ONE NIL TO THE ARSENAL!!!

Arsenal push away scoring woes with another win

2009-03-29T20:58:00.003+04:00

Who said Arsenal cannot score?? They can, with style and when required !!!

That is exactly what happenend against Newcastle. The Arsenal side, rejuvinated by comebacks were given an early blow when they realised Walcott would be out for the month. So Wenger made some change and brought in Diaby.

Arshavin made a lot of difference in the first half, but Arsenal could not take their opportunities and missed really good chances. But relegation threatened Newcastle had a wonderful chance when Almunia pushed Martins in the box to gift them a penalty. But he held his nerve as Martins pushed the ball weakly to Almunia's left and the Spanish goalkeeper made an easy save. Other than that Newcastle were fairly quiet. But Nasri's unlucky misses and van Persie's dreadful finishes kept the score level at half time.

But the match sprung into life in the second half. Arshavin took a brilliant freekick and singled out Bendtner who took his chance to head it past Harper to give the Gunners the lead. But barely half a minute later, Newcastle attacked, and Martins took advantage of a Gallas error to frce the ball past a stunned Almunia.

But Arsenal werent done yet. Steven Taylor had been the mainstay of the Magpies defence and had denied the Gunners any goals. When he went off injured, Diaby took his chance by playing a one two with Persie by finding the space required and slotting the ball above Harper. Nasri made it 3-1 when his brilliant quick finish went beyond Harper.

All in All Arsenal played brilliant and we deserved our win!!!

Reds thump Red devils at Old Trafford

2009-03-15T12:22:00.001+04:00

Liverpool's title dream is still alive after they came from behind to thump Manchester United 4-1 at Old Trafford on Saturday lunchtime.
Fernando Torres cancelled out a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty before Steven Gerrard completed a remarkable turnaround with his own spot-kick just before the break. A sublime free-kick from Fabio Aurelio following the dismissal of Nemanja Vidic wrapped up the points before a late lob from Andrea Dossena put the gloss on a week that has had many Kopites pinching themselves. The result leaves Liverpool four points behind United, who have a game in hand, with nine fixtures remaining. It also ensures a first league double over our arch-rivals since 2001-02. Rafa Benitez will accept the title is still a tall order, but wherever the Premier League trophy ends up, this performance and scoreline will go down as one of the highlights of the Spaniard's reign. Benitez went searching for his 100th league win as Reds boss without the injured Xabi Alonso. If Javier Mascherano is Liverpool's engine in midfield, then Alonso is the oil that keeps everything flowing nicely. Still, his absence gave Lucas a chance to shine on the biggest stage, and the Brazilian will have won over some of his critics with a rudimentary but effective display. Another blow came during the warm up when right-back Alvaro Arbeloa injured his hamstring, forcing Sami Hyypia to tie his boots at the last minute. The sides set about a cagey start at a wind-swept Old Trafford. United were first to threaten when Ronaldo cut back to the oncoming Ji-Sung Park. The goal gaped and it took a well-judged deflection from Carragher to clear for a corner. Similar heroics were required from Vidic after Aurelio sent Gerrard bursting into the United box on 11 minutes. You could have prepared and swallowed a prawn sandwich in the time it took either side to enthuse their fans again when Torres turned Rio Ferdinand on a sixpence before Vidic saved his partner's blushes. The game of cat and mouse was finally broken on 23 minutes when Park sprinted into the box and navigated Pepe Reina, who caught a trailing leg and gave referee Alan Wiley no option but to award a spot-kick. Liverpool's Spanish goalkeeper went the right way but Ronaldo's penalty was too precise. The travelling Kop's deflation lasted just four minutes, however, thanks to a downfield pass from Martin Skrtel which left Torres with just Vidic and van der Saar to beat. United's Serbian defender lost his footing, leaving El Nino to slot coolly beyond the goalkeeper to claim his 11th goal of the season. Minutes later Torres nutmegged Vidic in the box as he searched for a second but it was cleared for a corner. The next goal would be crucial and both sides knew it. United came close through a Ronaldo dead ball which Reina spilled only to recover just before Park pounced. Next, Michael Carrick turned Lucas before firing a fierce effort narrowly over the crossbar. But it was Liverpool who eventually turned the game on its head when Gerrard burst past Patrice Evra to catch a Torres throughball. The full-back challenged clumsily, prompting Wiley to point to the spot for a second time. Gerrard once had a penalty saved by van der Saar when the Dutchman wore Fulham colours, but he made no mistake with this one before kissing the television cameras in celebration of his 18th goal of the campaign. United came out for the second period eager to respond, and almost had a huge slice of luck when a Ronaldo cross swerved onto Reina's post and back into play. Liverpool cleared but it was a warning. Park was impressing down the right as the hosts responded to chants of 'attack, attack, attack' from their fans, and the former PSV man would have been one-on-one with Reina on 53 minutes but for a smart interception from Aurelio. Reina had to be alert to palm over after Tevez squeezed a cross-cum-shot past Carragher. Liverpool's custodian fumbled the resulting corner but claimed well at the second attempt under pressure from Tevez. Wayne Rooney tried to twist and turn his way to an equaliser on 62 minutes only to have his shot deflected wide by Dirk Kuyt. The pressure continued. Next, Ronaldo, patrolled well all game by Aurelio, beat his man to find Rooney at the far post. The Scouser headed back across goal and it took some resilient defending from Skrtel to stop Tevez threatening. The Argentine should have levelled the game on 72 minutes after chesting down a lofted ball from Ferdinand. Liverpool's defence protested for offside but the flag stayed down. With just Reina to beat, Tevez scuffed his shot and the ball roll harmlessly wide. Alex Ferguson had seen enough. With 16 minutes remaining, he made a triple substitution, replacing Carrick, Anderson and Park with Paul Scholes, Dimitar Berbatov and Ryan Giggs. It was a bold move from the Scot but it soon backfired following the dismissal of Vidic. Wiley had no choice but to show the Serb red after a lovely touch from Kuyt sent Gerrard clean through. Last man Vidic interjected and United were down to 10 men with 14 minutes left on the clock and no opportunity to make a change. Any hopes of a comeback were then dashed completely when Aurelio curled the resulting free-kick beyond van der Saar at the Stretford End. Ronaldo would have been proud. Gerrard could have made it four with the kind of chance he normally buries but it mattered not. Substitute Andrea Dossena showed the skipper how it was done on 90 minutes, lobbing van der Saar after a Reina punt. "We want five," sang the cluster of Liverpool fans at the opposite end of the ground. They know the title is still a long shot, but this result keeps United looking over their shoulder. Whatever happens come May, they'll never forget today.

Arshavin works his magic as the Gunners thrash dirty Blackburn

2009-03-15T12:20:00.002+04:00

Andrey Arshavin opened his Arsenal account in a wonderful fashion as Arsenal beat Blackburn 4-0 and moved into fourth place in the Premier League.The little Russian was credited with the opening goal after just 80 seconds. But replays proved that Theo Walcott’s low cross went in off Andre Ooijer’s back.Arsenal dominated after that. However they were in danger of fluffing their lines once more. They created a host chances and missed them all, with Nicklas Bendtner particularly profligate.But Arshavin dribbled past Danny Simpson to steer home a super solo goal in the 65th minute. The 25-year-old then set up Emmanuel Eboue for a tap-in two minutes from time.The Ivorian only spent seven minutes on the pitch and would have an incident-packed cameo. In injury time, Carlos Vela was felled in the area and Eboue tucked away an excellent penalty.Arsenal’s elevation into the top four may last less than 24 hours. But it places a little extra pressure on Aston Villa, who entertain Tottenham on Sunday.But whatever the result, the Midlanders will be well aware that Wenger’s side are starting to get back to their regal best.And Arshavin is undoubtedly the jewel in the crown.This was the second of the three games in three different competitions over the course of six days. Therefore changes were expected in the Arsenal side. In all there were four. William Gallas, Abou Diaby, Robin van Persie and Eboue dropped out. Johan Djourou, Alex Song, Arshavin and, making his first start in four months, Walcott came in. While Arsenal had been winning at Roma on Wednesday, Blackburn had gone a long way to securing their Premier League survival with a 2-1 comeback victory at Fulham. Despite that, their team selection suggested they would be delighted with a point at Emirates this afternoon. Jason Roberts was employed as sole striker ahead of a five-man midfield. Arsenal would need to use craft AND graft today.There was a good feeling swilling around Emirates Stadium before kick-off. It was not just the success in Italy in the week it was Liverpool’s crushing win at Manchester United an hour or so before kick-off. Not that the result had a major effect on Arsenal, whose sole Premier League aim was a top four spot. With that in mind, victory was essential today. Previous home draws had not been punished because Aston Villa were wobbling themselves. But, with games running out, Arsenal had to stake their claim.The time was now and, for once, they would get a little help.Having gone goalless in the last three Premier League games at Emirates Stadium, you sort of suspected an early goal might come this afternoon. It took just 80 seconds.Bendtner showed excellent feet in midfield to send Walcott haring down the right-hand channel. The England winger cut the ball back into a ruck of players at the near post. Arshavin was prominent and was credited with the goal initially. However he ran off wagging his finger in denial, replays proved the final touch had come off the sliding Ooijer.It was the just the boost Arsenal required. As at the Stadio Olimpico, fortunate things were coming on the back of hard work and quality. They looked to profit immediately.Bendtner shot straight at Paul Robinson and then Arsenal had a shout for a penalty when Stephen Warnock barged over Walcott as he went through. It was all Arsenal with Bendtner the lynch-pin. But after El-Hadji Diouf was booked for a nasty looking challenge on Almunia, the visitors started to develop their game. And, in the 25th minute, Morten Gamst Pedersen climbed above Sagna to meet Djourou’s attempted clearance. His header forced Almunia into a desperate, backtracking tip over the bar.However Blackburn’s rally would be brief. Sagna’s swirling, curling cross was nodded across goal by Bendtner. Then, nine minutes before the break, Nasri planted a 25-yard free-kick against the bar. The ball was hacked clear by the Blackburn defence and Bendtner’s touch allowed Nasri to fire goalward from 12 yards. Robinson’s block was enough to turn the ball behind but it was hardly convincing.It was hard to think this Arsenal side had been scoreless at both ends for so long. While Wenger’s side were impish and inventive going forward they were hardly watertight in defence. Five minutes from half time an unmarked Aaron Mokoena swept the ball just over the bar from Pedersen’s corner.Blackburn pushed forward in the dying seconds but their attack this afternoon was more cudgel than rapier. The nearest they came to breaching the Arsenal defence came in injury time when Almunia had to rush out and deny Pedersen.The home side could have banished any such nervousness in the opening minutes of the second half if they had converted a couple of straightforward chances.First Bendtner fed Walcott but the midfielder, 20 on Monday, dragged his effort wide. He returned the favour for an even simpler chance seconds later but the Dane sidefooted wide.Before five minutes were up Robinson had saved well from Walcott and Denilson had seen a ferocious drive blocked by Ooijer.Arsenal were stoking up the heat on Blackburn with all the chances seemingly falling to Bendtner. He nodded over just before the hour, fired wide just after and then, most profligate of all, dallied when sent clear by Walcott allowing Robinson to save.Frustration was starting to simmer but Arshavin’s smashing strike relieved all the pressure. When he received the ball on the left in the 65th minute there was little on but he skipped past Danny Simpson on the byline and then, from the tightest of angles, lifted the ball over Robinson and into the far corner. This one was definitely his.Djourou nodded over from Nasri’s right-wing free-kick as Arsenal looked for a killer third. At the other end, Almunia clutched a low free-kick from Pedersen. The Spaniard’s handling has been immaculate since the turn of the year.Bendtner’s work was nearly done but, just before he was substituted in the 80th minute, the Dane ended a trademark Arsenal break by thumping a shot high over the bar.It had been a tough afternoon for the 21-year-old. He worked wonderfully hard for the cause but had missed a host of chances. Emirates was rightly generous in its support as he went off.With seven minutes left Wenger brought on Eboue for Nasri. It would turn out to be an influential move. The Ivorian touched home in the 88th minute after Arshavin’ shot was parried by Robinson. Then, in injury time, Vela was clipped by Martin Olsson and Eboue scored confidently from the spot.It was perhaps apt that Arsenal should end this game by converting a penalty. Reaching the last eight in Europe is season's one ambition achieved. If they can stay in the top four, that will be another. Arsenal’s season is ending on a high.

Arsenal edge past Roma to become the 4th English team in the last eight

2009-03-15T12:18:00.000+04:00

Arsenal are into the Champions League Quarter-Finals after an incredible night of drama at the Stadio Olimipcio.
Juan’s early goal cancelled out the advantage Arsène Wenger’s side had gained in the first leg. The rest of normal time and extra time remained goalless so this nervous but entertaining tie went to penalties.
Eduardo missed the first of the shoot-out but later on Manuel Almunia saved from Mario Vucinic to level up the scores. The crucial miss at 7-6 in sudden death came when Max Tonetto blazed high over the bar.
Arsenal march on. And hopefully their smattering of good fortune tonight will help them return to Rome for the Champions League Final in May.
At his press conference on Tuesday morning, Wenger said he had a decision to make over a couple of positions. In the end, he stuck with side that had won 1-0 in the first leg at fortnight ago. It was 4-2-3-1, now the standard in Europe it seems, with Van Persie supported by a triumvirate of Samir Nasri, Emmanuel Eboue and Nicklas Bendtner. Behind them, Abou Diaby and Denilson protected a back four that was reinforced by the return of Kolo Toure after a calf injury.
There had been rumours abound over Roma’s absences. Cicinho (knee), Daniele de Rossi (suspension) and Marco Cassetti were certainly out. There were suggestions that Francesco Totti, David Pizarro, Doni, Philippe Mexes and Alberto Aquilani and Mirko Vucinic were all struggling.
In the end only Mexes missed the game.
The Stadio Olimpico was everything you would expect at kick-off. Loud, colourful, intimidating. Arsenal had history on this ground – a superb 3-1 win against Roma in 2002 and a highly-creditable 1-1 draw with Lazio in 2000. But that would be worth nothing this evening.
It was as if the home fans were trying to prove definitively that the concept of the ‘12th man’ is true. The pre-mach perception was that the injury-hit home side would need the help. However it did not turn out that way.
Roma were the better side in the first 20 minutes. They were crisp and persistent in their tackling. They closed down the Arsenal defenders and forced them into nervous mistakes.
John-Arne Riise’s blocked shot was Roma’s first sight of goal. In the ninth minute they would score and it was a horrible goal for Arsenal to concede.
Francesco Totti’s low cross in from the right bobbled between Toure and Gallas, through the legs of Rodrigo Taddei to Juan at the far post. If the Brazilian was surprised to get the ball it did not show. He kept his cool as the Arsenal defence scrambled back and slammed home from close range.
It was the lead on the night and leveller in the tie. Roma players and fans celebrated accordingly.
At the same time, the goal was a pin in the bubble of self-belief Arsenal had built up in their 17-game unbeaten run. Now they had to guard against deflation.
Gallas did loop a header into Doni’s hands but the home side now saw their chance.
In the 22nd minute Motta drove forward in the right-hand channel and forced a strong-handed block by Almunia at the near post. The Italian raced to the byline and scooped the ball back into the centre of the goal just before it crossed the line. It came out to Taddei, whose low cross-shot was tipped around the far post by Almunia. The keeper had recovered his ground with alacrity.
Around the half-hour, Arsenal did start to find their feet. And they came closest to scoring when Gael Clichy swirling left-wing cross found Diaby’s head. The Frenchman’s effort had power but was directed straight at Doni, who gathered with relative ease.
Van Persie nodded over and Eboue hacked horribly wide. Neither chance was ever going in but it was testament to the fact that Arsenal were on the offensive.
However, a minute before the break, came a crucial moment. Gallas lost the ball venturing too far forward and Totti’s chip sent Motta sprinting clear on the right with Clichy in pursuit. The two defenders ended up a heap in the area and Roma seemed convinced it was a penalty. Referee Manuel Gonzalez waved play on.
The Spanish official was given the benefit of the home fans’ opinion as he walked off Arsenal needed half-time. They had been second-best and wise words for Wenger were required.
Although Roma started the second period quickly with substitute Julio Baptista nodding wide and Riise firing in a free-kick, the visitors were making matters more even.
Toure’s drive was deflected wide and, from the corner, Bacary Sagna powered a header straight at Doni.
Diaby and Eboue were inches away from providing defence-splitting passes to Van Persie and Bendtner respectively.
But, at the other end, Totti was starting to do what Totti does. He found intelligent space just outside the area and went close with a couple of drives from distance – one flew wide of Almunia’s post, the other into his chest.
The game was a real cup-tie now. There was little containment in midfield as both sides went for the crucial next goal.
In the 64th minute, Nasri’s corner was punched clear to Diaby who weaved himself some space on the edge of the area and poked an effort just wide.
However Arsenal could not maintain their momentum and, as a result, Wenger withdrew Eboue for Walcott 10 minutes later. It added pace and urgency to Arsenal but it was Roma who would forge the real tie-killing chance before the end.
In the 79th minute, Taddei stormed down the right and Totti touched his low cross to the unmarked Baptista 10 yards out. All the sliding Brazilian had to do was guide the ball home but it hit the outside of his foot and flew wide.
A massive let-off for Arsenal.
Extra-time was now looming and so Wenger made another change – Eduardo for Bendtner. The Croatian was quickly involved and helped the visitors create a couple of decent chances just before the end of normal time.
First Van Persie bobbled a deflected shot just wide from the edge of the box. The corner found Walcott on the left, his deep cross was nodded back into the six-yard box by Van Persie and Toure heaved a header over the bar from a few feet out.
The Ivorian lay disappointed on the grass for a few seconds then sprang up, dusted himself down and raced back to his position.
He had 30 more minutes of work to do.
Extra-time is often a disappointment these days. By this point, both sides are all too aware of what they have to lose.
That seemed the mentality this evening. Roma had pressure in the first period of extra-time but the best chance came in the 100th minute when Denilson bustled through on the right of the area and Van Persie hoiked the Brazilian’s cross over the bar.
Walcott tested Doni early in the second period but, in the 114th minute, it took a superbly timed challenge from Toure to dispossess Baptista as he bore down on goal.
However the side could not be divided in three and an half hours of football. So the tie would be decided from 12 yards.
Eduardo took the first for Arsenal and Doni saved low to his right. Pizarro then scored to give Roma the advantage. Van Persie’s coolly converted then Almunia saved easily from Mario Vucinic’s cheeky effort to level matters at 2-2. Walcott just managed to squirm his shot through Doni’s fingers and Baptista blasted a thunderbolt into the top of the net.
Nasri’s effort was placed to the keeper’s left and Vincenzo Montella almost skipped his effort in to the corner for 3-3.
It was now effectively sudden death. Denilson rattled his penalty straight down the middle and it was left to Totti to complete the first five apiece. He did so with aplomb.
Toure took a long run up and then sidefooted home Aquilani response was impish and accurate – 5-5.
Sagna opted for a short run and stroked the ball in the corner. Riise just squeezed his left-foot drive past Almunia’s outstretched left-hand - 6-6.
Diaby scored with nonchalance and it was Tonetto who fired over the bar.
Wenger’s men had kept their nerve with an excellent set of penalties. It had been two well-matched sides in an incredibly tense tie but Arsenal were through.

