams but the team is young and they have learned from those games.''

It is uncertain if Wenger will include teenager Theo Walcott in his first 11 after his brilliant performance as a reserve Tuesday. Walcott sent pinpoint crosses that set up goals by Emmanuel Eboue and Julio Baptista that propeled Arsenal to three points.

"Theo at the moment is in a kind of mental state where he knows he can affect the game when he comes on, and you know he has the physical ingredients when the game needs some pace,'' Wenger said.

Bolton manager Sam Allardyce is hoping his team can use the psychological advantage of its recent home mastery of the Gunners to its advantage and pass them in the standings. The Wanderers have scored just two goals in their last five matches and have slipped to sixth in the Premiership, one point behind Arsenal and Aston Villa.

Bolton has just one point from its last four domestic matches and is coming off a 1-0 defeat last Saturday at Everton. Despite strikers El-Hadji Diouf and Nicolas Anelka having quality scoring chances, the Wanderers were unable to find the back of the net.

Allardyce also quashed recent speculation that Anelka would sign with Lyon during the January transfer window after the French team's president publicly said he wanted to sign the mercurial French striker.

"If the comments made by the Lyon president are true, then he is out of order,'' Allardyce told the team's Web site. "We have had no dialogue with Lyon or any other club for that matter. Nicolas is a quality player and he is going nowhere.''

Wanderers will have the services of captain Kevin Nolan, who missed last week's match due to his fiancee giving birth to the couple's first child, Jasmine Elizabeth.

[Source from : sportsillustrated.cnn.com]

Fabregas: Walcott Has Messi Magic

Cesc Fabregas believes fellow teenager Theo Walcott is as good as Barcelona's young star Lionel Messi after watching his team-mate inspire Arsenal to move within touching distance of the Champions League knockout stages.

With Tuesday night's match against Hamburg at the Emirates Stadium locked at 1-1 and the Gunners in real danger of seeing their European dreams fade, the 17-year-old came off the bench to light up the clash.

Walcott’s electric pace and dynamism helped set up full-back Emmanuel Eboue to put Arsenal ahead before the teenager’s run and cross gifted on-loan Real Madrid midfielder Julio Baptista his first goal for the club two minutes from time.

Manager Arsene Wenger has promised the former Southampton trainee will be 'given more games now'.

He has more than proved himself after his selection for the ill-fated World Cup squad, when he did not play at all in Germany.

Spain international Fabregas, 19, has developed a close bond with Walcott off the pitch and is in no doubt as to just what an impact his friend can have.

“If I had to choose two players, it would be Theo and Lionel Messi. For me they are the two best players I have seen at 16 or 17,” said the midfielder.

“I was surprised how good Theo was because I had never heard of him as I do not follow the [Coca-Cola] Championship.

“But when he came to Arsenal, you could see he has the quality.”

Fabregas added: “Theo is showing everyone that he is a great player.

“I know from my own experience it takes time when you are young, and in England their own young players are under pressure - but he is able to handle it, like Wayne Rooney, and that is why he is so good.

“Sometimes the manager uses him sparingly so people do not have a go at him, and he will play for Arsenal many times I am sure.”

The Gunners’ victory moved them back to the top of Group G, ahead of Porto who beat CSKA Moscow and host Arsenal - who will be without the suspended Thierry Henry - on December 6.

A draw would be enough to see last season’s runners-up safely through to the knock-out stages - a position which should have already been secure after opening the European campaign with successive victories.

Fabregas, however, insisted: “We will go there and we try to win as usual - we are Arsenal and we have to always play to win the games.

“First of all, though, we have Bolton, Fulham and then Tottenham, all difficult games in the Premiership.”

The Gunners will be out to get their domestic campaign back on track at the Reebok Stadium, having again dropped two points at home against Newcastle United last weekend.

Given the difficulties faced by Wenger’s men on previous visits to the north west, there is likely to the no quarter given by the Trotters on Saturday.

Fabregas said: “In the last two seasons it is the type of game that I have suffered most in when I played in the Premiership.

“I hope this season I am a bit stronger.

