Man Utd & Arsenal News

Title For United and Fergie has the Future

2011-05-12T09:16:00.000-07:00

Memang sudah terbukti sekarang ini Piala Liga Inggeris berada di tangan Manchester United walaupun United kalah di tangan Arsenal di Emirates 1-0. Hal ini demikian kerana United telah memenangi satu perlawanan kontroversi iaitu telah berjaya mengalahkan Chelsea pada Ahad lalu.
Dalam pada itu, Arsenal yang sepatutnya boleh memenangi perlawanan dengan Stoke City pula tewas secara mengejut dengan jaringan gol 3 - 1. Keadaan ini merupakan sesuatu yang sungguh memalukan pemainnya dan Arsene Wenger sendiri mengaku terdapat satu yang tidak kena dengan pasukan skuad bimbingannya. Ini adalah kerana jikalau dilihat pada pertengahan bulan March ini Arsenal hanya ketinggalan satu perlawanan sahaja dengan United tetapi tak tahu di mana silapnya yang menyebabkan keparahan demi keparahan menimpa skuad Arsenal.
Sesungguhnya, Chelsea yang telah memenangi perlawanan dengan Spurs yakin bahawa team mereka yakin mampu mengejar United. Tetapi, kekalahan 2 - 1 di tangan United Ahad lalu membuktikan peluang mereka semakin tipis. Masa depan pasukan bimbingan Sir Alex Ferguson memang kebal tahun ini kerana akan berdepan dengan skuad Barcelona di Wembley dalam perlawanan akhir selepas mereka menewaskan Schalke.
Chelsea pada mulanya sangat berharap kepada Arsenal untuk membolehkan mereka memulihkan semangat pemainnya yang ingin menjuarai Piala Liga Inggeris. Tetapi, keadaan sebaliknya pula berlaku apabila tewas di tangan United.
Hanya United sahaja yang mampu menjuarai Liga kali ini dan ini memang terbukti melalui hasil ulasan daripada Arsene Wenger sendiri. Lihat dan tunggu sahaja apa yang berlaku dalam dua perlawanan yang akan datang lagi... Sudah tentu dua piala menanti Manchester United musim ini iaitu Piala Liga Inggeris dan Champions League...

Arsenal In Danger As Chelsea In Second Place...

2011-04-20T17:30:00.000-07:00

HARRY REDKNAPP wrote off Arsenal's title bid after Arsene Wenger's side blew a 3-1 lead at the Lane last night.

Spurs boss Redknapp reckons the Gunners have no hope of clawing back a six-point gap on Manchester United with just five games to go.
Arsenal have drawn five of their last six and Redknapp said: "I can't see Arsenal doing it. Chelsea have gone second in the table after their win and that six-point gap between Arsenal and United is going to be very difficult to overhaul.
"Big leads have been turned around before, it wouldn't be the first time it has happened, and I don't want to be disrespectful - but I can't see them doing it.
"Yet Man United did not play that well against Newcastle on Tuesday. Chelsea might go on a terrific run and win every game.
"Man U have yet to play Arsenal and Chelsea so it's not impossible."
Two goals from Robin van Persie plus a Sami Nasri strike put Arsenal 3-1 ahead but a double from Rafa van der Vaart and a Tom Huddlestone blockbuster shared the points.
Dejected Arsenal boss Wenger is refusing to throw in the towel as they hunt the club's first silverware in six years.
He insisted: "I feel the title is completely open. We have to get ready for the next game and fight as we do. We will battle until the last day.
"Chelsea are back in the race. Chelsea play Man United and so do Arsenal. Chelsea must play Spurs as well. It is definitely open. It is down to us to keep our faith and keep battling.
"We will not always draw when we score three goals and I have to say this team has a remarkable attitude even if at the moment we are not rewarded with the number of points. We are remarkably consistent.
"Arsenal are on an unbeaten run of 16 games but we have not got enough points. We have too many draws."
The Gunners were held 1-1 by Liverpool on Sunday when Kenny Dalglish's side levelled with a penalty 12 minutes into time added on.
But Wenger added: "It is not all negative. What happened to us on Sunday - to recover and come back to play such a good game deserves credit."

Manchester United hit a brick wall today...

2011-04-19T18:00:00.000-07:00

MANCHESTER United hit a brick wall today, which at least made a change.