Arsenal advance in the FA Cup

2009-03-15T12:13:00.002+04:00

Arsenal had to play Burnley in the 5th round of the Fa cup, the team that had beaten them hollow in the Carling cup, so for the Gunners it was a revenge mission.
Eduardo returned to the squad, and Walcott was on the bench.
Arsenal started a massive week with a near-perfect victory against Burnley on Sunday.Arsène Wenger’s side cruised into the FA Cup Quarter-Finals with exquisite goals from Carlos Vela and Eduardo plus a confidence-boosting strike from Emmanuel Eboue six minutes from full time.

Arsenal have now gone 17 games without defeat and it showed quite clearly this afternoon. Burnley are one of the best sides in the Championship but they were utterly outclassed in this entertaining tie.A goal of genius by Eduardo suggested that the Croatian has lost nothing of his poaching precision. Wenger was also boosted by the return of Theo Walcott after four months out with a shoulder injury.It was wonderful preparation for the crucial Champions League tie at Roma on Wednesday. Arsenal now face Hull in the last eight of the FA Cup on March 17/18. Wenger retained only five players from the midweek win at West Brom – Bacary Sagna, Alex Song, Johan Djourou, Andrey Arshavin and Emmanuel Eboue.Eduardo returned as captain for only his second game in over a year. He had hurt his hamstring making that remarkable goal-scoring comeback in the last round against Cardiff on February 16. Vela was brought in to partner the 25-year-old this afternoon with Arshavin stationed wide on the left. The other four recruits into the side were a mixture of experience and the youth Wenger has consistently fielded in the FA Cup this year – Lukas Fabianski, Kieran Gibbs, Abou Diaby and William Gallas. The last of those was returning after an ankle injury.However Walcott was forced to wait a little longer for his comeback after a shoulder problem. The England midfielder was on the bench. The 19-year-old’s last appearance for Arsenal had been the 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa on November 15. That had been a low point of the season.

But you felt that the return of Eduardo and Walcott, plus the impending comebacks of Cesc Fabregas, Emmanuel Adebayor and Tomas Rosicky, would make Arsenal a stronger proposition as the end of the season approached.Not that Wenger could look that far ahead this afternoon. Roared on by 5,000 ebullient fans, Burnley were always going to be a difficult proposition at the start of this game.They had form on Arsenal of course. Owen Coyle’s doughty side had seen off Wenger’s youngsters in the Carling Cup Quarter-Finals.But, in the end, it was the home side who would make the most of the opening 15 minutes.

Eboue had a glimpse of an opening on the left of the area before being dispossessed by a thunderous challenge from Steven Caldwell. Then a cross-cum-shot by Sagna had Jensen scrambling back only to see the ball drift over the bar. And finally Gibbs hammered a low shot just wide.However Burnley were far from overawed and, in Chris Eagles, they had a tricky dribbler capable of causing problems down either flank.But you sensed Arsenal were biding their time and waiting for opportunity to knock.They got the call in the 25th minute. Arshavin won the ball on the left and tapped an angled pass to Vela just inside the Burnley half. The Mexican allowed the ball to run across his body, nutmegged Clarke Carlisle and, despite Joey Gudjonsson tugging at his shirt, managed to sprint clear before clipping the ball over Jensen.It was a class finish – a mixture of vision, tenacity, speed and skill. It was also his fifth goal of the season – already a decent return for a rookie striker who has been in and out of the side.The goal – and a deluge of rain – dampened Burnley’s spirits.

Arsenal were now in their pomp, playing with the self-assurance of a side who seemed to be putting some of their troubles behind them.They peppered the Burnley area with demanding crosses as half time approached. However it was the visitors who nearly profited from a ball into the box when Diaby diverted Robbie Blake’s corner away from the leaping Fabianski.Seconds later, Eduardo’s backheel put Eboue clear but the Ivorian’s low shot was turned aside by Jensen. If Arsenal had been cruising before half time their second goal in the 51st minute merely plumped their cushion of confidence.

And, while Vela’s goal had been excellent, the effort summoned up by Eduardo managed to eclipse it. Gibbs fed Song on the left and he floated a cross towards the Croatian at the far post. The 25-year-old ghosted away from his marker effectively but the ball was slightly behind him. However, with brilliant improvisation, he flicked the ball into the top corner with the outside of his foot.It was the work of a master craftsman.Wenger clearly thought the goal had beaten Burnley. Immediately, Vela made way for Robin van Persie. Soon afterwards, Aaron Ramsey and Walcott come on for Diaby and Eduardo. In between those substitutions, Blake nearly put in substitute Wade Elliot. It was Burnley’s last throw of the dice.Walcott almost squeezed a shot past Jensen with 13 minutes left as the home started to profit on the break. The 19-year-old then crossed high for Van Persie but the Dutchman miscued his volley. The pair did combine to put the ball in the net with eight minutes left but were pulled back for offside. Wrongly replays suggested.

The respite was brief.In the 84th minute, Song’s backheel sent Eboue through in the right-hand channel and he smashed home a low shot into the far corner. The pair celebrated with an impromptu dance next to the nearest corner flag.Yes, Caldwell hit the bar at the death and Burnley had claims for a penalty.But, after performance like this, most of the Arsenal fans will have left Emirates this afternoon with a similar spring in their step.

Arsenal beat WBA to get back to winning ways

2009-03-15T12:11:00.001+04:00

Arsenal went into this game with a 4 match 0-0 streak, with their next year’s Champions League place at stake. Aston Villa were slipping away, though the young team had lost their sheen. Wba, on the other hand, had a 2 match winning streak that had seen them fight back from the bottom of the table.
Wenger started with highly criticized Bendtner, and Arshavin as secondary striker. They started brightly, passing and popping the ball around, and were rewarded right away as a poor Nasri freekick was badly cleared and Denilson teed Bendnter up on the right. A beautiful low shot from Bendtner on the right slid under Scott Carson and curled wonderfully into the net in only the 4th minute.
But they gave away a freekick and Chris Brunt smashed the ball through the defensive wall well past Almunia, who conceded his first goal in 8 games.
Arsenal had finally thrown off the shackles but, within two minutes, they were pegged back. Brunt lined up a free-kick from 22 yards and his low effort flew through the defensive wall past Manuel Almunia. The Spaniard was furious and rightly so – Arsenal had just undone their good work.Buoyed by their unexpected equaliser, Albion pressed for a second and Luke Moore almost obliged. The striker had his back to goal and Djourou in close attention when he received the ball 20 yards out but Moore span and fired towards Almunia’s near post. The keeper scrambled to his left to keep Arsenal level.Moore headed another chance over the crossbar after Brunt’s corner had caused consternation in the visitors’ box, but by and large Arsenal were in control. Bendtner fluffed a great chance after Eboue’s mis-kick fell invitingly for him and Arshavin sliced a shot wide from the edge of the box. The Russian would soon make amends.Eight minutes before the break, Clichy was shoved off the ball on the left flank. Arshavin drifted a delightful free-kick into the box and Toure guided a downward header past Carson. This time, Arsenal did not waste their advantage. Indeed, six minutes later, they effectively put the result beyond doubt.This time Toure turned provider, lofting a pass into the right channel for the unmarked Bendtner. The Dane was given far too much space by the Albion defence but his first touch was exquisite and his finish was clinical.It was suggested before the game that, if Wenger were to hand-pick an opponent in light of Arsenal’s recent travails, he would have chosen Albion. The Baggies were certainly living up to their billing. They lack the bite of the other promoted sides and, although they try to play football; Arsenal play it better.The visitors confirmed their superiority after the break, creating chance after chance.Bendtner was at the hub of most of Arsenal’s finest moves. The Dane set up Arshavin inside the box after 52 minutes but Carson tipped the Russian’s effort past the post. Seconds later Arshavin showed quick feet to get another shot away just eight yards out but, once again, he was denied by a minor deflection.You could smell a goal and Abou Diaby, on as a half-time substitute, almost obliged. Turning Ryan Donk one way and then the other, the Frenchman sent a vicious shot towards goal but another deflection rescued Albion.Bendtner, chasing a hat-trick, so nearly completed his first Arsenal treble after a slaloming run into the box ended with a low shot against the left-hand post. Four minutes later the Dane picked out Eboue but the Ivorian shot straight at Carson.Arsenal were almost caught out on the break with 17 minutes left. Marc-Antoine Fortune broke clear on the right but Almunia tipped his angled drive round the post. It was a brief respite for Albion. Bacary Sagna fired over the bar and Bendtner followed suit as time ticked down. Then Arshavin forced another save from Carson right at the end when it seemed a first Arsenal goal would be his.Arshavin will have to wait a little longer. For now, it’s good to see any Arsenal player finding the net.

THe Gunners scrape past Roma in 1st leg

2009-02-25T20:18:00.002+04:00

After 3 months we return to Champions league football!!! Arsenal were facing off against Roma at the Emirates. Both teams were not in the best of form in their respective leagues, but had much better form in Europe. Arsenal were missing Adebayor and Eduardo thru injury. But Roma striker Totti was back in business for the roman club.

The match started brightly, with both teams passing the ball around. After 10 min though Arsenal turned dominant and started hogging possession. They turned the ball around, and pssed like crazy, popping the ball from side to side, but Roma kept on clearing the ball. It was just another day for Arsenal, the same old story, all chances but no conversion into goals. But Persie avoided that by being brought down in the penalty box. A nasri pass to the Dutch centre forward made the Roma defence nervous, and French centre back Mexes brought him down. Persie converted the spot kick with a right corner finish to give the Gunners the much needed boost.

After the interval, Roma replied strongly with a few outspoken runs, but soon withered away, as Arsenal's rock solid defence and super goalkeeper rendered them useless. Arsenal had a glorious chance when a Nasri pass found an unmarked Bendtner in the box, but the Danish striker blazed his shot above the goal. Eboue too had his opportunity with a defensive error, but the Ivorian, who has scored only once in 5 yrs at arsenal, found the wrong side of the net. But Riise brought the romans back to life when he found the post, but Arsenal held on to win at last 1-0.

Meanwhile, champs ManUtd failed to take any advantage at the San Siro, as Ronaldo squandered 5 freekicks in front of goal. But Mourinho;s side too missed several opportunities as that match ended in a 0-0 draw.

Barca came back from behind to score a crucial away goal, after recovering from a Juninho free kick, as Henry equalised at the end of the mathc. Lyon and Barca settled for a 1-1 draw.

Porto scored 2 away goals as Athletico Madrid was helpless, but rallied to hold on 2-2.

With Arsenal only winning their match, it will be interesting tp see the second leg on march 10!!!

Disappointment for Arsenal

2009-02-25T20:09:00.003+04:00

After a sensational win against Cardiff, Arsenal suffered a setback with a draw against Sunderland. Arshavin was given his debut that day.

No 23 Arshavin started the match , testing the Sunderland keeper early with a volley from 40 yards, but the shot went wide. He then started a flurry of passes to keep the game alive. He went close to scoring but Palop stopped his kick.

Soon Arsenal missed many chances, and the half time the score 0-0. Arshavin was soon removed and Vela was brought in. Bendtner and Vela soon squandered chances like crazy, thus Sunderland walked away with a point.

Arsenal crush Cardiff

2009-02-25T19:53:00.003+04:00

Arsenal bounced back from a draw in the FA Cup to thrash Cardiff City 4-0 to proceed to the next round where they face Burnley. Arsenal received a boost in the form of Eduardo, who representd the club after a year of inactivity. He led the strike along with error prone Bendtner. The Danish striker has never done well in front of goal and has squandered many chances that have cost arsenal dear.

The game started in Arsenal's favor, with the london club coming close to scorin atleast 3 times. Just when it was getting frustrating, Eduardo headed a Nasri cross home to give Arsenal the lead. Eduardo continued to trouble the defence, showing what Arsneal had missed in the past year. Bendnter too got his goal after doing an Adebayor style header off a corner as Arsenal led 2-0 at the interval.

After half time, Bendtner missed a sitter, but Eduardo made up for it by falling down in the penalty box and converting the spot kick into another goal. He then missed his hattrick before being substituted by Persie. Arsenal continued to squander chances courtesy bendtner, but Van Persie gave the finishing touch with a clinical finish past the goal keeper Thomas Heaton, who did well for Cardiff.

Cardiff did not have a proper shot on goal, and this shows EDUARDO POWER!!! But he soon was reduced to the bench as he strained his hamstring after the match.

Hiddink Speaks!!!

2009-02-11T19:12:00.002+04:00

In the light of the present firing of high profile coach Luis Felipe Scholari, Roman Abrahamovich has turned to Russian coach Guus Hiddink to lead troubled Chelsea in addition to his Russian national team. Abrahamovich, who elected Hiddink as the Russian coach implored him to take over at Stamford Bridge. Other contenders for the job are former Barca coach Frank Rijkaard, and former Chelsea coach Avram Grant.

Guus Hddink did admit that Chelsea had approached him for the job, but remained mum whether he would actually accept. But the Russian Football Federation spokesperson said that Hiddink, who led PSV for a few seasons, then led Australia and South Korea to the World Cup, and led Russia into the EURO 08 semsi, would be able to coach Chelsea for the EPL and then manage Russia as well.

Meanwhile Hiddink said that Arshavin made the right choice by going to Arsenal. He felt that the deal was good for Zenit( as they made a lot of money), and for Arsenal and Arshavin. He felt that Arsenal's quick passing football would lift his game, and lead Arsenal and Russia to heights. " I can see Arsenal holding a cup already", he said.

Hope he is true!!!

Andrei Arshavin [First Arsenal Interview]

2009-02-10T21:00:00.001+04:00

2009-02-10T16:59:00.002+04:00

Chelsea's manager Luis Phillipe Scolari and Portsmouth manager Tony Adams have been shown the door by their respective clubs after unconvincing displays by Chelsea and Portsmouth this season.

Chelsea's weaknesses have been exposed by many teams this season, and they have won only 7 points this season from a possible 15. Assistant Manager Ray Wilkins will be temporarily taking over the managerial tasks as Chelsea search for a new manager. According to rumours, Guus Hiddink, Frank Riijkard and ex-Chelsea Manager Avram Grant are in the frame.

Portsmouth have had problems ever since Harry Redknapp left for Tottenham, and even though Portsmouth played well for major chunks of Saturday's game against Liverpool, it wasn't enough for him to keep his job as Portsmouth continue to struggle to chalk up wins.

In other news, Cesc Fabregas is making a speedy recovery and might even feature in the Champions League Match against Roma!

Premier League Roundup: Feb 7th and 8th 2009

2009-02-10T16:15:00.003+04:00

Arsenal struggled to find the net for their second straight match and Emmanuel Eboue got red-carded as they drew 0-0 with relegation-threatened Tottenham at White Hart Lane. The referee played spoilsport in the clash once again, as he denied Eboue a goal which was absolutely legit. Arsenal are now 6 points behind 4th placed Chelsea, who also failed to score in their 0-0 draw with Hull. Arsenal have scored only once in their last 360 minutes.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa geared themselves up to cement a top four finish, by easing past uneasy Blackburn 2-0. Aston Villa, who are in third place, are in very good form and are probably looking towards toppling Liverpool for second place, or maybe even started thinking about a first place finish! Liverpool had a hard game as they went down once, before drawing level only to go down once more. But they levelled again and scored a winner via Torres to take the match 3-2 and keep themselves in the title race.

Manchester City's new buys worked effectively as Given produced some fine saves and Bellamy scored a goal to give the Man Blues a 1-0 victory over Boro and get them out of their slump. Manchester United needed a Ryan Giggs goal in the second half to inspire them to a 1-0 victory over Zola's weakened West Ham. Other results include:

Everton 3-0 Bolton, Sunderland 2-0 Stoke, West Brom 2-3 Newcastle, Wigan 0-0 Fulham.

Transfer Table: January 2009

2009-02-04T10:59:00.002+04:00

Here are the top transfers of the January Transfer Window:

Andrei Arshavin, from Zenit to Arsenal

Quaresma, from Inter to Chelsea (loan)

Jo, from Manchester City to Everton (loan)

Tal Ben Haim, from Manchester City to Sunderland

Cudicini, from Chelsea to Tottenham

Shay Given, from Newcastle to Manchester City

De Jong, from Hamburg to Manchester City

Mido, from Middlesbrough to Wigan

Robbie Keane, from Liverpool to Tottenham

Jermain Defoe, from Portsmouth to Tottenham

Emile Heskey, from Wigan to Aston Villa

Huntelaar, from Ajax to Real Madrid

L. Diarra, from Portsmouth to Real Madrid

Zoran Tosic and Adem Ljajic, from Partizan to Man Utd.