“It is a really important game and because Manchester United play Chelsea, it is a good chance to catch up the top teams.”

Arsenal are currently in fourth place and trail the leaders by some 12 points, albeit with a match in hand.

On the clash at Old Trafford, Fabregas said: “Probably the best result would be a draw.

“You know you have to fight really hard and win a lot of games if you are going to catch them.”

[ Source : from news.bbc.co.uk ]

Wenger confident despite Henry blow

Arsene Wenger insists Arsenal can get the point they need to qualify for the Champions League knockout phase despite losing Thierry Henry for the crunch clash at Porto.

Gunners captain Henry will be suspended for his sides decisive Group G match on December 6 after being booking in the 3-1 win against Hamburg on Tuesday.

The France striker was yellow carded by Danish referee Claus Bo Larsen for barging into Hamburg's Joris Mathijsen following Robin van Persie's equaliser at the Emirates Stadium.

But Wenger is adamant Arsenal are strong enough to overcome the loss of their talismanic leader and get the draw they need to reach the last 16.

Arsenal are top of Group G with ten points from their five matches and lead second-placed Porto by virtue of their better head-to-head record against the Portuguese team.

Wenger, who claimed he would not go to Porto with the sole intention of playing for a draw, said: "It is a blow because we would like to go there with Thierry, but this team is strong enough to win without him.

"I haven't spoken to him yet so I don't know what happened. It would not be right to say he will be fined (by the club)."

He added: "Both teams will play the game to win but if it finishes in a draw no-one will be disappointed."

Although Henry's absence will be keenly felt in Portugal, Wenger could take comfort from the display of young substitute Theo Walcott, who could replace Henry against Porto.

England striker Walcott came on from the final 15 minutes as Arsenal huffed and puffed in their attempts to get a winner against a resilient Hamburg side.

The teenagers pace and trickery breathed new life into Arsenal and Emmanuel Eboue put Arsenal in front before Walcott set up Julio Baptistas late goal.

Wenger said: "At the moment Theo is in the kind of mental state where he knows he can affect a game.

"He has the right ingredients of pace and skill. I have involved him a lot and he has played a few games.

"I am watching him closely and he will soon get a start because we have so many games to play.

"Every time he plays he looks more mature. He is learning a lot from playing with a team that are always under pressure."

Arsenal can take great credit from the way they refused to throw in the towel on a night when it seemed they might slip towards the Champions League exit.

They were never at their best but managed to find a way to win after being frustrated so often at home this season.

Wenger added: "The important thing was we did not feel sorry for ourselves when we hit the bar and the post.

"We needed to be more direct and when we started to play like that I felt we would take over physically. This can help the players believe in themselves more now."

Hamburg were already eliminated before their trip to London but they took the lead in the third minute through Rafael van der Vaarts stunning goal.

Van Persie levelled soon after half time and Eboue and Baptista struck late on to send the Germans home empty-handed.

But Hamburg Thomas Doll believes his side can improve from their experience at the Emirates Stadium, even though they have now won just one of their last 22 matches.

Hamburg pushed Arsenal all the way despite having nothing to play for and Doll wants them to carry that into this weekends clash with Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.

"We are very disappointed because we played a good match tactically," he said.

"We are still fragile and there were some moments when we lost our organisation and composure.

"The players are disappointed but they can be satisfied that we put some pressure on them on them.

"Our first half performance can make us happy and it will help us get better."

[Source from; wldcup.com]

Champions League or busted?

Perhaps it shows how far Arsenal have moved under Arsene Wenger, that a few seasons ago to win at Highbury was something to crow about, lately opposing supporters have been cock-a-hoop at simply at getting a draw at the Emirates!

Two big questions seemed to have risen from Saturday’s game at the Emirates.

Firstly, did the outcome raise that question that no club fans like to be pressured to answer, namely, to satisfy their top money spending which are the most important, results or entertainment?

No-one would argue that a combination is by far the most desirable, but if only one can be more guaranteed which would it be? Which one does the club anticipate will constantly fill 60,000 seats? Massive possession, dozens of attempts but dodgy results seems to suggest the answer.