After inflicting damage on its Wembley dressing room at the weekend, Alex Ferguson's team was thwarted by obdurate opponents at St James' Park, as Newcastle United strained every sinew and urged themselves into every tackle.

In doing so, the top of the table was provided with a frisson of interest. A seven-point lead in the Premier League with five games to play represents a formidable advantage, but this was not an irresistible response to their defeat to Manchester City in the semi-final of the FA Cup. Whether there will be a late swing in the race for the title may be clearer after tomorrow's game between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

Newcastle, whose record at home is a patchwork of inconsistency, defended like tigers and, for an early spell, came close to domination. Even without Kevin Nolan, their inspirational captain and most reliable goalscorer, they demonstrated power, courage and determination.

With 40 points and standing ninth, they can surely plan for another season in the division. There was a form of irony in the denouement, which is such a regular source of solace at Old Trafford. Javier Hernandez was shown a yellow card after falling in the penalty area in close proximity to Danny Simpson and, as the fourth minute of injury time ticked by, Wayne Rooney nicked a free header wide.

Two blips do not derail a season, but they have given others hope. Precedent pointed to an evening of toil for Newcastle, which had lost 13 of its previous 16 fixtures against the visiting side, yet there was little intimation that a meagre history was looming over it. After Tim Krul had thwarted Hernandez's close-range effort from an early cross by Rooney, it tore at the champion, using its pace down the flanks to unsettle and probe.

For a brief interlude, it felt as if one of those force-of-nature Tyneside nights might be beckoning; as the stadium shuddered with noise, Newcastle broke forward, with Jonas Gutierrez causing John O'Shea discomfort, cutting inside and seeing a decent shot deflected for a corner off Chris Smalling.

Shola Ameobi and Cheik Tiote, restored to the side after his recent suspension, both mustered chances.

Yet Rooney was also back from a two-match ban, chastened of mouth, but as lithe as ever.

After a quarter hour of fevered Newcastle pressure, the dynamics altered. There were breaks on the counter-attack, bursts of pace from Nani and Hernandez and then a sudden change of direction that left the England forward spinning around Mike Williamson and with a clear sight of goal. On that occasion, he cleared the crossbar, but there was an increasing sense that Ferguson's team were shaking the fatigue from their limbs.

With Paul Scholes banned, Rio Ferdinand rested and Dimitar Berbatov ill, there was a fresh outlook in their ranks and while their performance was more muscular than wondrous, they concluded the first half ensconced in Newcastle territory. That there was nothing to show for it was down to a combination of an apparent desire to pass through its opponent and some resolute defending in response.

Newcastle sat desperately deep, retreating - or being pushed back - inside their 18-yard box and while that strategy felt perilous, there was a benefit in having such a thicket of players in front of Krul, who was deputising for the injured Steve Harper. It has been a feature of the season, but fluency was fleeting.

Nani earned the displeasure of a bellowing crowd when he claimed a penalty after tumbling at the feet of a bemused Gutierrez - no caution followed, which only served to ratchet up the volume - but the episode underlined Mancunian frustration. Until the midway point, their path had been blocked.

At the other end of the pitch, Newcastle was less prolific, but it was not without threat. Its early bustle was now a memory, replaced by clenched teeth and saving tackles, but Joey Barton's delivery remained a source of encouragement. One free kick was held with comfort by Edwin van der Sar but, in the 44th minute, Smalling failed to intercept a deep ball from the right and Peter Lovenkrands, who later had claims for a penalty denied, directed a free header wide.

The tempo had been ferocious, with endeavour to match it, but the question was whether Newcastle had the stamina and concentration to hold firm. Much was also being asked of United's powers of patience, but then, in this regard, it was hardly ingenues. Playing to the whistle - to the closing seconds of Fergie Time, as it has become known - is ingrained in their psyches.

Drama was rationed. Instead of play becoming stretched, activity congealed in midfield. It took 20 minutes of the second half for hostilities to develop into anything substantive and that was a free kick from Rooney that curled into Krul's arms. Giggs also prodded a shot narrowly wide after Patrice Evra had darted into the box; whatever else, this was not going to be a rout.

A pattern had been established; the introduction of Stephen Ireland from the substitutes' bench was an attempt by Pardew to re-shape it. Suffering from a variety of injuries, Ireland had not appeared for the club since his loan signing from Aston Villa in January and is running short of chances. Ireland quickly had an influence - shooting narrowly off target - but space remained a rarity.