Sorry if I have missed out on any transfers!

Arshavin joins Arsenal on a 3 1/2 year deal

2009-02-03T12:12:00.002+04:00

LONDON (AFP) – Russia international midfielder Andrei Arshavin ofZenit St Petersburg has joined Arsenal till June 2012 for 12 million pounds (13.3 million euros), sources at the Premiership club said on Monday.
The Gunners are now merely waiting on the Premier League to sign all the necessary paperwork for the deal to be made official.
The fee was far from the initial asking price the reigning UEFA Cup winners wanted of 20 million pounds, but included a substantial performance-linked bonus.
Conflicting signals had been emerging from Arsenal's Emirates stadium and Russia throughout the day as the 1700GMT deadline came and went and a Zenit club spokesman had even said the deal had fallen through.
The deal apparently hit a last minute snag when Zenit demanded a portion of Arshavin's signing on fee.
But other Russia news agencies were reporting that a deal had been struck on a three-and-a half year contract.
Gazeta.ru site announced that Arshavin, one of the stars at Euro 2008, had passed his medical and was now an Arsenal player, inheriting the Gunners' number 13 shirt.
He will probably not make his debut for the Gunners for a few weeks because he will have to work on physical conditioning to adapt to the rigours of the English game.
The 27-year-old was a major revelation at the Euro 2008 tournament when Russia reached the semi-finals, losing to eventual champions Spain.
Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger has on many occasions spoken of his admiration for the player.

Source: Yahoo News

Manchester United return to the top of the Table as Liverpool stumble

2009-01-24T12:37:00.002+04:00

Manchester United won a last gasp thriller against Bolton to reach the top of the table for the first time this season. Man U were held by a determined Bolton, who a week before had resisted the Arsenal seige until the 87' minute.

A wrong foot pass by Giggs to a determined Tevez, who broke free and crossed to a free Berbatov. The Bulgarian headed niftily towards the goalkeeper, but the Gk stumbled and Berbatov found his mark.

Meanwhile in the Merseyside Derby, a 72' strike by Gerrard was not enough to give Liverpool the win needed to touch the top of the table. A last minute header from Everton star Cahill off an Arteta freekcick helped the Merseyside team extend their unbeaten streak.

No Kaka for now....

2009-01-21T11:11:00.004+04:00

After a whirlwind negotiation, it seems that Kaka won't be coming to Man City, even after the club offered 110 million euros for him. The rossineri were reluctant to sell him, the club prez Berlusconi hailed the former world player of the year, for choosing quality over money. When AC Milan played against Fiorentina, fans protested the leaving of the midfielder. But now they can celebrate as Kaka isnt leaving.

But City have purchased distraught West Ham striker Craig Bellamy instead. The former Liverpool striker fell out with manager Zola, and he was sold for about 14 million euros.

Defoe returned to White Hart Lane and also helped them come from behind to draw the match against his former club Portsmouth.

It seems that by next week Zenit midfield Arshavin might be wearing red, as the deal between Arsenal And Zenit might be finalised this week. Zenit were demanding atleast 18 million pounds for the Russian, in reply to the Gunner's initial 10 million bid, but may agree for a 14 million pound bid.

This is the new for now!!!

The Gunners chalk up back to back wins

2009-01-21T10:49:00.003+04:00

Arsenal were back on track in pursuit of atleast a 4th spot finish when they won twice within the week convincingly versus Bolton and Hull City.

Arsenal dominated against Bolton for long periods but were unable to pierce through their defence and needed a classy Bendtner touch to win them the match 1-0.

But their day against Hull was far more stylish. The gunners travelled to the Kingston stadium, hoping to revive their title race and outrun Martin O' Neill's men for the fourth spot. They also had a score to settle with Phil Browns Tigers as they were beaten by the same men at THE EMIRATES.

Hull started dominantly, picking up a free kick and two corners within the first two minutes. But Arsenal started settling and thus started the passing game. Pass, pass, and pass, and the Hull fans were frustrated as Wenger's men laid seige to the well defended Hull goal. Van Persie hit the cross bar with a freekcik, and it seemed just like the Bolton game, when in the 32' minute, Adebayor rose well above the defence to head home a Persie corner, and Arsenal took the lead.

With Nasri playing brilliantly, Arsenal had an opportunity to double the lead, but when the all reached right flank Eboue, the unlucky gunner smashed the ball beyond the bar.

What Phil Brown said during the break, noone knows but that rejuvinated the Tigers. They started attacking the defence again, and again, and were rewarded in the 59', when a right flank cross, deflected off Diaby was headed past Almunia by Cousin, and Hull leveled.

With a game on their hands, both teams started their best plays, with Arsenal hogging possesion. In desperation, Wenger brought on hero Bendnter onto the right. But it seemed that Hull would run away with a draw.

But Arsenal's lucky time worked again, as in the last ten minutes they took the game away. Persie lauched Nasri within the box and the French midfield briallintly buried the ball beyond the goalie into the right net. Bendtner put Arenal even further with a one two with Persie, and the Danish striker too smahsed the ball past the goalie to give Arsenal a 3-1 win.

Arsenal win at last

2008-12-28T20:57:00.004+04:00

Two days after the shock draw with Aston Villa, Arsenal bounced back at home to win after three consecutive draws.

Wenger, who had accused Villa officials of match fixing after the half time at Aston, employed Adebayor and Bendtner, with the rest of the team unchanged other than Toure, for Clichy.

Pompey, too was in a critical situation, with manager Tony Adams, who was a former Arsenal captain, at a job loss. Portsmouth had won only 2 of their last 11 games, and were on a 3 game losing streak.

With a spot in the UEFA Champions League at stake, and a possible relegation spot, both teams went forward for a win.

Arsenal mainly dominated the first half, hogging the possession and making a lot of chances. But they showed their lack in finishing every time. Pompey got only one good chance, with a Crouch header hitting the woodwork. But Arsenal got the best chance of the game, after a through ball from Eboue defeated the defence, and Adebayor dodged past James, only for Distin to foul him and Campbell to clear.

Distin made the Arsenal strike force miserable, single handedly clearing the ball and defending the goal, even after various Pompey errors. Adebayor missed another golden chance after James spilled a ball, and Adebayor had a chance on open goal, only for him to hit wide.

Frustrated, Wenger bought in Ramsey and Vela to make a impact. Pompey suffered two blows after selling Diarra to Real Madrid, with Bouba Diop injured. Finally Arsenal scored 9 minutes from time, when Denilson sent the ball to the middle with a freekick, and Gallas headed home to give Arsenal the lead. Arsenal held on to win the match.

Meanwhile Liverpool thrashed Newcastle 5-1 after a string of referee errors allowed the Merseyside team to remain first in the new year. Chelsea too came from behind, courtesy Lampard to draw with Fulham 2-2.

BOL GUNNERS!!!!

Arsenal's poor form continues

2008-12-28T20:05:00.003+04:00

Arsenal failed to capitalise on a beautiful undeserved two goal lead by drawing with fourth placed rivals Aston Villa. Villa Played relentlessly to salvage a point against their rivals.

Aston Villa, led by Martin O neill, have shown a new English face in the EPL. They have played brillliantly, taking all opportunities, and are now placed comfortably at fourth place.

Villa started the game dominantly, playing Arsenal after 41 days only, and took early chances, but it seemed that luck wasnt on their side, as Agbonlahor, Sidwell and Barry all hit the post before Arsenal took advantage of a flukey chance as Denilson dragged the ball away from Knight and edged the ball past Friedel.

Sagna played brilliantly, edging the ball away from goal with a bicycle kick after Agbonlahor headed the ball past Almunia. He assisted Persie well, though Persie missed a chance into open goal by hitting the bar.

Arsenal scored again after a brilliant run by Diaby. The 6 foot 3 in midfield then shot past Friedel as Arsenal led 2-0. But alas, it was not to be. A 64th minute defensive error saw a worried Gallas foul Agbonlahor In the box. Barry took the penalty , and scored immedialtely, sending Almunia the wrong way.

Then Villa put pressure at the right places and Knight finally leveled after a clean left footed shot into the goal. Villa drew 2-2 with Arsenal.

POOR GUNNERS!!!

Rooney Fires Manchester United to become World Champions

2008-12-23T18:55:00.004+04:00

Wayne Rooney came to the rescue as Manchester United beat South American champions Liga de Quito 1-0 Sunday to win the Club World Cup and lift one of the few trophies to have eluded them.

The England striker pounced in the 73rd minute after being set up by Cristiano Ronaldo, with United rallying to victory after Nemanja Vidic was needlessly sent off for a deliberate elbow early in the second half.

His goal gave them an unprecedented treble this year, with the English and European champions now able to call themselves world champions, helping silence those who have criticised the long trip here.

Sir Alex Ferguson's men also became the first British team to win the tournament, putting them alongside Italy's AC Milan and Brazil's Internacional and Sao Paulo.

"I'm very happy because we won this with 10 men," said Rooney. "To be crowned the best in the world is a great achievement. We are all very proud because we've worked hard.

"To score the winning goal in a match like this is a great feeling for me personally."

Conscious that he needs fresh legs for Stoke City on Friday, Ferguson made a number of changes to the side that beat Gamba Osaka on Thursday, with Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Nani relegated to the bench.

On a windy night, Ronaldo was clearly a marked man and was heavily tackled twice in the opening minutes as the Ecuadorians made their intentions clear.

It was Liga who created the first chance, almost taking the lead on four minutes when Jairo Campos beat the offside trap from a freekick but fluffed his shot.

United though soon found their feet and Rooney chested down a through ball from Vidic just inside the box on 10 minutes and unleashed a fierce shot that goalkeeper Jose Cevallos did well to punch away.

He tested Cevallos again minutes later when he sent another powerful drive towards goal which the keeper deflected for a corner.

Guess their ego will be huge, huh???

The Diabolical UEFA draw

2008-12-23T18:44:00.004+04:00

The Champions league is the only way the greatest European teams face each other, and this time it has proven too much!!!

Manchester United Vs Inter Milan
Chelsea Vs Juventus
Arsenal Vs AS Roma
Liverpool Vs Real Madrid
Barcelona Vs Lyon
Villarreal Vs Panathinaikos
bayern Munich Vs Sporting Lisbon
Atlético Madrid v FC Porto

Poor teams!!!

Yet another lousy match result

2008-12-23T16:26:00.004+04:00

A ten-man Arsenal held Liverpool to a 1-1 draw in an intensely fought and highly controversial match at the Emirates Stadium. Liverpool, in their silver and red outfit, weren't too pleasing to look at.

Liverpool took charge of the game right from the start, trying to create chances and taking advantage of some serious loopholes in Arsenal's defence. But the Gunners slowly found their momentum, and it wasn't too long before Van Persie scored an absolute beauty in the 24th minute. Nasri, just outside the half-way line, swooped the ball over all the way to Van Persie, who chested the ball and thrashed it past Reina.

But the lead only stayed on for another 18 minutes, as Robbie Keane cancelled out Arsenal's first half goal with an equally beautiful goal. In similar fashion, the ball was blasted from the half-way line, and was pounced on by Keane, who smashed it coolly past Almunia into the top left corner. Fabregas suffered a ligament tear just before the second half, and it has been confirmed that he will be out for 3 months. Adebayor was sent off after two red cards, the second one for probably one of the softest tackles I have ever seen. Adebayor hardly even pushed Arbeloa! Even with an advantage, Liverpool could not score that solitary goal needed for three points, as a great display by ten-man Arsenal saw them even attack Liverpool at times!! But they just didn't have the enthusiasm and spirit provided by Fabregas and Adebayor to get that one goal.
Arsenal are still 8 points behind Liverpool, who maintain their slender 1 point lead after Chelsea's draw against Everton.

Highlights!!

Arsenal vs Liverpool Full Match Highlights 21/12/08
by juzhighlight

Arsenal edge Chelsea 2-1 in yet another brilliant football match

2008-12-02T12:44:00.004+04:00

Arsenal were bruised. Badly bruised. From the loss to Aston Villa, right after they beat Man Utd ,and then after that losing to Man City, by a very bad margin:3-0. Having lost 5 times already this season, they needed something phenomenal to beat the Blues. They had them: Fabregas and Van Persie.

The game started at a crazy tempo, with Arsenal struggling to gain possession in the first 15 minutes. Arsenal's defenders did well to deal with the onslaught, and it was new-captain Fabregas who forced Cech into a save just after 10 minutes. Cech blocked it and almost gave away the ball to Gallas, of all people, who couldn't capitalize and fell agonizingly short of the ball. A good move by the Blues saw Michael Ballack pass the ball to Bosingwa on the right, whose cross met Frank Lampard's head, only for it to be comfortably dealt by Almunia. The home side finally took the lead in the 30th minute, when a poor throw by Almunia gave Chelsea the possession, and Bosingwa's wicked cross was met by Johann Djourou, the Arsenal defender, who diverted the ball right past Almunia, who had done nothing wrong. There was nothing much after this, and the first half ended with Chelsea on the front, with a goal to their name(well Djourou's name actually:P).

The second half started exactly how the first half did, with Lampard almost doubling the lead and Anelka and Kalou making some crazy combinations. In the 59th minute,Adebayor headed the ball to Nasri, who poked it to Denilson. Denilson then slipped the ball to an offside Van Persie, who blasted the ball past Cech to give Arsenal a handy equaliser.
It couldn't get any worse for Chelsea. Just 2 minutes later, a Fabregas freekick was headed by Adebayor to Van Persie, who slotted the ball low in to the net to give Arsenal the lead for the first time. The match stayed on like this, with the Arsenal defence keeping their cool to steer them to a much needed win at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea have had a very weird season, losing 12 points at home and absolutely nothing away. Compared to the Avram and Mourinho era, this was vague news. Fabregas inspired his team to a second straight win, continuing his unbeaten start as Captain of the Gunners. Wenger said yesterday, that Arsenal are a team of guns, which don't really know when to fire. Why do you need guns when you got Van Persie?:D

Crybaby Scolari cries foul

2008-12-02T11:47:00.003+04:00

After Arsenal came back from a goal down to defeat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, Scolari found a reason to cry out- an offside equaliser by Persie which lost them the game.

After Djourou scored an own goal, Van Persie received a pass from an offside position and turned around to beat Cech to equalise.

This then resulted in a complete turnaround and Persie scored again to allow Arsenal to beat their London rivals 2-1.

But Scolari wants the referees to apologise to him after a referee error allowed Arsenal to win. He wants the FA to look into the matter and apologise to him and Chelsea. After winning only 2 of their last 7 matches, he is under fire, and has found a scapegoat- the referee.

But Luis, have you done your homework? Last season at Stamford, after Sagna had put Arsenal in front, Drogba scored twice to win the match for Chelsea. But both his goals were offside. That time Wenger did not cry like a baby. So Felipe Scolari, please make plans for your next match instead of crying about the past!!!!

Utd edge City out in Manchester Derby

2008-12-02T11:28:00.004+04:00

Manchester United held their nerve for 25 minutes with 10 men to win vs rivals City after an entire season.

United started dominating from the start and kept possession throughout the first half, creating chances but not finishing them.

Fletcher missed a beauty when he slipped a Park pass to him and Hart scooped up the ball. When it seemed that united will not get a goal, a scuffle within the box saw Carrick snatch the ball from the defenders and attempt a shot from the left, but Hart stopped the kick, only for him to spill it to Rooney who popped it past him that very instant.

The lead settled, United started to pass, but City kept showing signs of coming back. An Ireland header seemed to be going in but it shaved the right post. Robinho could not handle his compatriot Rafael Da Silva, as seen in the pic.

With 30 min left, Ronaldo went in for a silly tackle to Wright Phillips, to get booked a yellow. 8 minutes later, he deliberately handled the ball from a corner to get a second yellow and was sent off.

But City could not capitalise and in a last ditch effort in the dying minutes, bought Hart all the way from their goal to the opposite side for a corner. City nearly scored, but the ball was cleared off the line, only for a city defender to lose it to a United player. Hart was in the Manchester half, and the goal was unguarded. Hart immediately sprinting towards his unprotected goal with a defender. Rooney shot the ball from halfway to a seemingly open goal as Hart was at a race with the ball above him. He managed to tip the ball away before it could enter the goal.

United did win but not convincingly. Ferguson will be worried to the core that his team has not capture their last season's form. Good luck Fergie!!!

In other matches, a sudden Pienaar strike was enough to topple Tottenham as Moyes' side got full points without main striker Yakubu. Bolton embarassed Sunderland after Cisse put the hosts forward early. But two strikes in a few minutes put Bolton forward. Elmander then finished the game with a brace as Roy Keane's side had to put up with yet another bad defender day as they lost 1-4.

Portsmouth nearly lost a good lead after a 2-0 lead when Crouch and Defoe put Pompey forward. But Cruz and another midfielder equalised before a substitute saved Portsmouth the blushes. Liverpool too lost the chance to go on top by three points after Arsenal defeated Chelsea 2-1 ( read in other article). Liverpool were held to a 0-0 draw with West Ham, and they are just a point above Chelsea.

Wengerless

2008-11-23T03:15:00.000+04:00

If Arsene Wenger has any modicum of honour left in him, he should just simply throw in the towel as he obviously is bereft of any idea to arrest the further slide of his side into oblivion and save the teeming fans of the club weekly emotional and psychological torture. All these have happened as a result of this man's arrogance and know it all attitude. By the time he is through with the club, I hope they would find a buyer for it. The big question is how would someone destroy what he laboured to build as if there is a reward awaiting him for doing that? In my opinion, the man is suffering from 'grandiose delusion' and 'megalomania' which give him the erroneous impression of been bigger than he actually is. Gallas is not the problem, the problem is Wenger and the earlier he is given the boot the better for the club.