Secondly, did the starting line up provide evidence of Arsenal’s pre-occupation with winning the Champion’s League, ahead of domestic glory?

The boss made has made a fuss about the practicalities of fixture overload on players and has rightly criticized the fact that France played Thierry Henry for the full 90 minutes in a mid-season friendly. But if the club’s no.1 priority was the Premiership would he have rested TH from the starting line-up on Saturday?

The club seemingly has put their placed their silverware dreams in the CL but progress from the Group stages are still in doubt. Hamburg are third from bottom in their league and managed only a 0:0 at the weekend, normally Arsenal would fancy their chances, but as the German’s cannot even qualify for the UEFA Cup, pride is their only motivator and worryingly a draw would surely suffice that!

If that is the outcome bye bye Champions League and maybe the whole season could be busted even before the end of November!

[Source from; news.bbc.co.uk]

Trio fit to return but Gilberto unlikely to face Newcastle

Arsenal v Newcastle United
Barclays Premiership
Sat, Nov 18, 2006, 3pm


Arsenal play Newcastle United in this Premiership football match at the brand new Emirates Stadium.


Arsène Wenger will welcome back three players to his squad for the visit of Newcastle on Saturday - but Gilberto will be missing.

The Brazilian midfielder has returned to his country for “family reasons” and, according to his manager, has an 80 per cent chance of missing the match at Emirates Stadium.

On the upside, Julio Baptista is available after six weeks out with a hamstring injury and Jens Lehmann is back despite missing international duty on Wednesday with a throat infection. Freddie Ljungberg had recovered from his calf injury and was due to figure for Sweden in midweek before he went down with a late case of food poisoning. But the midfielder called on Thursday morning to reassure the manager he’ll be OK to play.

“It looks quite good,” Wenger told Arsenal TV Online on Thursday. “We have quite a good choice. Nobody has come back from the internationals with any trouble. We have Julio Baptista back in the squad and Freddie Ljungberg is available too. We have had him on the phone and he says he is perfectly alright. Jens Lehmann is available again.

“But I believe we have a family problem with Gilberto. He has had to go back to Brazil. We hope he will be back in time [for Saturday] but we are not completely sure. He had to pull out of the Brazil squad this week and I’d say there is an 80 per cent chance he’ll miss the Newcastle game.”

Arsenal TV Online subscribers can see the full video interview on Friday morning. In it, Wenger talks about: the strange goalkeeping problem ahead of the Liverpool game, scoring the crucial first goal on Sunday, the first truly massive game at Emirates, Newcastle’s struggling start and his memories of Obafemi Martins.

[Source from : news.bbc.co.uk]

Wenger - Contenders will emerge next month

The next few weeks will determine the frontrunners in this season’s title race according to Arsène Wenger.

Arsenal joined leaders Manchester United and second-place Chelsea at the top of the Premiership with a 3-0 victory over Liverpool on Sunday at Emirates Stadium.

The defeat leaves Rafa Benitez’s side well off the pace in ninth. Wenger does not discount them yet but he argues we should know more by the middle of December. By then Chelsea will have visited Old Trafford and entertained Arsenal.

“At the moment Manchester United have a particular advantage,” said Wenger, “but Chelsea have had some impressive scores recently. With the goal difference between the teams it is very tight and it is very, very early as well.

“In a few weeks we will know more. Chelsea play Manchester United and afterwards we play against Chelsea. There are Champions League games in between as well. Once that little marathon is over, the ones who survive this period will be No 1.”

[Source from : arsenal.com]

Arsenal Football Club 3-0 Liverpool Football Club

Arsenal club brushed aside Liverpool Club in clinical fashion to keep in touch with the Premiership pace-setters.

Mathieu Flamini put Arsenal ahead from close range five minutes before the end of an evenly contested first half.

But Arsenal team moved into top gear after the interval, Kolo Toure racing on to Robin van Persie's clever pass to slide home a cool finish after 56 minutes.

William Gallas was then left completely unmarked to head in Van Persie's corner to seal the win with 10 minutes left.