There was a chance for Nani when he tacked inside from the left wing, but the night's most emotive moment came when the Portugal winger was replaced by Michael Owen. On the first anniversary of its confirmation of their promotion from the Championship, Newcastle fans showered their former player with jeers.

It is a different club; something they made plain.

The Times

Arsenal Controversial 1 - 1 draw against Liverpool

2011-04-17T19:00:00.000-07:00

Arsene Wenger has asked his Arsenal players to fight until the end in the Premier League title race after suffering a huge blow to their hopes during a controversial 1-1 draw against Liverpool.
Wenger's team had to settle for a point as Dirk Kuyt's penalty, with the last action of the game at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, cancelled out Robin van Persie's stoppage-time spot-kick.
It leaves Arsenal six points behind Manchester United with just six games to play this season and time running out to catch Sir Alex Ferguson's league leaders.
"We have to give everything until the last game of the season and see if it is our year or not," Wenger said.
"It's about us winning our games. We are on a 15-game unbeaten run in the league but we have not taken enough points recently. The players are very disappointed. Who wouldn't be?
"We have to continue to play and fight until the last moment. We have players who are ambitious and want to do as well as they can.
"We've had disappointments before and bounced back. That is what we have to do."
Wenger was furious with referee Andre Marriner for awarding a penalty 11 minutes into stoppage-time for Emmanuel Eboue's clumsy barge on Lucas Leiva, who appeared to wait for contact before falling to the turf.
"We conceded a penalty after 11 minutes when the referee said there was eight minutes of injury time," Wenger said.
"I don't see where those three minutes came from and it was no penalty. Lucas stopped in front of Eboue."
It led to a furious protest from Wenger, although Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish appeared to dismiss his complaints during a touchline confrontation.
"I said to Dalglish it was not a penalty. That was all. You can check it on the TV," Wenger said.
"We have been badly done by in the two games here. Against Sunderland we scored a regular goal and were not given a penalty that was 100 percent.
"Against Liverpool we got caught like that. It's a period where we have not the biggest luck, that's for sure."
Van Persie's goal came after Martin Skrtel tripped Cesc Fabregas, although Dalglish felt defeat would have been harsh on his players.
The result worked in the favour of Liverpool's bitter rivals at Old Trafford but Dalglish added: "We never handed anything to anyone. In fact, we beat them (United) 3-1 at Anfield so I don't know how we handed them anything if we beat them.
"We'll look after ourselves and if anyone gets any advantage from our results then so be it. We can only look after ourselves and that's what we always do."
United could overtake Liverpool's shared record of 18 league titles this season, but Dalglish added: "In my eyes we're still the best club in English football, if not world football. So I'm not very sad at that.
"The surprise is that we have not won the title for a long time, that is the surprise but it's not sadness. It's just a fact of life.

"They never acquired enough points in any season since then to win it. They came close a couple of years ago when Rafa (Benitez) went close, had a fantastic record against the so-called top four but just couldn't get it over the line."

AFP

Wayne Charged By England Football Association

2011-04-14T09:30:00.000-07:00

MANCHESTER United striker Wayne Rooney has been charged by England's Football Association for swearing into a television camera while celebrating a goal during a Premier League match. The England international shouted an expletive directly into the camera after converting a penalty to complete his hat trick in United's 4-2 win over West Ham on Saturday.

The FA says it has charged Rooney for ~~"the use of offensive, insulting and/or abusive language."~~

Rooney, who has already issued an apology for the incident, has until Tuesday to respond to the charge.

What Arsene Said Makes Sense?

2011-04-09T15:43:00.000-07:00

Arsène Wenger has said that Arsenal supporters should not to lose faith in his "absolutely amazing" young team, and that the long-term future of the club is bright.

In the last six weeks, Arsenal have been beaten in the Carling Cup final at Wembley, by Birmingham City; have gone out of the Champions League at the hands of Barcelona; and have lost an FA Cup quarter-final at Manchester United. Following last weekend's 0-0 against a 10-man Blackburn Rovers side, dissenting voices were heard among the Emirates Stadium crowd. On Thursday the Arsenal Supporters' Trust expressed its ~~"considerable disappointment"~~ at recent results.

Wenger will take his squad to Blackpool on Sunday, looking for a first league win since 23 February. Arsenal are seven points behind United, the Premier League leaders, with a match in hand. They play United at the Emirates on 1 May.