CAPTAINSHIP!

2008-11-22T13:25:00.000+04:00

To everyone who think Fabregas is too young to be the captain, note this: Tony Adams was selected to be Arsenal's captain at the age of 21, and remained for 14 years. Arguably the best captain Arsenal has ever had. What's wrong being too young? You want some experience? He has made over 140 appearance for Arsenal. You want some leader's quality? I believe Fabregas is exceptionally great to hold the team together. Furthermore, if Fabregas were to be granted the armband, maybe he would perform much better under the circumstances. Giving him the armband is also the best way to hold him at Arsenal for much longer. If you notice, Wenger gave the captaincy to Henry to make him stay longer. Also for Gallas' case, Wenger gave him the armband even though Gallas previously has been critical to Wenger about his policy,'cause he needed to stick with Gallas as Arsenal lack depth in defenders. I say... FABREGAS FOR THE CAPTAIN

Arsenal Suffer huge shock

2008-11-22T08:55:00.003+04:00

This week has been one of huge disappointments. First the same team that won versus MAnUtd lost to a determined Villa. And now this.

Arsenal captain William Gallas launched a scathing attack on his team mates in mid week, saying that the players lacked maturity, experience, and even related a few dressing room events to emphasise his point. He said that during matches they were trailing, his players would squabble like cats during half time. They would act like kids, proportionating the blame on each other rather than take the blame as a team.

This attack shocked the footballing world, and even those at Arsenal. Wenger too was shocked and could not reply. The players too were dumbfounded and they could not say anything in their defence.

Today, of all days, the board decided to react by announcing that Gallas had broken the code of conduct and sacked him as the captain. Now he no longer may have a position in the team. Arsene Wenger may be too counting his days to a sacking as Arsenal's present form is dismal.

So Arsenal are now without a captain, without experienced players and soon will be without a manager.

2008-11-19T08:04:00.000+04:00

Arsene Wenger is the first problem of Arsenal because he first thinks of making profits than trophies or else how could one explain that a coach can last 4 seasons without a trophy and still be on their payroll.It has been better said that it will favour Arsenal to be owned by an individual so that Mr Wenger can sit up to his Job.There are lots of mediocres in the Arsenal first team,players would never make it to the starting eleven of our rivals.The problem with Wenger is that he refuses to understand that football has changed.Lets look at Ferguson,during the early 90's saw the arrival of great local lads like Beckham from the youth academy and today ManU has relied on buying experienced players than on youth because so much money has entered the business and you need to spend to win that is why players like Tevez,Berbatov and co are bought.Which of the rival teams in the premiership will players like Denillson,Bendtner,Van persie,Adebayor,Diaby,Walcott make their starting eleven?Arsenalk clearly does not have bench.Fabregas is a slow midfielder,turns with the ball all the time,lacks dribbling skill,lacks pace and stamina,hardly plays shots,lacks deadball skill and yet Mr Wenger deems him one of the best in the world.Why could he not displace Xavi from the spanish midfiled?Why does Spain play him behind a striker?Wenger fails to reason.Playing Fab in that roaming midfield role would require that you have a very good DM that has pace and precise vision for passing.You also need a good dribbler that in the flanks that would make up for his lack of space so that he could catch up on time if the dribble is successful.There is no way Walcott and Fabregas can fit in because Fab cant run along Walcott because he lacks pace,Also the left flank is almost dead,why cant Wenger go for a good left winger?The habit of always trying to convert players from their normal role to something different can as well be part of our problems.Lets get a good DM like Diara of Real or Toure of Barca,De Rossi,Aquilani .Then we can get the services of Werder's Diego with Ramsey in line to follow up as substitute whenever we are leading comfortably to keep learning the ropes.Fabregas should be allowed to go back to Spain.Let Adebayor as well be taught to be always in the box and stop drifting off the box,let our strikers always go for shots outside the box and also charge for rebounds.We need a good striker,Eto,Villa, can as well be bought.Van persie could be left as a sub striker.Bendtner,Diaby, should be sold.Denillson should be sent on loan.Djourou should be given more time and chance to play.Sagna should buckle up or let Eboue go back to his normal position.The lack of clear competition for place in this present day Arsenal may as well be the greatest problem for a bunch of talented but yet toothless gunners.The way forward is make Wenger Sporting director whil Martin O Neil takes over.

Gunner Teens beat Wigan at home; ManU struggle

2008-11-15T09:25:00.005+04:00

The gunners are really getting back in form. Last week they beat ManU and now this!!! This is a clarion call for all Gooners.

Arsene Wenger gave his first team a break for the Cup match after their grueling match against the champs. Instead he sent another side of Arsenal, the inexperienced but spirited youngsters. The experienced Wigan side, missing Heskey had their strongest tema sperheaded by Zaki.

Wenger had his attack spearheaded by Mexican starket Vela and new find Jay Simpson, along with Ramsey and Wilshere. Fabianski was nominated as the Goalkeeper.

Arsenal started well, keeping the ball and passing, but the rival goalkeeper Kirkland did everything in his power to stop them. He frustrted the strikers, tipping the ball away nearly everytime. Fabianski didnt have to do much, but was forced to make a beautiful save when an unexpected shot was directed on goal.

But Arsenal were not to be denied. A through pass from the midfiled to Simpson was duly finished by the English youngster to give Arsenal the much neede

d lead. But the goals did not stop there!! Another through pss by Wilshere to Vela was unselfishly passed to Simpson who scored a second goal past Kirkland.

Vela finally finished things with a beautiful 18 yard chip over the rather small Krkland to allow arsenal to advance to the next round of the Carling Cup. The team received much praise and no one, I say no one will dare question Wenger's tactics again( I HOPE).

Manchester United meanwhile struggled to a 1-0 victory over next division team QPR. The divison one team is comfortably placed at 7th in their league, but did not think of giving an easy victory to the EPL champs.

Fergie, disgusted after the Arsenal loss, sent out a relatively younger squad agaisnt the under dogs, but could not dispose of them at his leisure. QPR and ManU had nearly the same shot on target, though the champs hogged possession. Tevez and Anderson could not inspire the Red Devils to an empatic win over QPR, and instead required a 77 minute penalty to edge out the vi

sitors, which Tevez dispatched easily.

So with two friends Fergie and Wenger in different moods, what will be the actual outcome of the EPL and Carling cup???

Carling Cup: Tottenham thrash Liverpool as Burnley stun Chelsea

2008-11-14T18:05:00.004+04:00

It was a very eventful night, a night which saw the joint EPL leaders crash out of the "Mickey-Mouse" cup, or the Carling Cup.

It was the first time in 26 years since Burnley had last visited Stamford Bridge, and they made the most of the opportunity, by fighting with all the little might they had fired past Chelsea into the quarterfinals on penalties (4-5). Drogba opened the scoring for Chelsea in the 27th minute, with a run into the box and a curling shot low into the bottom right corner. Well, the controversy regarding the coin erupted at this moment, with Drogba throwing back the little coin fired at him. They maintained their lead for major part of the match, but they didn't know that they had a surprise waiting for them. Akinbiyi fired in from close range to cancel out Chelsea's first, after Cudicini made a mess off Chris Eagle's impressive shot. Drogba's substitution Di Santo almost allowed Scolari's men to take the lead again, but his shot hit the side netting. Burnley were even reduced to 10 men with four minutes of extra time remaining, with their skipper being sent off for doing absolutely nothing to Malouda. The match then went into penalties with Graham Alexander, Alan Mahon, Chris Eagles, Michael Duff and Kevin McDonald scoring for Burnley and Frank Lampard, Kalou and Paulo Ferreira scoring for Chelsea. Mikel's penalty was brilliantly stopped by Jensen, ensuring their progress to the quarters and embarrassment for Scolari and his men.

Highlights!!

Roman Pavlyuchenko came back to haunt Liverpool as he and Fraizer Campbell took full advantage of their starting berths with a 4-2 victory for the Spurs. Hyypia and Plessis scored for the visitors in the second half, but it wasn't enough as a spirited Tottenham side reigned at White Hart Lane, leaving Redknapp with his 5th win in 6 matches in all competitions in his unbeaten start since he took over.

Highlights!!

spurs v reds

Young Gunners sink Man Utd.

2008-11-14T10:29:00.004+04:00

Arsenal came back to form with a boosting victory against Manchester United. The young team, who were playing at home, without red carded Van Persie and injured Adebayor, played a 4-5-1 strategy instead.

Arsene Wenger gave Bendtner a start as the lone striker, leaving Vela on the bench. Fabregas was given the space that he wanted in the centre, with Nasri and Walcott flanking him. Diaby and Denilson played the defensive role.

ManU played their normal strong formation, with Neville in after nearly a year, and Berbatov and Rooney as the strikers. Sir Alex left out Nani, which was a big surprise. Ronaldo was of course there along with Anderson.

ManU started well, creating a few chances, and we could see the bad form haunting Arsenal. After a few minutes though, A

rsenal shook the Red Devils defence with a Bendnter header, whcih failed to hit the target. Then Arsenal started passing and passing, racking up 200 passes in 15 minutes.

Rooney missed a beautiful chance as Berbatov set up Ronaldo on the right, and he feinted to pass to a free Roonney, and Wayne smashed the ball over the bar. Almunia then made a string of amazing saves to keep Arsenal afloat.

Meanwhile on the other end, Van Der Sar was receiving a similar barrage of attacks. Halfway though the first half, Sagna ws fouled on the right wing and Fabreags took the freekick. He kicked it into the middle only for Berbatov to head it away to Nasri, and the French prodigy kicked with his weaker foot and the ball took a deflection off Neville to enter the goal past an infuriated Van Der Sar.

Having the lead, Arsenal ended the first half on a high. Straight after the break, Fabregas stole the ball from Ronaldo and took the defence with him, and passed to a free Nasri in the middle, who smashed the ball into the left corner to give the Gunners a comfortable lead.

Immediately ManU led a counter attack and Ronaldo's kick shaved the left bar. ManU seemed to have no hope when just then talented teen Rafael Da Silva was brought in. The defender- cum- winger stole ManU hearts with his persistent crosses. Carrick then injured Almunia by kicking him on the jaw, and Fabianski was brought in.

In the 90' , Rafael's beautiful volley beyond Fabianski got the ManU crowd to their feet, but by then it was too late. Arsenal had already tooted the horn of victory. IS THIS THE START OF A NEW ERA????

Gunners are degrading to "attractive losers"!!!

2008-11-04T19:32:00.000+04:00

Arsenal seems to have the most abominable luck. The young team has slipped to 5th after losing to Tony Pulis Stoke 2-1. They had the firepower and could not play as dirty as Stoke played. The team new to the EPL stunned Arsenal with two beautiful throw ins that the defence did not have an answer to. A Toure own goal and yet another goal could not stop Arsenal from losing the third time this season.

Now Stoke has injured crucial striker Adebayor, sprinter Sagna and Super midfielder Walcott as well as getting the only remaining first team striker Van Persie red carded for no fault of his. All this has happened ahead of the home clash against Manchester United. Though the Red Devils have yet to capture any of their winning form, wobegone Arsenal have no answer to their 5 pronged attck including in form Rooney, Ronaldo, Berbatov, Tevez and Giggs as well as Scholes, Fletcher, Nani. Their mistake prone defence of Silvestre, Gallas, Toure and Clichy cannot even neutralise a weak attack, let alone the great ManU attack.

Their main scoring strikers Adebayor and Van Persie are out of this match, leaving youngsters Bendtner and Vela to take up the mantle to score against Ferdinand And Vidic along with Van der Sar. Fabregas is going thru the worst form of his life, and without Flamini, Arsenal are definitely in tatters. Nasri is the only one who can score proficiently, though he is just back from injury.

SO GOONERS, this definitely means the demise of the INVINCIBLES, or does it???

Gunners Gunning for Garbage ...not the trophy.

2008-10-30T15:17:00.000+04:00

Harry Redknapp took charge of his first game as Tottenham boss in the North London derby as the Premier League’s bottom side travelled to the Emirates.

The new manager certainly had his side motivated as they began the game in fine style, pressing and harrying Arsenal all over the pitch whilst also being unafraid to get forwards and attack.

Indeed with only minutes on the clock Tom Huddlestone had sent Gareth Bale scampering down the left and the Welshman hit the post from a narrow angle, to send an early warning to Arsene Wenger’s side.

Yet the situation was about to improve considerably and it took Spurs just over ten minutes to open the scoring, with a truly superb goal.

After some scrappy play in midfield, Jermaine Jenas chested the ball down to David Bentley who controlled the ball on the volley before his second touch sent a stunning, looping shot over Almunia from fully 40 yards.

The goal shocked the hosts but within minutes Van Persie had mustered two shots on target in response. The first, a free kick was well saved by Gomes before the Dutchman bent a second effort just wide of the post.

Yet Spurs were defending solidly, getting plenty of bodies behind the ball and forcing Arsenal into some uncharacteristically sloppy passing.

However, Arsene Wenger’s side are nothing if not persistent and with the pressure growing as half-time neared, the inevitable finally occurred.

After doing well to push a Cesc Fabregas effort around the corner, Gomes then made a mess of the resulting corner from which Mikael Silvestre headed home the equaliser.

The ball in from the right by Van Persie should have been claimed by the Spurs stopper yet the Brazilian got nowhere near the ball allowing Silvestre to head home with ease for his first Arsenal goal.

Less than a minute into the second half and Silvestre’s defensive partner William Gallas had put the home side into the lead.

A free kick needlessly conceded by Huddlestone was swung in by Van Persie and Gallas rose highest to nod the ball down and into the bottom corner.

With the lead established Wenger’s men threatened to overrun Spurs. Adebayor having the best chance on the hour mark.

Van Persie laid the ball off to his strike partner just inside the box but he could only smash the ball wide, much to Tottenham’s huge relief.

Minutes later Arsenal did have their third goal though. A wonderful pass from Van Persie sent Nasri sprinting through on goal. The Frenchman dinked the ball over the approaching Gomes and Adebayor beat Hutton to stab the ball home on the line.

The game looked over but within minutes Spurs had a goal back. Huddlestone’s shot was fumbled by Almunia and substitute Darren Bent was on hand to slot home and give Spurs hope.

Yet Van Persie appeared to have extinguished Spurs’ optimism in under a minute. Alan Hutton unforgivably giving the ball away to Adebayor who picked the Dutchman out and he simply smashed the ball home.

The game looked to be all but over but there was still plenty of action left. With minutes remaining on the clock Jermaine Jenas capitalised on a huge error by Clichy on the half way line to run through and coolly bend home an excellent finish to give Almunia no chance and the visitors a glimmer of hope.

A nervy few minutes ensued but Tottenham were not to be denied. A Modric shot from range hit the post and Lennon was on hand to slide the ball home and claim a late, late equaliser.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: MATCHDAY 5

2008-10-25T09:07:00.002+04:00

Arsenal ran romp in Turkey with a full strength squad after gaining full confidence against a hapless Everton, defeating the Turkish champs away 5-2. Arsenal grew in confidence after quick goals by Adebayor and Walcott, both through assists by Fabregas, and then crushed them even more with goals from Abou Diaby, Song and a last minute substitute Ramsey, who slooted the ball past the goalkeeper in the last minute of extra time. Fenerbahce got two consolation goals with a Silvestre own goal and a second half goal by Spanish forward Danny Guiza.

Villareal led the day's goal fest with a 6-3 win over AaB Aalborg to give MAnchester United a run for their money as they won 3-0 against Celtic. Rooney scored a stunning goal and Berbatov scored a brace to keep them at the top of their group.

Lyon meanwhile thrashed Bucharest 5-3, though the underdogs kept clawing back, to win their match quite easily. Bayern returned back to form with a 3-0 victory against a talented Fiorentina as Klinsmann halied their return to form. Kiev edged out Porto to throw the second place in the group open to contenders as they won by a narrow margin 1-0. Zenit were held by dark horses BATE away, as they underdogs frustrated the Russian champs 1-1.

Juventus beat Real Madrid in a thrilling match after Nistelrooy canceled a first half strike from Del Piero. Amauri bought the match to an end with a late strike, as they won 2-1.

36 goals were scored in the day to equal the existing record.

CONGRATS ALL THE TEAMS TO ACHIEVE SUCH A FEAT!!

Arsenal pull back from goal down to beat Everton 3-1

2008-10-19T08:32:00.002+04:00

Arsenal came back from a rusty first half to sway past Everton 3-1.

The Toffees stunned the fans at the Emirates just before the opening 10 minutes when Pienaar exposed Alex Song and gave a not so good cross, which was perfect for Osman to tap in past a dreaming Almunia. They almost scored again when Osman had a chance to chip the ball over Almunia, who came too forward for Arsenal's liking. Osman blasted the ball from 20 yards, only to see it take a late deflection of home debutant Mikael Silvestre for a corner. Even a header by Lescott was chested off the goal line by Gael Clichy.

Almunia was confused and distracted in that half, and was troubled by the Everton strikers. This match summed up probably his worst performance of the season.

Arsenal went into half time down 0-1, with Fabregas and Van Persie looking out of sorts. Toure was injured just before halftime, which forced Wenger into moving Song to central defence and using Eboue as the right back.