"It doesn't hurt me personally, but it bothers me that the players do not get the recognition for what they have put in since the start of the season,"

Wenger said. "It is important we realise this team is absolutely amazing for what they do at their age. One day people will understand that but at the moment I am not sure many people do. How old is [Jack] Wilshere? Nineteen. It looks like in England you cannot play without him. How old is [Cesc] Fábregas? [23] How old is [Samir] Nasri? [23] Now it is a crucial moment where we have to trust these players and not listen to some opinions of people who have not worked half a day in football.

"Do you know how much work, dedication and mental strength is behind a team like that? They have not been built just like that, it is a real process of club work, coaching work – that is not just to go out and buy a player for X amount of money. What is hard in football is to build a team and work with the players every day."

Wenger said time would prove him right. "People's opinion is people's opinion and we have to accept that in our game," he said. "As long as you are second in the league, I am ready to sign for the next 20 years and stand up for that.

"I believe we have done well. We have been hit very hard with big disappointments, but we have not lost in the FA Cup or the Champions League against anybody, we have lost against good teams. Personally, I am very proud of the attitude, the behaviour and the quality of our season. I will defend that until the end. We want to fight until the last game of the season.

"If there is a team that is better than us we have to accept it. I believe we do not have to be ashamed at the moment of what we have done. Rather, I have to be proud because if I took statements from all the people here at the start of the season we were not even in the top five. Now it is a scandal we are second.

"If at the end of the season Manchester United are better than us, we have to say, 'Congratulations''. What is important from now until the end of the season is we give absolutely everything to beat them. That for me is success."

Of the draw with Blackburn, Wenger said: "It was a disappointing result, but we have to bounce back and come out with a good performance on Sunday. The way we respond now until the end of the season is hugely important for us because we have worked so hard since the start that is very important we battle until the end.
"Nobody expected Blackpool to be where they are. They are going through a difficult period, but overall they have played good football and done very well."

Wayne Rooney Is A Hero?

2011-04-06T19:48:00.000-07:00

Rooney (L) directs an angled shot into the Chelsea goal to put Manchester United ahead

Wayne Rooney is waiting to hear if he will make one Wembley date with Manchester United - but took them a giant stride closer to another with the winner in the Champions League quarter-final first leg at Chelsea.

While in Spain, Barcelona all but ensured that a semi-final match up with La Liga rivals, Real Madrid is on the cards after they emphatically trounced Shakhtar Donetsk 5-1.

Back in England, Rooney will discover on Thursday if he can figure in the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City following his appeal against a two-game ban for swearing into a television camera after scoring his third goal in United's win at West Ham on Saturday, reports the BBC.

The striker was all smiles, however, when he slid home the first-half goal that gave United their first win at Stamford Bridge in nine years and a precious advantage to take into the second leg at Old Trafford next Tuesday.

Rooney rounded off good work by Michael Carrick and Ryan Giggs to take centre stage for all the right reasons in the aftermath of his encounter with the cameras at Upton Park and keep United's ambition of playing in the Champions League final at Wembley next month on course.

Chelseaboss Carlo Ancelotti paired Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres in attack - but it was another fruitless and frustrating night for the £50m British record capture from Liverpool as his goal drought goes on.

Drogba struck a post and Patrice Evra cleared off the line from Frank Lampard in first-half injury time, while Chelsea and their supporters were infuriated when two penalty claims were rejected by Spanish referee Alberto Undiano Mallenco in the dying seconds.

Ramires tumbled under challenge from Evra while Torres went down as he tangled with Antonio Valencia. Chelsea's demands went unanswered - and Torres saw insult added to his injury when he was booked for diving.

Sir Alex Ferguson, who had Rio Ferdinand available for the first time since February, was elated at the final whistle as all his pre-match demands were fulfilled in the fight to face Inter Milan or Schalke 04 in the last four.

And victory will have tasted sweet for Ferdinand after he was taunted by Chelsea's fans following Fabio Capello's decision to reinstate John Terry to the England captaincy in place of the Manchester United defender.

United were industrious and well-organised, with goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar presenting a formidable barrier with a performance that once again suggested his decision to retire at the end of the season may be premature.

He was outstanding throughout and distinguished himself with one late save from a Torres header that demonstrated his enduring powers of athleticism.

Chelsea now face a huge task at Old Trafford to rescue the tie and keep their main hope of silverware alive this season, as well as easing pressure on Ancelotti.

Ancelotti had pinned much of his hopes on the pairing of Drogba and Torres, but they were kept at bay until a late flurry of first-half activity finally unsettled United's defence.

Tags: Sports , World , Featured

My Heart Bleeds For Arsenal...

2011-03-20T23:44:00.000-07:00

I am one out of millions of Arsenal fans who are currently in painful quiescence. My heart bleeds for Arsenal not because of our streak of poor results, especially when it matters most, but because our wounds are largely self inflicted. It beats and bites me that Arsenal has gone six years without a single trophy. Could there be a better assassin assassinating Arsenal than Arsene? In football, your pedigree is as good as your last result; I wish it were about the last result for Arsenal. Six years without a sniff at even the community shield...I need a break! Arsenal is a big club in the class of Man U, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Liverpool and the rest yet Arsene Wenger’s philosophy of “cosmebabyish” football has drained Arsenal of every iota of ambition. What can you ever achieve in life without ambition? When you see Arsenal players on the pitch, it is so obvious that they lack the hunger to do that extra thing that would always make the difference when the going gets tough.

Added to lack of ambition is the obvious plummet in quality. In the hey days of Arsenal, when Arsenal combined football athleticism with flair, no Man U or Chelsea player could be so inflicted with “oral diarrhea” to look Arsenal in the eye and declare “I will beat you silly”. No longer! They said it last weekend; they did it once again on Saturday in the FA Cup quarters. Since Arsene started considering the turf at the other side of the Nou Camp fence greener than the one at the Emirates, he foolhardily abandoned a brand of football that produced results for him and Arsenal, with silverwares to boot, and started pursuing Barcelona with their so called sexy football. Has he ever beaten Barca in this game? The last time it happened, even Wenger and his players were so thunder shocked, they were shaking their heads in absolute disbelief!

In Wenger’s illicit romance with a brand of game that is not his and can never be his, he pretends to forget that the football culture in Spain and the one in England are not the same. The system in Spain encourages sexy football but in a physical environment like England, you need more than flair to survive. If you are in doubt, watch the glorious 2003/2004 Arsenal team that went the whole season unbeaten and the current Arsenal squad, you cannot help but weep for what Arsene has done to Arsenal in the last six years. Yet, a clueless board has gone dining while Rome burns. Now, it is becoming clearer why people like Dein left Arsenal. In deed, where there is no vision a club perishes. How has the mighty fallen!

Apart from running after a brand of football he does not fully understand, at least to the point of producing results, like Barca does, Wenger’s declining touch in transforming young players to gem stones has continued to show. Gone are the days when certain starters like Viera, Henry, Pires, Campbell, Toure would be transformed under two years into world beaters under the tutelage of Arsene. The difference between now and then is that something terribly and fundamentally wrong has gone wrong with Arsene’s abilities at talent spotting, grooming and deployment. The last of his product is Cesc Fabregas and the young man is already tired of the charade currently going on in Arsenal. All the stars that made Arsene’s hey days at Arsenal have been equally frustrated out of the Emirates. The so-called rookies in Arsenal are obviously stunted by both dearth in talent depth, poor grooming and lack of ambition as induced by a systemic complacency duly professed by Arsene and irresponsibly certified by a snoring board.

They say Wenger makes tons and tons of money for Arsenal. At what and at whose expense? It even gets super ridiculous when some Arsenal fans, especially the Nigerian genre, join the “wishy washy” debate of how much profit Arsene has raked in for Arsenal. Is Wenger now an investment manager or a football manager? I am so heartbroken that it is so difficult for Arsenal fans to see through the antics of Wenger...”keep buying rookies and blame their inexperience for an obvious decline in managerial quality.” Arsene Wenger is actually on a rollercoaster downhill and he is poised to take Arsenal down with him. What is happening to Arsene is what is called “the law of diminishing returns”. Wenger of all people should understand this better than some of us; at least, I don’t have a Masters in Economics! If there is still some honour left in Wenger, he should kindly resign NOW, at least, for the sake of millions of Arsenal fans who will never benefit a dime from the ‘penny wise, pound foolish’ profits he claims to be making for Arsenal. I do not think a club like Man U would allow Sir Ferguson with all his loads of success at Old Trafford (something Wenger, not Arsenal, can only dream of) to stay longer than a minute if after three years, Man U keeps telling tales instead of showing trophies.