An Arsenal corner was not cleared properly in the 48th minute, allowing Silvestre to land the ball into Nasri's feet. Samir Nasri then thrashed in a fierce 25 yard drive, which took a light deflection of Lescott to go past Howard to cancel out Everton's first goal. The Gunners switched into kill mode from there on, attacking the Everton defence who were left dumbfounded. Arsenal were rewarded for their persistent attacking efforts in the 70th minute, when Fabregas passed to Adebayor in the penalty box, whose first touch wasn't that great. He returned the ball to Fabregas, who smacked it, only for it to be saved by Tim Howard, with Van Persie waiting next to him to head the ball in for Arsenal's second. Walcott rounded off the win with a clean finish in the 90th minute. He first used his customary run into the box, passed it to Diaby in front of him, who passed it back to Walcott, for him to place the ball into the bottom left corner.

Highlights!!!

Osman, 9th minute, 0-1
Nasri, 48th minute, 1-1
Van Persie, 70th minute, 2-1
Walcott, 45th minute, 3-1

no good!

2008-10-06T13:51:00.001+04:00

It is almost a year ago to the day when Arsenal and Sunderland met for their first league meeting in 2007-08. The venue though was Emirates, and in a similar vein to the summer humdrum and falsely fruited predictions of this year, the Gunners were supposedly going to lose their top four position to hated neighbours Tottenham Hotspur.

Arsenal though marched on to a 3-2 victory that day, and the three points signified their tenth win (in all competitions), on the spin. And what they would do for that consistency now.

Arsenal are erratic. Losing 1-0 to Fulham at the Craven Cottage: looking forlorn, disjointed, and uninterested. Then beating teams like Newcastle, Bolton, and Blackburn by a convincing margin, only to get turned over by Hull at home.

Even Clichy confirmed that Arsenal were guilty of not taking their opponent seriously, an arrogance that could prove costly.

Roy Keane's mackems are a bolstered prospect one year on, and have the comfort of playing in front of a home crowd. Depending on the Arsenal that turn up, the Black Cats could strut away, roaring into the distance, ecstatic with all three points... or they could limp off the pitch, defeated, dejected, with their tails between their legs.

FIRST HALF

It was a typical northern encounter on Wearside as wet and windy conditions had a direct effect on the afternoon's play as both teams took a while feeling each other out and there were a few scrappy exchanges throughout the first ten minutes, but nothing penetrative.

Roy Keane would have been the more contented of managers with the early manner of his side's play and Djibril Cisse was unfortunate not to have taken the lead.

A poor Theo Walcott back pass was pounced on by Cisse but alert Manuel Almunia was quick to foil the threat. Two minutes later Cisse was again on the attack and lashed a ball goalward but Arsenal's Spanish stopper beat the ball over the bar.

When Arsenal were in possession Sunderland sat back and soaked up the pressure, standing off their man but snuffing out any potential threat. Roy Keane has clearly taken heed of Phil Brown's successful tactic last weekend when the Tigers left the Emirates with all three points.

The chances Arsenal do make though were spoilt by either wayward shooting, or poor decision making, and Theo Walcott was at the heart of both mistakes.

The visitors went into the break with the greater share of possession, and a late strike from Denilson that skipped inches wide of the post could have stolen a lead for the Gunners, but as half-time crept closer the scoreline remained deadlocked.

SECOND HALF

The first 15 minutes of the second half maintained the motif of the first half as Arsenal's passing play was frustratingly spoiled by misplaced final balls.

Theo Walcott, who was largely ineffective all game, was replaced by big Danish centre forward Nicklas Bendtner as Arsene Wenger tried to force the game.

Arsenal had the ball in the net on the hour mark as Theo Walcott sent a ball into the six yard box that Van Persie finished off, but the goal was struck off the record as Walcott was deemed to have taken the ball into touch prior to his cross.

Inside the final 20 minutes though a goal seemed increasingly likely as both sides threw more forward when attacking. Samir Nasri could have broken the stalemate after some sound combining play from Emmanuel Adebayor and Cesc Fabregas fed through the former Marseille midfielder, but the Frenchman's shot was too weak to trouble Craig Gordon.

Against all the predictions Sunderland took the lead from a powerful Grant Leadbitter shot and Arsenal conceded a second wonder-strike for the second week running.

The Gunners saved face though, and ensure the points were shared, when a Van Persie corner was headed home by a delighted Cesc Fabregas three minutes deep into stoppage time.

UEFA Champions League: Matchdays 3 and 4

2008-10-05T07:42:00.004+04:00

Match day three: Comfortable for the ENGLISH

The UEFA champs league has never ceased to surprise us. It gives experienced players a lesson in pain and new players a chance to prove themselves.

Arsenal’s young squad had disappointed everyone in the EPL match against Hull, losing 2-1 at home. But the Gunners came onto the pitch at home against their toughest competition in their group stage- Portuguese champions Porto.

Porto had stunned Europe by reaching the quarters last year, and this year were determined to replicate that feat. Arsenal though had a point to prove, as they trudged down the pitch for the kick off. Despite Wenger’s angry comments, he made only one change, bringing in Samir Nasri instead of Eboue.

The first ten minutes were nervous for both teams as they tried to gain leverage, prodding in each other’s defence. Arsenal fans had their hearts in their mouths when a lone Porto striker nearly reached the box without the defence, but the defenders did well, reaching out to him and clearing the ball. Walcott kept on stunning Porto with his tremendous speed down the flank, but Adebayor and Persie were unable to convert.

Fed up, Fabregas put an end to the wait with a neat straight pass between the defence to an offside clearing Adebayor on the right side. Bayor did well, playmaking instead of scoring as he passed sideways and Persie just made it to slit the ball into the goal.

One down, Porto were determined to return back, but Arsenal’s enthusiasm was too much. Adebayor made it two up after a swiftly finished header did the trick, though the goalkeeper was at fault.

The momentum kept on going after half time, with Persie right leg finishing a beautiful pass out of the blue as the Gunners heralded their return. But that wasn’t enough. A foul to Bendtner in the box was the worst thing a Porto defender could do, and Adebayor added to his account with a cool penalty.

Arsenal could have had a few more goals, but their team performance was stunning. Few could do what Arsenal had done.

Meanwhile Manchester United had a training session match with Aalborg, after the latter embarrassed themselves. A beautiful pass to a free Rooney saw the first goal, a playful chip to Berbatov by the Aalborg defence saw the second, and a backside deflection to a cross cutting Berbatov saw the third goal.

Bate also had an eventful match, nearly defeating Juventus after they went two up before the Italian giants clawed back for a draw.

Real also had a scare before Nistelrooy put an end to matters to end the day 2-1. Fenerbahce also drew with Kiev 0 – 0.

Match day four: one with surprises

Liverpool had to face Dutch giants PSV and they did it in style, when Kuyt first kicked the ball into the net in the 4’, after a heavy deflection from Isaksson. Keane was next on the list, heading in an assist from Spanish golden boy Torres. Gerarrd completed his 100^th goal for the Reds with a freekick in the 75^th. PSV clawed one back near the end of time.

Barcelona nearly lost though, but wonder boy Messi’s brace in the 87^th and 94^th minutes put them on front after Shaktahar had scored in the 57^th.

Chelsea drew with lowly Cluj and thus the EPL teams were the most successful, the four of them scoring 10 goals and conceding one.

Arsenal dumped by Premier League newcomers Hull 2-1

2008-09-28T15:33:00.003+04:00

Oh yea, Fabregas scores, and Hull come back with 2 more!

ARSENAL PROGRESS IN THE CARLING CUP

2008-09-24T19:54:00.001+04:00

Arsenal moved to the top of the EPL after a slice of good luck which saw Manchester United draw with Chelsea and Liverpool get stuck with Stoke. No one expected Arsenal to stay at the top after last year’s disastrous attempt at the title, which saw the Gunners relinquish their firm hold on the title in the last part of the season.

But the ever ready Gunners have given the fans something to hope for after their youngest players dominated the 3rd round of the Carling Cup against Sheffield United.

Arsenal played Vela, Bendtner and Wilshere, along with Randall, Djourou and Ramsey with Fabianski being the oldest of the squad at 23. This was the first time in years that Wenger has played 5 English players in the starting lineup, with 4 subs.

Bendtner scored first after half an hour and then doubled the lead. Vela struck the third before half time. A hapless Sheffield United gave away 3 more in the second half too, with Vela scoring his second, Wilshere scoring his first goal in the Carling Cup, and Vela putting the icing with his third, completing a memorable hat-trick.

Highlights! Compiled by blizzard!

GOOD JOB GUNNERS!!!

Gunners tear Bolton apart

2008-09-21T17:15:00.003+04:00

There was a very good all-round game from Arsenal as they dispatched Bolton 3-1.
They went down in the 14th minute when Bolton's first corner was headed in by Davies after poor marking by the Arsenal defenders. Clichy had a chance to stop it, but he failed.

Arsenal awoke after the goal. There was consistent passing, with numerous number of attempts bouncing off the post, from Adebayor and Co. They were finally rewarded in the 26th minute after Bendtner set up Eboue to finish for his first goal in the league.

Arsenal were rewarded for their attacking style in the following minute when Bendtner dived the ball into the goal from a neat Denilson cross from the left side.

Bolton were being torn apart, Arsenal advancing in and trying to score from all possible angles. Arsenal rounded of the match 87th minute, when Theo Walcott, the man in tremendous form, ran towards the goal and passed the ball to Adebayor on the right flank, who crossed the ball to Denilson. Denilson then made light work of the poor defence by blasting the ball into the top right corner of the goal.

Highlights!!

Davies, 14th minute, 1-0
Eboue, 26th minute, 1-1
Bendtner, 27th minute, 1-2
Denilson, 87th minute, 1-3

Liverpool slip to give Arsenal and Chelsea the chance

2008-09-21T09:15:00.005+04:00

The EPL has always been a roundabout. The best teams have always slipped up and their performance against the minnows has been critical. This season we saw Arsenal lose to Fulham and Manchester United draw with Newcastle. But the team that defeated the champions was to be victorious, or so everyone thought. But Liverpool has slipped up yet again to give the initiative to the rest of the big 4.

Stoke Goalkeeper Sorensen made a memorable performance to help his team salvage a point in the fixture after they had only 3 points from their previous games.

After defeating Manchester United and triumphing in the Champions League, everyone thought it was Liverpool's day, but the strikers could not get past the packed Stoke defence.

Had luck been on Liverpool's side they would have scraped through after a Gerrard free kick. As the midfield started celebrating his 100th goal for the club, the referee gave in a questionable offside. After that Stoke took the matter into their own hands and Salvaged a draw. Liverpool's next best chances were long range from Gerrrard and Alonso, but they could not pierce the defence and settled for a 0-0 draw.

Too many points have been dropped against minnows, and it is not the performances against the Big 4 , but against these smaller teams that matters to the victory of the EPL. Liverpool may have defeated Man Utd but they have lost the chance to go clear to the top with this regrettable draw.

Meanwhile Newcastle lost to an inspired West Ham 3-1. After the departure of KEVIN KEEGAN, the club has been put on sale for for 823 million dollars.

Though the Gunners came from one down to win, the main match is today between Chelsea and Man Utd. WHO WILL WIN IS ANYBODY's GUESS!!!

UEFA Champions League: Group F - (17/09/2008) Steau Bucharest 0-1 Bayern Munich, Lyon 2-2 Fiorentina

2008-09-19T14:50:00.017+04:00

Steau Bucharest 0-1 Bayern Munich

Lyon 2-2 Fiorentina

UEFA Champions League: Group G - (17/09/2008) Dynamo Kiev 1-1 Arsenal, Porto 3-1 Fenerbahce

2008-09-19T14:50:00.016+04:00

Dynamo Kiev 1-1 Arsenal

Porto 3-1 Fenerbahce

UEFA Champions League: Group H - (17/09/2008) Real Madrid 2-0 BATE Borisov, Juventus 1-0 Zenit St. Petersburg

2008-09-19T14:50:00.013+04:00

Real Madrid 2-0 BATE Borisov

Juventus 1-0 Zenit St. Petersburg

UEFA Champions League: Group E - (17/09/2008) Man Utd 0-0 Villareal, Celtic 0-0 Aaloborg

2008-09-19T14:50:00.007+04:00

Manchester United 0-0 Villareal

Celtic 0-0 Aalborg

UEFA Champions League: Group D - (16/09/2008) Marseille 1-2 Liverpool, PSV Eindhoven 0-3 Athletico Madrid

2008-09-17T10:00:00.003+04:00

Marseille 1-2 Liverpool

Marseille vs Liverpool Highlights 1-2 UEFA Champions League 16.09.08

PSV Eindhoven 0-3 Athletico Madrid

Goal Videos

UEFA Champions League: Group C - (16/09/2008) Barcelona 3-1 Sporting Lisbon, Basel 1-2 Shakhtar Donetsk

2008-09-17T09:53:00.003+04:00

Barcelona 3-1 Sporting Lisbon

Barcelona vs Sporting Lisbon Highlights 3-1 UEFA Champions League 16.09.

Basel 1-2 Shakhtar Donetsk

Goal Videos

UEFA Champions League: Group B - (16/09/2008) Panathinaikos 0-2 Inter Milan, Werder Bremen 0-0 Anorthosis Famagusta

2008-09-17T09:47:00.003+04:00

Panathinaikos 0-2 Inter Milan

Pan. Athen vs. Inter Mailand 16.09.2008

Werder Bremen 0-0 Anorthosis Famagusta

Bremen vs. Famagusta (0-0) 16.09.2008

UEFA Champions League: Group A - (16/09/2008) AS Roma 1-2 CFR Cluj

2008-09-17T09:41:00.003+04:00

Cluj stun Roma 2-1

Newcomers CFR 1907 Cluj got off to a spectacular Champions League debut after registering a 2-1 victory over Roma last night at the Stadio Olimpico. Christian Panucci got Roma off to a good start in the 17th minute, but Argentine forward Culio ensured that Roma didn't end the day winners with two goals.

Highlights!!

UEFA Champions League: Group A - (16/09/2008) Chelsea 4-0 Bordeaux

2008-09-17T09:32:00.002+04:00

Chelsea sweep helpless Bordeaux

Goals from Lampard, Joe Cole, Malouda, and Anelka ensured Chelsea a strong start to their Champions League campaign in a one sided game against last season's French League runners up Bordeaux.

Highlights!

Lampard, 14th minute, 1-0
Joe Cole, 30th minute, 2-0
Malouda, 82th minute, 3-0
Anelka, 90th minute, 4-0 + Match Highlights

Clichy's teenage kicks

2008-09-14T19:19:00.001+04:00

Clichy answers questions about his childhood and teenage years. Arsenal's Teenage kicks video series aims at raising awareness about the Teenage Cancer Fund.

Liverpool ride on Babel winner

2008-09-14T09:41:00.003+04:00

A pretty spirited performance from Liverpool saw them sway past Manchester United for the first time under Rafa Benitez in the English Premier League.

The match started with good news for Manchester United that neither Torres nor Gerrard would be starting the match. Berbatov was paired up front with Tevez in his debut match and Rooney, who returned to goal-scoring form against Croatia for England, was placed at the right flank.

The deadly combo of Berbatov and Tevez struck as early as the third minute, when Berbatov dribbled to the right by-line. He then passed the ball to his left, assuming that a Man Utd player would get it. And with Mascherano caught out of position, Tevez came in and blasted the ball into the top right corner.

Liverpool failed to create many chances of quality, but Kuyt threatened to score when he shot a 25 yard shot wide in the 6th minute. Liverpool equalised when they brought out a defensive mix up in the Man Utd. defence. Xabi Alonso fired a shot from far, which was headed by Patrice Evra towards Riera, who was marked by Wes Brown. Van Der Sar raced out the intercept the ball, but was successful in pushing the ball onto Wes Brown's shins, and the ball bounced into the net. Van Der Sar is well past his prime, and his bad start to the season continued.

Liverpool's winner came about in the 77th minute, when Mascherano ran into the box on the right by-line, kept the ball, passed it to Kuyt, who then set up Babel for a clean finish which was enough for Liverpool to claim victory. Robbie Keane continued his poor run, and he did look out of sorts yesterday. Man Utd's bad day ended with a red card to Vidic.

Highlights!

Tevez, 3rd minute, 0-1
Wes Brown (OG), 26th minute, 1-1 + First Half Highlights

Ryan Babel, 77th minute, 2-1

Rejuvenated Arsenal crush Blackburn

2008-09-14T08:26:00.006+04:00

Well, there is a time and place for everything. And this match was the place for a long awaited comeback.

You remember the fierce transfer window fight within Arsenal, as Adebayor wanted to be sold to AC Milan, but stayed back at Arsenal. you remember our boos to him, taunts aimed solely to insult him. That was from us the Gooners. But the unexpected hero for us was Emmanuel Adebayor.

The Gunners entered the match after a 3-0 drubbing of Newcastle. But in none of their matches had Adebayor scored. He had suffered at the hands of opposing defenders and had hence become a passer, rather than a scorer.

Walcott, tipped to be on the bench this match shocked the world when he was named in the starting lineup. And considering his place, he justified it after a beautiful pass from him to a free Van Persie saw the first goal as Persie slashed the goal barely past Robinson in the 8 minute.

Arsenal made it 2-0 before halftime when Denilson chipped it into the middle to Adebayor and he headed it into the goal.

Arsenal having the lead, went on the back foot but they attacked in the 80' minute as Eboue sprinted in but was fouled in the penalty box. Adebayor calmly took the penalty and converted in into a 3 goal lead for Arsenal.

But in was not over. In the 3' minute of stoppage time, a neat pass to Adebayor from Aaron Ramsey saw him one on one with Robinson, and he tricked him and veered to the left before a finish that gave him a hattrick.

Arsenal played at their best, and performed most of their moves faultlessly. They were flawless, and moved with liquid grace. This can be the sort of a new glorious beginning......... or the end??

Highlights compiled by blizzard!!