One more thing before this ink runs dry is that Arsene Wenger has refused to accept his mistakes instead chooses to revel in buck passing foolhardiness. He blames everyone but himself for his woes. Nobody succeeds with that kind of attitude. The worst harm you can ever do to yourself is to explain away failure. For Arsene, its either a certain Buscaca ruined his team even when they fail to fire one single shot at goal or that a certain Stoke team is too physical for his frail boys as if football has become volleyball or that the pitch at Wembley is too slippery as if Birmingham players played on a different pitch or ... it just goes on and on annoyingly. Unfortunately, many Arsenal fans have bought into this laid back approach to life. It might just suffice to advise that such mentality should be left behind at the turnstiles of Emirates Staduim...dare take it into town and you would definitely get beaten blue black!

What is the way forward? The earlier the sleeping board members at the Emirates wake up from their suffocating slumber, hand an ambition-less Wenger a golden handshake and recruit a hungry hand to run the club, the better for all Arsenal fans. A stitch now would save Arsenal from “Arsenic” assassins from within. A word is enough for the wise!!!

•Echezona Asuzu

echesuzu@yahoo.com

Jens Lehman Rejoining Arsenal?

2011-03-14T19:08:00.000-07:00

Jens Lehmann is close in rejoining Arsenal and resuming competition for top spot with Manuel Almunia, five years after the German left the club.

Lehman played nearly 200 games for Arsenal.

The 41 year-old, who played for Arsenal 199 times between 2003 and 2008, has been out of football since leaving Stuttgart in 2010 but has been called upon to help the club cope with the current goalkeeping crisis.
With goalkeepers Wojciech Szczesny, Lukasz Fabianski and Vito Mannone injured the German is expected to go straight into the squad for Saturday’s trip to West Brom.
This could mean that he is understudy to Manuel Almunia, a position he is unlikely to accept happily. The former German international had a competitive on-field relationship with the Spaniard who eventually took his position as number one. The two also had a hostile relationship away from football, with Almunia once saying of Lehman: "I know he hates me"

Lehmann won the Premier League and FA Cup with Arsenal but became the first man to ever be sent off in a Champions League final in 2006, which Arsenal lost 2-1 to Barcelona.

Arsenal Need To Stop Messi...

2011-03-08T07:32:00.000-08:00

Fired-up Arsene Wenger today spelt out out what it would mean for his Arsenal side to overcome mighty Barcelona in the Nou Camp tonight.
“If you speak to any player, they would give their lives to win this game,” the Arsenal boss said with intensity.
The Gunners hold a 2-1 first leg advantage in their bid to secure the prize of a Champions League last eight place and the tournament’s most notable scalp.
But that will require a superhuman effort on an even greater level than their famous Emirates victory two weeks ago against Barca’s team of all talents, none more brilliant and lethal than Argentinian star Lionel Messi. Halting him would go a long way to fulfilling Arsenal’s ambitions.

But strangulation is not in the nature of Wenger or his team and their natural desire to express their attacking style promises another classic contest.
If the prospect doesn’t heighten anticipation, check your pulse.
Barca coach Pep Guardiola has already stirred the pot by suggesting new Arsenal whizz kid Jack Wilshere would only be good enough to make the Catalans’ second string, though some would regard that as a compliment.

Wenger’s big decision surrounds the fitness of Dutch striker Robin van Persie, the feeling being the game has come too soon for his return from injury.
The Arsenal boss hinted as much when he said: “We will not take a gamble in a game of this importance, so he will have to be fit or not fit. I would like him to play. But I will only play him if he is 100% fit.”
Barcelona are without their first-choice central defenders tonight as captain Carles Puyol has failed to recover from a knee injury while Gerard Pique is suspended.
Midfielder Sergio Busquets is set to drop back to help out in defence, meaning former Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano should get a rare start.

Arsene Wenger Finally Gets A Trophy Eventually Barclays Manager of The Month

2011-03-07T18:07:00.000-08:00

ARSENE WENGER has finally got his hands on a trophy - February's Barclays Manager of the Month award.

The Arsenal boss, who is seeking his first piece of major club silverware since 2005, yesterday won his first monthly manager gong since December 2007.

And Wenger, 61, who is second on the all-time list of winners with 11 manager's awards, joked: "I must have had some bad months."

Wenger, whose side face Sunderland today added: "It's quite strange when you have just lost a cup final that you get Manager of the Month! "But we are on a good run in the Premier League. We are in the best position for years and now we want to finish the job."