Van Persie, 8th minute, 0-1
Adebayor, 45th minute, 0-2
Adebayor, 82nd minute, 0-3
Adebayor, 90th minute, 0-4

Prediction

2008-09-13T05:20:00.001+04:00

Recent history points to United maintaining their hex on Liverpool, but then neither side have found anything like approaching top gear so far this season. This is the just the type of game to sort the men from the boys, the serious contenders from the mere hopefuls, though at this stage of the campaign no outcome will be decisive - and you’d still expect both sides to be in contention next April when the season moves towards its climax.

Their recent dominance over Liverpool means United may turn up at Anfield expecting to win, which could suit Liverpool. If United do win, they will have to halt a run: Liverpool have won their last nine home league games and are unbeaten at Anfield in the league this calendar year. Perhaps surprisingly, too, since February the Reds have been the best team in the Premier League with 13 wins, four draws and one defeat from 18 games. Meanwhile United have won only one of their four games so far this season during the regulation 90 minutes. And the last time Liverpool endured an eight-match winless streak against United in the league (1996-2000), they endede the sequence in the ninth meeting by winning 1-0 (and going on to do the double over United that season).

It’s also true that in none of the last eight clashes between these two sides have both teams got on the score-sheet - but that could change tomorrow with a scoring draw.

Dramatic End to Transfer Window

2008-09-04T08:50:00.004+04:00

The EPL can be really Dramatic!!! The last day of the transfer window saw a flurry of activity that had not been seen before.

The must awaited move for Robinho to Chelsea never materialised as Chelsea started counting their eggs before it actually hatched. Real president Calderon got pissed, and decided against the move.

But Manchester City, under an Abu Dhabi company's money, decided to try for top players( though in my opinion. they would never get them) like Berbatov, Robinho and even Villa and Van Nistelrooy.

But they had a four leaved clover it seems, because their offer for Robinho was accepted for around 40 million pounds. Now Robinho joins star Wright Phillips from Chelsea to bring City in front of rivals United.

But united were not behind!!! Their regular offers for Berbatov had gone sour with Tottenham, as the Spurs were unable to land any good replacements for their strike duo.

But as they got Modric and Pavlyuchenko, they were able to sell Berbatov, who badly wanted to leave.

Berbatov, after his whirlwind last season performances, had received offers from Arsenal, City and Real. But even though United paid the least of the lot, Berbatov joined United to don the 9 no shirt.

No nouveau, Deja Vu ?

2008-09-02T08:55:00.002+04:00

With the transfer window shut, it is now perspicacious that a new face in red and white will not be conceived for another 5 months. The title poses the question of the century. Can this once again entice to a massive disintegration in relative semblance to last season? Or can Mr"professor" show us if there really has been change. Worrying as it may seem, the veracity of this situation places us in a similar position. The tangibility, obvious to us all, is the fact that a noxious event on one of our midfield soldiers, could indeed hand us quell in literally all areas affecting us the most.

In the end, it could verily and quite haply come down to that ONE signing we preluded, that ONE extra pair of legs we hindered and that ONE pair of eyes we didn't look into, which can incredulously terminate our primary and principle mission.

(be aware that the title is in response to last season's failure to sign a "trophy")

Discrepancies with signings.

2008-09-01T17:02:00.002+04:00

15 hours before the deadline, we all still wonder who the "addition" to the squad is. IS there an addition? Wenger's "Certainly" did sound convincing and taking into consideration we still have 30 million to spend, i see no reason for us to end on a silent note. The comedy of this occurrence is the fact that Wenger's high profile does not leave us questioning his signing. It leaves us questioning whether he will, without venture, fall into Arsenals rythm and pace. Ofcourse the man has made his mistakes, signing Eboue and Senderos but he has also theatricalized his authority in the football world which has clearly been revealed by Arsenal's domination in the past few games. (Ignoring the Fulham derby).

I personally believe Wenger is rather daunted by the factualness that his side could, in truth, fall apart with an erratum signing and come to think of it-who can blame him for that?

Super Gunners whip petty Newcastle

2008-08-31T09:12:00.003+04:00

Arsenal thrashed a helpless Newcastle side 3-0 in their third match of the English Premier League at the Emirates yesterday. Wenger started the game with a squad expected by almost everyone: Almunia, Clichy, Sagna, Gallas, Toure, Eboue, Nasri, Fabregas, Denilson, Adebayor and Van Persie.The surprise exclusion was Theo Walcott, as Eboue was given the nod ahead of him.

Newcastle kicked off the game with consecutive passes between their players, before Arsenal seized complete momentum of the game. Fabregas once again was the difference between both teams, as he made the most impressive passes. Nasri looked very good too, tricking the opposition defenders on the right wing. Gallas missed an absolute sitter in the 3rd minute, when he whacked the shot over the bar from two yards out!

Surprisingly on many occasions throughout the match, Adebayor was seen coming on to the right wing and trying to cross the ball. This was exactly what led to the first goal. In the 18th minute, Adebayor's cross from the right was deflected of N'Zogbia's stretched hand in the penalty box. The referee didn't waste any time in awarding a penalty to Arsenal. Van Persie then slotted the ball calmly and accurately past Given into the bottom right corner. Even though Given jumped to the correct side, Persie's shot was too quick and accurate for the save.

The second goal was a goal typically expected of Arsenal. Once again, Adebayor took the ball from the right side and crossed it to Eboue. After miscontrolling his first touch, Eboue had a chance to score, but instead cheekily back heeled the ball to Van Persie, who blasted the ball into the net. Eboue should have scored, even though he could have made a total mess of the situation. This was Van Persie's second goal of the Premier League 2008 and his third goal of an injury plagued 2008.

The third goal was created very well. Van Persie passed the ball to Nasri, who ran into the box and passed it to Adebayor. A Newcastle defender intervened in the pass and the ball went straight to Denilson, who gave it back to Nasri. Nasri then slotted another pass to Adebayor, who set up Denilson for a good finish to sign off any Newcastle hopes of victory or a draw.

Given was undoubtedly the goalkeeper of the match, as he dealt an amazing strike by Kolo Toure, a bullet from Gael Clichy, and brilliant free-kicks from Van Persie and Nasri. Almunia had a relatively quite day, since he wasn't troubled by Owen or any of the Newcastle players, except for a header which had beaten him but hit the post. Walcott and Vela were later brought into the match, and they made an immediate impact, with Walcott having a chance to score and creating chances, and Vela constantly running into the box.

This was a very good victory for Wenger and his boys, who'll be looking forward to many more to come.

Highlights!!

Van Persie (Penalty), 19th minute, 1-0

Arsenal 1-0 newcastle. van persie
by lebordeauxlais

Van Persie, 40th minute, 2-0

Arsenal 2-0 newcastle. van persie
by lebordeauxlais

Denilson, 59th minute, 3-0

Arsenal 3-0 newcastle. denilson
by lebordeauxlais

Go Gunners!!!

FA Cup 3rd Round Fixtures

2008-08-31T08:51:00.002+04:00

Arsenal vs Sheffield United
Brighton/ Manchester City vs Derby
Burnley vs Fulham
Pompey vs Chelsea
Blackburn vs Everton
Rotherham vs Southampton
Swansea vs Cardiff
Ipswich vs Wigan
Stoke vs Reading
Leeds vs Hartlepool
Watford vs West Ham
Manchester United vs Middlesbrough
Liverpool vs Crewe
Aston Villa vs QPR
Sunderland vs Northampton
Newcastle vs Tottenham

Russians have the last laugh against United

2008-08-31T08:32:00.005+04:00

UEFA Cup holders Zenit St Petersburg had the last laugh after they shocked giants and Champions League Winners Manchester United in the UEFA Super Cup on Friday.

Goals from Pavel Pogrebnyak and new boy Danny(on debut) gave Dutch coach Dick Advocaat a victory over old rival Sir Alex Ferguson, who was going to be the first manager to hold the prestigious trophy 3 times.

Fergie might have had a foreboding about the match after he was seen tripping near the dugout before the kickoff. Manchester were completely outplayed by the UEFA Cup winners who denied them any opportunity on goal and kept the ball well in Manchester's half.

Pogrebnyak, who missed the teams UEFA Cup victory over Rangers due to suspension, put Zenit in front near halftime as he headed home a flick from Igor Denisov after a well delivered ball from Domiguez.

Danny who joined the team after a 30 million Euros deal from Dynamo Moscow, doubled the lead 15 minutes later after he dodged the defence and put on a solo run to beat Van Der Sar with an unstoppable low shot.

Zenit looked sharper and fitter, as they had already played 19 games in the Russian league, compared to United's 2 in the Premier league. Arshavin came on in the second half to help control Zenit's lead.

United finally pulled back in the 77th minute after defender Vidic gave United fans something to cheer about. But as Zenit were playing at home, and also in front of Roman Abrahamovich, they held on to win the Super Cup.

Paul Scholes was sent off in the 89th minute, when he received his second yellow card for scoring a goal with his hand.

Zenit created many chances, with a few freekicks and missed headers, but deservedly won the match. Apart from a scuffed Rooney chace, United could not do anything to change the outcome of the match.

Zenit coach Advocaat was delighted with the free flowing football of his team and felt that they deserved this victory.

Highlights compiled by blizzard!

Original Video- More videos at TinyPic

Wenger hails Champions League show

2008-08-28T20:11:00.001+04:00

Video Courtesy The Telegraph!

UEFA Champions League Qualifier: Arsenal 4-0 Twente (6-0 on aggregate)

2008-08-28T18:55:00.004+04:00

Arsenal cruised into the Champions League group stages with a convincing 4-0 win over a Twente side which never bothered to challenge them. Goals from Nasri(wow another one at Emirates!), Gallas(holy crap!), Walcott and Bendtner ensured the victory for the Gunners. It was Cesc Fabregas who held together the midfield, and it was due to him that Arsenal were able to put up a spirited performance. Bendtner, Walcott, and Nasri were brilliant. Fabregas was amazing as usual, and Eboue was crappy as usual(as fellow blogger gunner! said..lol).

Highlights!

Samir Nasri, 27th minute, 1-0

William Gallas, 52nd minute, 2-0

Theo Walcott (brilliant finish!), 66th minute, 3-0

Nicklas Bendtner (deserved goal), 89th minute, 4-0

Go GUNNERS!! LET'S KNOCK DOWN NEWCASTLE UNITED!!

Arsenal vs Fulham

2008-08-26T14:57:00.002+04:00

NO, no good, very bad, lost 0-1 to a relegation candidate. Let us shoot the players as they deserve the shot to gun them down like they were gunned down against Fulham. Very angry I am. They should die, like they say DIE ***** DIE.

Very Angryness rushing through the vein.
No.
No good.

Senderos to join Milan on season-long loan

2008-08-26T11:12:00.002+04:00

After some really poor performances in crunch situations last season, Wenger has let Philippe Senderos to go on a season long loan to Milan. With the arrival of Silvestre to bolster Arsenal's defence, Senderos has been sent on loan to improve himself.

Milan were in a spot of bother regarding their defence, with Nesta and Maldini struggling with injuries, and Simic and Digao leaving the club. Even Chelsea defender Ivanovic expected move to Milan didn't happen. But they are relieved now after the addition of Senderos to their squad. Senderos will be offered a contract to join Milan after the season.

Senderos now joins Traore, Barazite, and Gilbert , all who are on loan spells.

Strong Arsenal fail to score in shock loss

2008-08-24T09:24:00.002+04:00

Arsenal were defeated by Fulham 0-1 in disappointing fashion at the Craven Cottage yesterday.

The team had a lineup similar to last week's game against West Brom, except that Van Persie started in place of Nicklas Bendtner. Even with two of the Gunner's best strikers starting upfront, Arsenal couldn't register any goals against a Fulham side which played way better than they did.

The only goal of the match came from Hangeland in the 21st minute, when he popped in Jimmy Bullard's corner right past Manuel Almunia. The defence has been a major concern in the last few matches, as the Arsenal defenders failed to mark Hangeland, leading to an unnecessary goal.

Wenger's side almost came right back, with Adebayor's effort hitting the post. This signed the end of an offbeat first half for Arsenal. Arsenal never really looked like coming back in the second half. Fulham deserve credit for taking their chances, and for some neat defending. But that goal was more than enough to hurt Arsenal, hurling them to their first defeat of the season.

Injuries and the international friendlies have affected Arsenal's performance, but that is no excuse for the loss. Silvestre was not brought in; he wasn't even among the substitutes! Ramsey and Wilshere were snubbed once again. Last season, Arsenal only had 3 losses, against Middlesbrough, Manchester United and Chelsea. With a loss so early in the campaign, Arsenal will have to make sure that they put up a winning streak, otherwise this could be another trophy-less season for the Gunners. They also have to gather enough confidence for their Champions League qualifier against Twente, and I have a strong feeling that we'll have a trophy this season.

Highlights!!

Hangeland, 21st minute, 0-1

Go ARSENAL!! LET'S MARCH PAST TWENTE IN THE NEXT MATCH:D

Results of the international friendlies this week

2008-08-22T10:40:00.002+04:00

England 2 – 2 Czech Republic

Albania 2 – 0 Liechtenstein

Belarus 0 – 0 Argentina

Bosnia 2 – 1 Bulgaria

Denmark 0 – 3 Spain

Estonia 2 – 1 Malta

Finland 2 – 0 Israel

Germany 2 – 0 Belgium

Hungary 3 – 3 Serbia

Iceland 1 – 1 Azerbaijan

Italy 2 – 2 Australia

Japan 1 – 3 Uruguay

Lithuania 3 – 0 Moldova

Luxembourg 1 – 4 Macedonia

Norway 1 – 1 Republic of Ireland

Portugal 5 – 0 Faroe Islands

Qatar 4 – 0 Tajikistan

Romania 1 – 0 Latvia

Russia 1 – 1 Netherlands

Saudi Arabia 1 – 1 Paraguay

Scotland 0 – 0 Northern Ireland

Slovakia 0 – 2 Greece

Slovenia 2 – 3 Croatia

Sweden 2 – 3 France

Switzerland 4 – 1 Cyprus

Tunisia 1 – 1 Angola

Turkey 1 – 0 Chile

Ukraine 1 – 0 Poland

Wales 1– 2 Georgia

Quite a few teams retained their form ahead of the World Cup qualifiers, but some teams, like England and Italy need to work before it is too late!!!

Silvestre first interview

2008-08-21T20:41:00.001+04:00

Cesc Fabregas: What If... Quiz

2008-08-21T20:33:00.001+04:00

At home with Gilberto

2008-08-21T20:26:00.001+04:00

L.E.G.E.N.D!!

Eduardo on his recovery

2008-08-21T20:22:00.001+04:00

Silvestre leaves Man Utd. for Arsenal!

2008-08-21T19:02:00.003+04:00

Nope, this definitely is not an April fool's joke!

Wenger picked up an experienced and unwanted Silvestre from Man Utd!!
I never thought in a million years that Fergie would just give off one of his players to one of the Top 4! Silvestre, one of the best defenders in Europe at a point of time, was unwanted by Manchester United as they found a better blocker in Wes Brown. He is expected to cost around 750,000 pounds, and will be the first player to sign for Arsenal from Manchester United in 34 years.
He'll mostly be used as a replacement for Phillipe Senderos, who has a tendency to make stupid mistakes in tough situations. He has signed a two year deal, and will don the number 18 shirt, last worn by Cygan. The last player from Manchester United to sign for Arsenal was Brian Kidd way back in 1974!

Silvestre had been approached by Manchester City, and was about to join them before he heard that Arsenal were showing interest in him.

Welcome to Arsenal Silvestre!

Van Persie post Real Madrid

2008-08-20T14:56:00.001+04:00

Big Four Fail to dominate

2008-08-20T10:56:00.004+04:00

The heroes of last season have yet to emerge. Ronaldo, Adebayor, Drogba and Torres were the best of last season for the big four and after their prices skyrocketed during the pre-season negots, everyone expected the titans to prove their worth this season, especially Fergie's Man United.

Sir Alex Ferguson had criticised United's biggest challengers Chelsea, calling them old and useless. He said that youngsters were required by a team and his team had it all. But it seems that he was mistaken, again for except Chelsea, none of the EPL giants were on the front foot at the start of the season.

Manchester United got off to a bad start after they struggled againsta team they had beaten 11-3 over two legs last season. They were unconvincing and could not get any chances, and were far from their best. Martins scored easily in the 22nd minute and then United could not come on front until a Fletcher header saved United to draw 1-1.

Meanwhile Arsenal took control through Nasri and then made chances but could not extend their lead.

Liverpool did not play convincingly and were outplayed completely by Sunderland. But Spanish Torres saved them again to win 1-0.

Chelsea made a debut under Big Phil Scolari and thrashed Pompey 4-0. Joe Cole gave the lead and which was followed by Anelka's goal in the 29' , Lampard's goal through a penalty in the 55', and Deco finally scored in stoppage time. The five man midfield ran forward to support Anelka and played brilliantly.

Seems Chelsea has the upper hand for now.

Nasri saves Arsenal blushes

2008-08-17T11:29:00.004+04:00

New season, new hero, same old result.

Samir Nasri took just three minutes 44 seconds to introduce himself to the Emirates Stadium faithful on Saturday. His well-crafted goal was enough to beat West Brom and put Arsenal top of the nascent Premier League table but Arsène Wenger knows his side must perform much better than this if they are going to be in the same position come May.

The home side thundered forward in the opening stages and Nasri’s goal appeared to be the first of many. However Arsenal lost their way after the break and West Brom had a couple of decent chances to equalise. Most notably when Djourou cleared James Morrison’s shot off the line.

However, an opening day win is an important win, no matter how it comes. Arsenal will play better than this and draw during the coming campaign.

And there is a long, long way to go.

It may have been the first game of the Premier League campaign but Wenger’s men had already played nine pre-season fixtures this summer plus Wednesday’s Champions League qualifier. That, and Euro 2008, had taken a toll.

Nine players missed the game at Twente in midweek and just Nasri (thigh/knee) returned to the starting line-up this afternoon. Kolo Tourehad only half-recovered from his hip injury and was left on the bench. He was joined there by Robin Van Persie, who was rested, so Nicklas Bendtner was paired with Emmanuel Adebayor up front.

Eboue was employed as an emergency central midfielder alongside Denilson so Aaron Ramsey was also dropped down. After an impressive game in midweek, Djourou retained his place alongside William Gallas.

As ever, Emirates Stadium was a picture on opening day. This lunchtime kick-off was the first game of the entire Premier League campaign. It added a little something extra to a game already jam-packed with anticipation.

Twente had gone for Arsenal’s throats in midweek and, to be honest, it rattled the Gunners. Wenger's men would try the same trick this afternoon and it had the same effect.

Within four minutes, the hosts had the lead. Nasri collected the ball in the left-hand channel and he nudged it to Bendtner who in turn found Gael Clichy on the left-hand byline. The Frenchman spotted Denilson racing towards the byline. The Brazilian reached the ball and cut back for Nasri to steer home a low shot from the corner of the six-yard box.

Arsenal were already looking rampant. Adebayor set up Walcott to nod a header towards the far post. It was blocked by a West Brom body but not, according to referee Howard Webb, a hand.

Soon afterwards, Gallas cracked a venomous long-range drive just wide from fully 30 yards. It was one of those piercing shots that retain its pace and flat trajectory throughout their journey.

Sagna tried his luck from the right flank minutes later but the deflection off Abdoulaye Meite saw the ball balloon just beyond the far post.

Midway through the half, Bendtner sent a steepling header wide. Although Do-Heon Kim did force Manuel Almunia to pull off a fine one-handed save just after the half-hour and then Djourou foiled Ismail Miller 12 yards out, Arsenal were still in control.

Before half-time, Nasri, Adebayor and Denilson all had long-range efforts to add to the lead.

The home side went into the interval cruising. The only issue was an old one – had they scored the goals they deserved?

And would it come back to haunt them.

The answer, as we found out four minutes in, was ‘nearly’. Miller escaped on the left and shot at Almunia’s legs from a tight angle. The ball rebounded to James Morrison who fired into the heart of a frantic area. Almunia got a touch on the shot but Djourou’s presence on the line was the main reason the ball was scrambled wide.

Adebayor might have settled the nerves a couple of minutes later when he burst clear only to sidefoot his shot wide.

However, you sensed Arsenal had started to lose their way. The muscular Miller was causing problems for the defence, and attacks from the home side were now fleeting.

Before the midway point of the half, Walcott had a shot charged down and Eboue blazed wide. With 23 minutes left, Adebayor had the ball in the net only to be flagged offside.

However the overwhelming Arsenal of the first half had waned. To liven up his side, Wenger brought on Van Persie and Toure for Walcott and Bendtner with around 20 minutes left.

Ten minutes from time, Adebayor’s long, arching cross was met by the Dutchman at the far post. His header was held by Carson.

A stumbling, turning Van Persie then prod a shot past the far post with five minutes to go.

At full time, the overwhelming emotion was relief. As at Twente on Wednesday, Arsenal had won the game, kept a clean sheet and done their jobs professionally.

However the trademark finesse may have to wait until their injured players return.

- edited from Arsenal .com

Highlights! Compiled by blizzard!

Samir Nasri, 4th minute, 1-0

Thierry Henry - Legend DVD Promo

2008-08-16T06:27:00.001+04:00

UEFA Champions League Qualifier: Twente 0-2 Arsenal

2008-08-14T10:37:00.007+04:00

Wenger shows overconfident McClaren Who is Boss!!

Although the Twente questions had been searching, Arsenal managed to smuggle a vital 2-0 victory back from Arnhem on Wednesday night.

Arsène Wenger's weakened side were on the rack for most of this Champions League third qualification round first leg tie. Steve McClaren, in his first competitive game since England's defeat to Croatia last November, had asked his team to tear into Arsenal from the first whistle and they responded in style.

The visitors were on the back foot for most of the opening period and only really started to look the part when William Gallas turned in Robin Van Persie's free-kick in the 63rd minute.

Eight minutes from time, Emmanuel Adebayor added another to give the result a gloss Arsenal's performance did not deserve.

But they do deserve credit for their tenacity determination and professionalism on a night when, for once, Wenger's men struggled to find their rhythm.

This was the third time Arsenal have been in the qualifying stages, the third time they have been drawn away first and the third time they have brought a significant lead home.

However this was also the third time Wenger's men have been in the qualifying stages, the third time they have been drawn away first and the third time they have won 2-0.

This result has paved the way to the group stages twice before and it should do so again this year.

But this had been by far the toughest test.

Wenger selected the side widely predicted. With nine players absent for one reason or another, he did not have much choice. , just 17, came in for his debut. His 'senior' partner in central midfield was 20-year-old Denilson.

The full list of absentees was Senderos (hamstring), Kolo Toure (hip), Fabregas (hamstring), Diaby (thigh), Samir Nasri (knee/thigh), Eduardo(leg), Tomas Rosicky(hamstring), Amaury Bischoff (groin) and Alex Song (Olympics participation). As a result Wenger had to draw on the best of his youngsters. There were two teenagers in the starting line-up and the average age the Arsenal bench was a little over 19 years six months.

Twente had been forced to play this game at Vitesse Arnhem's Gelredome due to redevelopment work at their own ground. The move did nothing to dent the atmosphere before kick-off. The teams walked out to 'You'll never walk alone' and the opening stages were backed by feverish drums and bellowing songs from the Twente fans behind Manuel Almunia's goal.

And the home side seemed determined to match that pace early on.

Twente started like a runaway train as they tore into Arsenal in the first quarter of an hour. They had little to show for it apart from Romano Denneboom's header past the far post. But the Dutch side had shown they were not going to be in awe of their more illustrious opponents during this tie. And the first half would continue in that vein.

In the 18th minute, Luke Wilkshire robbed Theo Walcott in the centre circle and Theo Janssen sent Eljero Elia clear in the left-hand channel. Almunia managed to beat the Dutch Under-21 international to the ball and Arsenal mopped up the danger. But, yet again, the pace and sheer brute force of Twente had stretched the visitors.

By the midway point of the first half, Arsenal had forced a couple of corners but that was about it. They were struggling.

And in the 24th minute, they nearly fell behind. Denneboom ghosted past Denilson on the edge of the area and hastily hacked a shot over the bar. It was the first time Twente had truly prised Arsenal open but the 27-year-old lost his head and, with it, his chance.

The youth of Wenger's central midfield had been a worry before the game and certainly Arsenal were rarely retaining the ball for long. In the 31st minute Ramsey did send a speculative effort way over the bar from 30 yards. It was perhaps the first time Twente keeper Sander Boschker had needed even a flutter of concern.

But in the 36th minute the concern was all Arsenal's. Denneboom nudged Marko Arnautovic clear through the middle. However the striker's first touch was heavy and Almunia made the save. You sensed that might have been a key moment.

The game was starting to open up and Arsenal immediately went up the other end to create two clear-cut chances for an unlikely lead. First Van Persie bodyswerved himself some space on the right of the area but Cheick Tiote had to nod away from under his own bar. Then, from the corner, Boschker spilled Clichy's long-range thunderbolt and Sagna sliced the rebound past the post.

Four minutes from the break, Clichy explicably gave the ball to Arnautovic but the 19-year-old Austrian showed his youth by blazing the ball horribly wide.

It has been a torrid first half from an Arsenal's perspective.

The signs were better after the restart. Van Persie had an early drive blocked and on the hour Eboue went clear for a second only to be bundled off the ball before he could get a shot away.

In between those efforts, Twente had enjoyed plenty of pressure and were still peppering the Arsenal area. However there were noticeably fewer alarms for Almunia.

Although Arsenal were improving, it is right to say the visitors 'stole' the lead in the 63rd minute. Edson Braffheid hauled down Eboue on the right and Van Persie threaded a free-kick low into the heart of the area. It found Gallas at the near post and the captain bundled the ball home off his knee.

It was a scruffy but crucial away goal.

The strike left Twente subdued and Arsenal started to exude more confidence.

Eleven minutes from time Elia nudged the ball inside for Arnautovic to prod a shot into the sidenetting. But it would be the home side’s last real effort.

In the 83rd minute, Walcott set up Adebayor to slot in the second from close range.

The goal was testament to Arsenal's self-belief. The performance could be improved upon but, in difficult circumstances, they had done their job.

Despite the second goal, the home crowd kept singing and the home side kept going but, after that, their challenge was spents.

Twente will no doubt take much from this game. As for Arsenal, the result looks better on paper than it did on the night and perhaps that is all that matters.

That, and qualification to the group stages of course.

Highlights! Compiled by blizzard!

Gallas, 63rd minute, 0-1

Gallas 0-1 : FC Twente vs Arsenal
by Matthierry

Adebayor, 82nd minute, 0-2

Adebayor 0-2 vs Fc Twente
by Matthierry

Arsenal's new talent

2008-08-12T10:36:00.007+04:00

Maybe Arsenal have not added prolific and high fly names to their club during the pre season transfers, but they have brought in skilled youngsters from the reserve team and brought back skilled loaned players. Here are some names that will be common next season:

JACK WILSHERE

Wilshere has been one of Wenger's genius finds. This 16 year old youngster has quickly taken his way into the Arsenal main squad, impressing everyone along the way. The English teenage prodigy was first taken to help the team into the infamous 6-5 rule, but Jack moulded into an amazing player, scoring in nearly every match Arsenal has played during the summer break.

Wenger has often counted upon him to take Arsenal out of trouble, and the midfielder has proven his point, that he is here to stay.

CARLOS VELA

Vela is talented Mexican who comes from a family of footballers. This 19 yr old striker was first spotted as an upcoming talent during the Under 17 World Cup, where he won the Golden Boot and led Mexico to a cup Victory. Many European Clubs vied for him, with Arsenal coming on top. He was then denied a work permit in England, so he was loaned out to Celta De Vigo, then Salamanca and lastly Osasuna before returning to Arsenal this year.

He too has been a vital player in the Gunners pre season friendlies and is in the Eduardo mould. Watch out for him as he has a killer instinct for goals.

MARK RANDALL

Randall is also another English footballer who has already played a few matches for Arsenal, yet has had his goals disallowed by the referee. This 18 yr old central midfielder might take the position of Mathieu Flamini, who has shifted to AC Milan this summer.

Randall was loaned to various clubs and then his talent surfaced, after which Arsenal trained him and thus has resulted in a skillful and intriguing player who can surprise the opposition whenever necessary.

The others include promising Aaron Ramsey and Samir Nasri.

Arsenal thus have talent, but can they make the cup theirs this time???

Amsterdam Tournament 2008: Arsenal 3-2 Ajax, Arsenal 1-1 Sevilla

2008-08-11T19:15:00.003+04:00

Arsenal swept the Amsterdam tournament after impressive performances against Ajax and Sevilla.

Highlights!

Arsenal 3-2 Ajax
Suarez, 34th minute, 0-1
Huntelaar, 36th minute, 0-2
Adebayor, 67th minute, 1-2
Bendtner, 75th minute, 2-2
Adebayor, 83rd minute, 3-2

Arsenal 1-1 Sevilla
Carlos Vela, 2nd minute, 1-0
Chevanton, 79th minute, 1-1

Note: Both matches were played in Amsterdam (lol)

Emirates Cup 2008: Arsenal 0-1 Juventus, Arsenal 1-0 Real Madrid

2008-08-11T19:06:00.002+04:00

Sorry for the late post! Unfortunately, Arsenal couldn't defend their Emirates Cup, as Hamburg took it away after their 3-0 victory over Juventus.

An offside goal by Trezeguet allowed Juve to take victory in an Arsenal dominated match. Adebayor scored a penalty which made them victorious over Real Madrid.

Highlights!!

Arsenal 0-1 Juventus
Trezeguet, 37th minute, 0-1

Arsenal 1-0 Real Madrid
Adebayor(penalty), 49th minute, 1-0

Adebayor goal vs Real M. 1:0
by fwoman

Cheers

Amaury Bischoff, Welcome to Arsenal!

2008-07-31T11:37:00.003+04:00

Amaury Bischoff signed a few days back from Werder Bremen, and he will don the number 28 shirt. He is the third signing made by Arsene Wenger, and it looks like the Portuguese midfielder will impress many.

Welcome:D

Arsenal forwards impressive in 3-1 win

2008-07-31T11:25:00.003+04:00

Even though the defence didn't look too good, it was the attack and the substitutions that allowed Arsenal to run away with a comfortable 3-1 victory.

Vela, Bendtner and Wilshere were on target once again, all of them firing as Jens Lehmann watched his former side blast three beautiful goals past him.

The defence looked worrying once again as Stuttgart scored first, before the Gunners took away the match.

The partnership between Vela and Bendtner, which is only 3 matches old, seems to be getting stronger. Van Persie was good, but missed an absolute sitter in the first half.

Highlights courtesy Arsenalist!

Yıldıray Baştürk, 51st minute, 1-0

Carlos Vela, 58th minute, 1-1

Bendtner, 63rd minute, 1-2 (video not clear, start watching from the 50th second onwards)

Jack Wilshere, 73rd minute, 1-3

Go ARSENAL!!!

Arsenal score perfect 10 against Burgenland

2008-07-29T10:09:00.002+04:00

Arsenal's youngsters were right on target, firing in goals which gave them a huge 10-2 victory over Burgenland XI.

Bendtner, Vela, Wilshere, and Walcott were all on target scoring 4, 3, 2, and 1 goals respectively.

Arsenal were 10 zip in the 70th minute, with Burgenland pulling back 2 goals, one in the 73rd minute, and one at the death of the game.

Here are the highlights!!

Wilshere, 1st minute, 0-1
Bendtner, 14th minute, 0-2
Bendtner, 19th minute, 0-3
Vela, 25th minute, 0-4
Bendtner, 30th minute, 0-5
Vela, 33rd minute, 0-6
Bendtner, 37th minute, 0-7 + First Half Highlights

Vela, 52nd minute, 0-8
Wilshere, 65th minute, 0-9
Walcott, 69th minute, 0-10
Foric, 73rd minute, 1-10
Martna, 90th minute, 2-10 + 2nd Half Highlights

Gunners scrape a draw with Walcott's help

2008-07-23T15:07:00.002+04:00

Kenesei, 24th minute, 1-0

Walcott, 42nd minute, 1-1

Enjoy:D

Arsenal come from behind to edge Barnet 1-2

2008-07-20T15:02:00.004+04:00

Arsenal managed to come back from an early deficit to beat Barnet 1-2 in their first pre-season friendly of the season. Ramsey was brilliant in his first game for the Gunners, who looked absolutely horrible in the first half. But some neat substitutions by Wenger will leave him happy, as the team that played in the second half were far better than the petty team which played in the first half.

Barnet got ahead via a Gillet freekick, which left Almunia furious after he set up a good wall. Arsenal's goals came from Jay Simpson and Nacer Barazite in the 63rd and 73rd minute respectively.

Highlights!!!

Gillet, 15th minute, 1-0

Jay Simpson, 63rd minute, 1-1

Nacer Barazite, 73rd minute, 1-2

Next Match: Szombathelyi H. (lol what??)

Total Arsenal Makeover

2008-07-20T09:26:00.004+04:00

Yes fans, we shall see a totally new Arsenal this season!!

First of all, we have an overconfident Adebayor up front. The tall striker had demanded much more attention from Wenger and had even threatened to leave the club for AC Milan. But since Ronaldinho is now there, he is no longer wanted. But he must not be so overconfident. The sleek tricker but bad finisher must prove his price this season.

We also have A rejuvenated Van Persie and Eduardo who is back from injury. These talents will not go waste this season. We also have a new attacker in the form of Samir Nasri taking Hleb's place in the squad. We will also see Fabregas, who was one of Spain's best players this Euro, to take a dual role in the absence of Flamini. But you never know, Ramsey might be good enough to partner El Galactico!!:D

Yes Gooners, this season is ours!!!!!

Players back in training...

2008-07-19T14:05:00.001+04:00

Best of Cesc - Arsenal.com 07/08 Player of the Season

2008-07-16T16:05:00.001+04:00

Gooo Fabregas!!!

Lalalalala.......=)

2008-07-13T13:29:00.002+04:00

Yipeee!!! The "next Zidane" Samir Nasri has finally come to the Emirates! He has been signed up on a long-term deal( I'm guessing a 4 year deal) for an undisclosed fee (reports say 12-13 million!). He'll don the number 8 shirt, which was previously worn by Ian Wright and Ljunberg.

He'll most probably take over Hleb's spot as an attacking midfielder, since Hleb has finally decided he wants to leave the club. It seems that first he lashes out at Fabregas and Wenger, saying that Fabregas is selfish as he takes every scoring opportunity unlike him and also said that he and Wenger had differences on his transfer. He also said that Wenger was happy to see him go! After a few days, he says that Fabregas is a good friend and Wenger is a brilliant manager, and understands his needs well. Only one word here - W.E.I.R.D!!

According to reports, Hleb claims that serious negotiations are being held between the London club and the folks at Barca, and that they will reach a deal soon. Barcelona have proposed a 13 million pound offer for the attacking midfielder, who claims to be 'mentally tired' of London life.
Samir Nasri is very optimistic, and is looking forward to playing his first game soon- in Hleb's spot.

In other news, Gilberto Silva may well be on his way to Panathinaikos, after Arsenal had agreed to transfer him to the Greeks. All that is remaining is agreeing personal terms, after which the deal will be done and Gilberto will leave the club. The deal is said to be worth 1-3 million euros. Well, the cash will be needed badly, because it seems that a certain player wants to badly join Arsenal.