TOP MANAGER OF THE MONTH WINNERS - 25 Alex Ferguson; 11 Arsene Wenger; 8 David Moyes; 7 Martin O'Neill; 6 Bobby Robson, Harry Redknapp; 5 Rafa Benitez, Kevin Keegan; 4 Sam Allardyce, Roy Hodgson, Joe Kinnear.

Liverpool Stunning Victory Over Their Rivals Manchester United

2011-03-06T23:02:00.000-08:00

Liverpool's resounding victory over Manchester United yesterday has finally persuaded club owner John Henry to give Kenny Dalglish the manager's job on a full-time basis.

The decision to offer Dalglish the post will be cheered by all Liverpool fans, already celebrating a stunning 3-1 victory over their fiercest rivals.

Liverpool outfought, out thought and outclassed title chasing United at Anfield, with Dutchman Dirk Kuyt grabbing a hat-trick to condemn the Red Devils to their second successive Premier League defeat.

They remain top of the table, but are only three points clear of Arsenal, who have a game in hand.

The victory for Liverpool moved them back into sixth and with a strong finish to the season they could put pressure on the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham, who are chasing Champions League places.

It's all a far cry from when Dalglish took over on a caretaker basis from Roy Hodgson in January, when there were genuine concerns that Liverpool could find themselves involved in a relegation battle.

Luiz Figo, Ronaldo, Robinho, Ronaldhinho, Thiery Henry and etc

2011-03-04T17:56:00.000-08:00

<br><br><br>occ
Different player ...with one thing and common ,they have fun...when they play

Arsenal and Manchester City Get Through For Next FA Cup Match

2011-03-02T16:57:00.000-08:00

(Reuters) - Arsenal returned to form with a 5-0 drubbing of Leyton Orient and Manchester City eased past Aston Villa 3-0 to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday.

Nicklas Bendtner fired a hat-trick as Arsenal recovered from their League Cup final loss to Birmingham City in a one-sided fifth-round replay against Orient to set up a titanic quarter-final against Manchester United.
The Gunners' victory was never in doubt after Marouane Chamakh and Bendtner put Arsenal 2-0 up and Arsene Wenger's side bounced back emphatically from Sunday's shock defeat by Birmningham.
Manchester City also reached the last eight with an easy win over much-changed Aston Villa team and they face Championship side Reading who beat Premier League Everton on Tuesday.

"It was important we came back from Sunday's defeat with a win," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told reporters.
"We are having a fine run apart from Sunday's defeat which came under special circumstances. But we played very well tonight."
The Gunners, held to a 1-1 draw by third tier Orient in the first game, were looking for a rapid response after Sunday's painful 2-1 loss when they conceded a last-minute goal to Birmingham after a mix-up between goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny and defender Laurent Koscielny.
But there were no mistakes at the Emirates where the crowd were subdued until Arsenal took control of the game.
Chamakh settled nerves with a well-taken side-footed goal, his first since November, after seven minutes before Bendtner headed the second, Arsenal's 100th of the season in all competitions.
Orient, who scored in the last minute to take the tie to a replay, had chances in the opening stages with Dean Cox almost cancelling out Arsenal's opener after 14 minutes.
But despite a spirited performance from the visitors, Arsenal were too sharp and had too much guile, and that included 19-year-old midfielder Conor Henderson who had a fine debut.
Bendtner's second just before halftime exposed the gulf in class between the teams when he beat off defenders before firing a curling shot past goalkeeper Jamie Jones.
Jones had no chance of saving his 62nd-minute penalty either before Gael Clichy wrapped up the win with an angled left-foot drive 15 minutes from time.
EARLY GRIP
Manchester City took an early grip at Eastlands with Yaya Toure opening the scoring after Villa failed to clear a corner in the fifth minute.

Ferguson Was Unhappy With The Referee?