Yep, Arshavin wants to join Arsenal, according to his agent, as his club have set up a steep 19 million Euros for the playmaker. After reports that a London club had their offer turned down, Arshavin and Zenit are playing the waiting game for Arsenal to splash the cash. Hopefully that happens!

Oh yea, the boring Adebayor Bermuda Triangle. Barcelona have been very quite for a last week or two, but it seems Milan are getting very interested- not for long. It seems that Ronaldinho will be going to the San Siro, which means that Milan might not want Adebayor anymore. I'm starting to think that Adebayor is very overrated, since he performed well only for one season and his price sky-rockets!! Let's see what he does next season, only then his pay raise demands will be justified.

Meanwhile, it looks like Eduardo will join the Gunners in pre-season training from the July 21st, which is good news. I'm tipping Ed to score plenty of goals in the season to come!!

Nike Boot Camp Ad( yep Eduardo's back:D)

2008-07-13T13:27:00.001+04:00

Wooaahh!! By the looks of this video, it seems that Eduardo is back in training!! YES!!!

Cesc quizzed on life and teammates

2008-07-13T10:06:00.001+04:00

Samir Nasri: I'm a Gunner!

2008-07-12T16:24:00.001+04:00

WELCOME TO ARSENAL SAMIR NASRI!!!

Pockets

2008-07-09T15:45:00.001+04:00

Arsenal Players are putting their hands in their pockets and are donating a day's wages to TreeHouse, the National Charity for Autism Education and Arsenal's Charity of the season.(ie; last season)

Negotiations!!!

2008-07-05T11:31:00.004+04:00

Yes guys, we are back, after intense blogging on the Euros( we provided video highlights too:D).

After the Euro 2008, which totally rocked, Arsene Wenger has kept his eyes on a few players, who have sparkled in the tournament.

My eyes were filled with glee when I read that Andrei Arshavin, the Russian playmaker from Zenit, was linked to Arsenal. But the problem is, since he performed so well in the Euro 2008 tournament, his price would have sky-rocketed, and Arsenal being the measly spenders they are, would not even think of buying him. It seems that Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona are the front runners for Arshavin, with Barcelona seemingly ahead of the latter. Arsenal are falling behind in the race, and might soon be left out of it. Arsene Wenger feels that Arshavin would be a perfect replacement for Aleksandr Hleb, who might leave. Or not.

Marcos Senna, the star defensive midfielder for Spain was also linked with Arsenal a few days back, with ex Gunner Cygan recommending him to the North London club. Senna would be an ideal replacement for Flamini, who made a stupid decision of leaving Arsenal for AC Milan, who are not even playing Champions League football this season!!! It seems that Senna is in talks with his club Villarreal, for a contract extension. I think he wants to see out the rest of his career at Villarreal.

Mario Gomez, who was frequently linked with Arsenal, has been told by a German great(no idea who) that his best bet would be to join Arsenal. Gomez, who had a poor showing at the recent Euros, had been constantly linked with the Gunners since before the Euros. The German great said that the best place for Gomez to settle his problems, find his form and improve his game would be at the Emirates.

Roque Santa Cruz seems to be another potential target. The Blackburn Rovers hitman had been on fire last season, and Arsene Wenger is quite impressed with him. Since Adebayor might leave the club, Arsene Wenger needs his striking force to be strengthened.

Speaking about Adebayor, the Arsenal striker has given mixed reactions about Arsenal. First he says that he would commit his future to Arsenal, until his contract runs out. Then minutes later, he says that he would love to go to Barcelona, as he would get the chance to play with great players. He then said that he didn't want to go to Milan, since they aren't playing Champions League football this season. Milan anyway dropped out of the race to pick up Adebayor, citing him as 'too dear' for them. Adebayor then says that people ask him whether he gets the same salary as Thierry Henry, since he is Arsenal's main striker now, showing us that the lad wants a pay raise. He is demanding a pay raise, literally double of what he earns now, which would make him one of the top earning strikers in English football. He then goes on to say that Arsenal would benefit from selling him, as they would get a lot of money.

Well, hopefully, Usmanov(some billionaire guy) takes over Arsenal. Rumours are floating that he would offer 100 million pounds to Arsenal every year to spend on transfers. YIKES!! Arsenal need that kind of money!! Arsenal legends are repeatedly telling the Arsenal board to 'OK' the offer, otherwise Arsenal would not be playing Champions League football in the years to come.(I put a pic of him just to let you know what he looks like:P)

Samir Nasri will be a Gunner in 10 days, according to his agent. Nasri, who made only two appearances in France's dismal Euro 2008 campaign where they managed only 1 goal in three games, has been on Arsene's radar for quite a long time. And now since ex-Arsenal target Ben Arfa has completed his move to Marseille, Nasri is on his way to the Emirates.

German forward Lukas Podolski has been linked to Arsenal too. Let's keep our fingers crossed!:D

We will keep you guys updated.. until then, this is blizzard signing off.

Euro 2008: Final - (29/06/2008)Germany 0-1 Spain

2008-06-30T10:20:00.003+04:00

Golden Boy does it for Spain

The Finals- held in Vienna, was in an amazing atmosphere. German and Spanish fans together, singing in the spirit of the game. Spanish sensation Enrique Iglesias sang before the match to general applause. The teams came out with Germany the home team.

David Villa, the top scorer missed out due to a muscular injury. Michael Ballack, though recovered from a mystery illness and captained the side to the finals. The referee was Italian Rosetti, who had previously refereed the Croatia and Turkey match.

Germany had a better start, from a Ramos giveaway to Klose, but Klose could not capitalise. Spain, in contrast, looked very nervous. But they broke away in the 14’, as they forced a Medzelder error to give away nearly an own goal. But Lehmann, the oldest person to play the finals at 38, showed no sign of age as he leapt to Germany’s rescue.

Fabregas got the start from Aragones, who favoured the 4-5-1 formation rather than giving Guiza the nod as the second striker to assist Torres.

But Spain came back into control, gaining their rhythm. A 22’ attempt made sure of this. Sergio Ramos, who had taken the role of sprinting down the right wing, crossed to Torres in the centre of the box through the dreaming German defenders, but Torres’s header, though it beat Lehmann, hit the inside of the post to ricochet back, and Xavi could not back the shot up.

Germany tried their luck too, with a 25’ chance for Ballack, But Ramos deflected it away. The German fans will be grumbling that they didn’t get a penalty for a Capdevila hand touch in the box, but the referee felt that it wasn’t deliberate as play resumed.

Spain took the lead when a sudden Xavi pass forward saw Torres edge Lahm out and nudge the ball over a diving Lehmann to the left side of the goal. Spain, spurred by this goal, started passing the ball well and a 34’ chance, Iniesta passed to Silva who completely miscued the shot.

A touch of worry for the German fans when they saw Ballack limping off with a bleeding eye but later came on again. But Ballack kept on fouling the Spanish, which was not good on his part.

Such a foul resulted in an exchange between Ballack and Puyol. Casillas intervened and the referee gave Ballack a yellow and stupidly gave Casillas one too.

The 1st half ending, the coaches had some thinking to do. Low brought in Jansen for Lahm in a surprise move. But Spain kept on making chances. Germany had their chace when Podolski snatched the ball from Puyol and crossed, but Ballack nudged the ball wide.

Low was getting increasingly frustrated and brought in a second striker Kuranyi. This sub brought in a change in the forces as Germany started making the chances, and pushed Spain to the back foot. Aragones then removed Fabregas for Alonso and Torres for Guiza. Another scuffle between Podolski and Silva saw Silva ram his head. The german players danced around the pitch, asking the referee to send him off, but they got a freekick which they wasted.

A freekick saw Ramos head the ball but Lehmann punched it away, some time later Iniesta tried but Frings cleared the ball from the line. Iniesta again tried but Lehmann stopped it again.

Both Germany and Spain made chances. But Germany kept one defender to Spain’s one striker as they went on an all out attack. But Spain was not to be denied as they won their first title in 40 years.

Commentator Steve Mcmahon though took a dig at the Arsenal team by saying that Spain over elaborated in front of goal like Arsenal.

Anyway Spain won!!! Congrats!!!!!!!!

Highlights compiled by blizzard!!!

Torres, 33rd minute, 0-1 + Match Highllights

EURO 2008:(26/6/08) SPAIN VS RUSSIA (3-0)

2008-06-27T12:32:00.003+04:00

Gunner Fires Spain to Final!!!

Man, this was one heck of a match!!! Both teams squaring off at Vienna, the site of the final, with great teams and players, this was electric!!!

Spain did not have history on their side. After 24 years they had made a semi final and they hadn’t won the Euro for 40 years!! The underachieving team had to bring out something good today as they were under a lot of pressure to reach the final.

On the other hand, Russia seemed relaxed. No one had expected them to reach so far. They had seen the likes of France, Portugal, Holland and Italy crumble before them. Their young squad were on fire at the moment, and their coach was a brilliant thinker and had completely reformed the team.

Both teams started well, passing and strolling. But the pitch was in a bad shape as at the same time there was a cloud burst and the players were playing amid thunder and lightning. Despite that, Spain had the first chance when Villa passed to Torres, who had his back turned to the goal, and through excellent footwork had his shot, but it was stopped by Akintaen.

The referee was cool and calm, and taking the conditions to consideration, kept the cards in his pocket. Both teams played well, creating chances, one after the other. A Villa free kick saw a stop by the GK and he stubbed his toe on the pitch.
In 30’, a beautiful curling kick by Pavlyuchenko saw it hit the post after a crucial touch by Casillas. In 33’, Villa limped off, injuring his foot, and Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas came in. In this half we could see Sergio Ramos dancing in and out of the right wing, making crucial passes and at the same time, defending amazingly, taking the ball away from the Russians.

Thus the match reached half time. We had to see whether the break would do the players good or bad. The rain was receding and the pitch was drying up. That meant that the ball would not skid as it had done in the 1st half.

And we were right; the second half was very interesting. Spain started attacking. Fabregas passed to Iniesta who ran into the box and then out of it to find some room and kicked towards the goal hard, only for Xavi to leap out and the ball to hit his leg to go under the goalkeeper to give Spain the lead.

After this, Spain started attacking incessantly, gaining confidence all the time. Ramos and Puyol were the backbones of the defence, along with Marchena, as they stole the ball again and again from the Russians. They marked Pavlyuchenko and Arshavin, and these two ace players became as tame as cats.

Shortly, Aragones made a double switch Guiza for Torres, and Xabi Alonso for Xavi. Alonso had an immediate impact on the game, kicking a long ball but it found Akintaen’s hands.

The Spanish kept on moving forward, and Fabregas played a huge role in this, spurring them to greater heights. The Russians lost the ball again and again, but they were giving in without a fight.

Only then came a moment of brilliance. David Silva was strolling on the right wing. Looking for space across the Russian wall, and passed to Fabregas. The Arsenal Midfielder showed his talent by delicately touching the ball over the entire wall to an unmarked Guiza, who beat the offside trap, just to nudge the ball in the opposite direction of a diving Akintaen. This second goal was in the 73rd minute.

Spain, having defeated Russia in a huge manner, were doing it again. They passed beautifully, defeating the defence. The Russians incompetence was showing, as huge gaps started appearing in the mid field, and Spain made it look as though they were strolling in the garden.

But Spain was not finished. In the 82’, a triangle of Iniesta, Senna and Capdevila passed to each other in their own half to dispatch Zhirkov, and Iniesta chipped to a sprinting Fabregas in front of him, who ran all the way to the goal. The talented midfielder showed his team spirit and commitment by not taking the shot for himself, but by passing to unmarked Silva off the left wing. Silva, an amazing left footer, then made a clinical finish to increase the lead to 3-0.

In the 88’, a free kick from Zhirkov to Sychev who headed it towards goal and it seemed that Russia would net a consolation, but Casillas leaped to make an amazing save. That was the last chance as Spain beat Russia 3-0.

Russia looked defeated and tired but WE APPLAUD THEIR SPIRIT AND CONGRATULE THEM FOR REACHING THE SEMIS!!!

A worrying news though, for Spanish fans. David Villa, who had injured his foot, may not be able to play for Sunday’s final, as the reports say. HOPE NOT!!!

Congrats Spain!!!!!!!!!!

Highlights!! Compiled by blizzard!!

Xavi, 50th minute, 0-1
Guiza, 73rd minute, 0-2
Silva, 82nd minute, 0-3 + Match Highlights

Euro 2008: Semifinals - (25/06/2008)Germany 3-2 Turkey

2008-06-26T10:25:00.006+04:00

Germany “Lahm” their way through

This Euro 2008 has been a tournament of surprises. The giants have been vanquished. The strongest teams have been dismantled. The smaller teams have shown their talent. And the first semi final was a testimony to that.

Turkey already had a depleted squad with 9 players out due to injury or suspension. Tuncay, Emre and Volkan, all out. But that did not stop them from trying to reach their first final.

Germany had a full strength squad with fully fit substitutes. Their players were in form. Many predicted a one sided game on their part. How very wrong they were.

Turkey started the game well, making a lot of chances, snatching the ball away from the Germans. They passed well, crossed beautifully and intercepted the German passes. In the 15’, they nearly took the lead when a pass to Kazim Kazim in the penalty box saw him hit the woodwork, though he thoroughly beat Lehmann. But the Turks were not to be denied. A throw in near the penalty box in the 22’ was passed to Kazim who did an awkward Bicycle kick which hit the woodwork again. But Ugur Boral followed it up, nudging the ball under Lehmann to give Turkey the lead.

But Germany had woken up, at long last. They started creating chances and passing well. Turkey had not held the lead in any Euro match for more than 9 minutes. This was true here.

In the 26’, a cross to sprinting Podolski in the left wing saw him evade a defender and pass the ball to no anyone in particular in the box, but Schweinsteiger pushed past a defender to nudge the ball past Rustu for an equaliser.

In the 38’, Rolfes and Hamit Altintop collided, and both players required stitches, Hamit on the head, and Rolfes on the brow. Both teams did not do any better till the 1st half end.
After the break, Loew took a huge gamble. He substituted Rolfes for injured Frings, who had injured his ribs in the match against Austria. Frings had been able to train, and had an extra covering which included carbon fibres to keep him going.

Both teams started attacking incessantly, but Germany was back on their feet. They got the lead through Klose in the 79th minute. But Turkey was not done yet. A lapse in concentration off the right wing where Sabri, who nearly gave Germany a penalty with a challenge on Lahm, dodged a defender and passed to Semih Senturk, who touched the ball and surprisingly, it went through Lehmann’s legs for a second goal.

Lehmann seemed to be dreaming that the ball would come to him, saw the ball going past him as the stadium erupted once again.

Just when the match was poised to go to extra time, a touch of brilliance was seen. Hitzelsperger had squandered many chances, hitting either over or on the wrong side of the crossbar. When Lahm tricked past the left wing defence, he passed to Hitzelsperger who passed past three defenders to Lahm into the penalty box. He beat the offside trap to take Turkey by surprise and smashed the ball over Rustu to give Germany the winner.

Germany, though pathetic in the first half, came back in the second half and showed their winning and never say die mentality to reach their 5th final. Meanwhile Turkey can bow out in pride, that they played equal to Portugal is a testimony that there is really a change in the blowing of winds.

Germany will now face either Russia or Spain.

Today’s fixture: Spain versus Russia (0015 Indian Standard Time)

Highlights!! Compiled by blizzard!!

Ugur Boral, 22nd minute, 0-1
Bastian Schweinsteiger, 26th minute, 1-1
Klose, 79th minute, 2-1
Semih Sentürk, 86th minute, 2-2
Lahm, 90th minute, 3-2 + Match Highlights

SEMI SURPRISES

2008-06-24T11:35:00.004+04:00

Germany vs Turkey

Germany: The Germans have had a good tournament so far, crushing their opposition, and playing their natural game. Their three pronged attack Klose, Podolski and Gomez has worked so far, with Schweinsteiger not far behind. Lahm too has been terrific. Meanwhile former Arsenal Gk Lehmann has guarded the goal precariously, but has given easy chances to the opposition.
But the one problem is when Klose or Podolski is marked; they buckle under the pressure as seen in the Croatia match. But they too have tricks under their sleeves such as Podolski’s speed, Ballack’s free kicks and Klose’s deadly headers.

This team is deadly and can crush the opposition if allowed too much room.

Turkey : One of the dark horses of the tournament, Turkey has proved that it has the talent and the grit to topple mountains. This team literally kicked out Czech republic in the last 15 minutes of their game and sealed Croatia’s doom in the last minute. But this team has been hit hard with yellow cards and suspensions with star Tuncay along with a few other players unable to play the semis clash. So will this team topple the giants Germany?? Only time will tell.

Spain vs Russia:

Russia: This team has travelled far after being drubbed in their first game with Spain 1-4. This team defeated former cup holders Greece and Sweden to reach the quarters where they threw away Holland to set up a semis clash with Spain. They have no pressure on them and they play free flowing football. Their main players Arshavin, Pavlyuchenko, Zhirkov and Bilyadetinov are more than capable to defeat Spain. Coach Guus Hiddink has achieved the semis and wants nothing more, but would not leave a finals spot too easily.

Spain: The Spaniards have weathered some of the most difficult teams to reach the semis. They have also broken the 22nd June curse. They have taught the opposition a lesson not to mess with them by winning every match till now. Their young squad includes Fabregas, Xavi, Torres, Ramos, Puyol, Villa all of whom are in the best of form. Coach Aragones too is no pushover and is determined to see Spain clinch the title before he retires, thus seeing the Iberians on a high.

Will the Giant Killers crush Spain or will the Group Match Be Replayed???

Arsenal Crossbar Challenge

2008-06-24T11:12:00.001+04:00

Arsenal's Crossbar Challenger from last year:D

Oh yea, it's in French!!