2011-03-02T06:44:00.000-08:00

Ferguson was unhappy with Atkinson both for awarding Chelsea's matchwinning and for not sending off David Luiz moments earlier when he appeared to foul Wayne Rooney - himself the beneficiary of some lenient refereeing at the weekend. Ferguson said: "The penalty kick was so soft. Deary me. But we played very well. It was a great performance by us. We didn't deserve that. "That's three years in a row (at Stamford Bridge) referees' decisions have changed the game." On the Luiz decision, he added: "It was incredible. Even before that he'd done Chicharito off the ball. He'd done him late. Nothing done, the referee's in front of it. "He does Rooney clear as day, (the referee is) six yards from it, he doesn't do anything. That changed the game. "These are decisions that change the game. And he's going to be refereeing every week. "But I'm proud of the players. They've endured a lot of decisions against them but they've come through it, they've done their best. They've created good chances. "They didn't deserve that." Asked if Chelsea were back in the title race, he added: "If they get decisions like tonight then it can change everything. "They got a lot of decisions tonight that surprised me." Carlo Ancelotti admitted Luiz had perhaps been fortunate. "There was a lot of intensity and it was not easy for the referee to decide every time," he said. "David Luiz could be lucky but there was a lot going on on the pitch so the referee decided he didn't see this." The Chelsea boss is now hoping this performance can spur on his team as they look to get back into the battle at the top. "It was a good performance and we are still alive," he said. "We played well, it was a very difficult game and we found a fantastic opponent but the team played really well to still go forward when we are losing 1-0. "We kept going with strength, intensity and power in our performance. "It was really good but if you don't play well, you cannot beat Man United." The victory leaves Chelsea 12 points behind United with a game in hand. "This improves our table, but we don't have to look at that, just stay focused on our other games," he said. "Our next game is on Monday so we prepare for that. "It's far to Manchester United, but our performance was important, there are a lot of matches and we are ready to play at our best." Frank Lampard admitted the title was still a long way off despiet the victory. Asked if Chelsea, 12 points back with a game in hand, were now firmly back in the title race, Lampard told Sky Sports 2: "I don't know about firmly back in it, it's still a lot of points. "But all we could do today was win the game, try to show a signal that we're trying to get back in it and close that gap. "We did that today but there's still a long way to go. Man United are deservedly top but we've got some fight as we showed tonight."

Arsenal Need To Reorganize For Upcoming FA Cup replay and Champions League Match

2011-02-28T20:26:00.000-08:00

SOCCER : ARSENAL HAVE vowed not to let the shattering League Cup final defeat to Birmingham City derail their pursuit of the season’s bigger trophies as thoughts begin to turn to the remaining three prizes for which the team are competing.

They play Leyton Orient at the Emirates in an FA Cup replay tomorrow – win that, and they will travel to Manchester United for a quarter-final – while they face Barcelona at the Camp Nou holding a 2-1 advantage from the first leg.

In the Premier League, the trophy manager Arsene Wenger appears to want the most, they sit four points behind leaders Manchester United with 11 games to play. They might take heart from the fact United still have to visit Chelsea, Liverpool and the Emirates.

“Mentally, the cup final was a huge blow, but we really have to focus on our other targets now,” said striker Marouane Chamakh.

“We’re lucky that we can play again straight away (against Leyton Orient). We have to forget the final quickly and make sure that the defeat doesn’t stay on our minds. We will bounce back. We still have a lot of big games to play and we will fight on until the end.”

Midfielder Tomas Rosicky added: “We’ve three trophies to go for and we need to pick ourselves up. We’ve got a game on Wednesday and we have to perform. The season doesn’t finish now, we are in a good position in other competitions so we have to forget the Carling Cup.”

Most of the players are still smarting after the 2-1 defeat, which was inflicted in the final moments at Wembley following an excruciating mix-up between Laurent Koscielny and goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny which allowed Obafemi Martins to tap in the winner for Birmingham.

To make matters worse, Arsenal are also anxiously awaiting the results of a scan on Robin van Persie’s knee. The striker damaged it while scoring his team’s equaliser and he is a doubt for the second leg of the Champions League last-16 tie in Barcelona next Tuesday.

Arsenal’s irritation was also reflected by Jack Wilshere, who revealed his annoyance at how Barry Ferguson had ruffled Koscielny’s hair as he sat hunched in despair after the winning goal.

“Well done to the BCFC player who slapped Koscielny on the head when they scored, very big of you,” Wilshere said on Twitter.

So far, Birmingham have not commented.

Guardian Service

A Blow For Arsenal Despite A Win With Stoke City?

2011-02-23T17:28:00.000-08:00

SOCCER (23/2/11): Arsenal 1 Stoke City 0 ARSENAL ARE now only a point behind Manchester United but the price could be particularly costly after Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott both suffered injuries on what became a frustrating evening for Arsene Wenger’s team after the brightest of starts.

With Arsenal’s next outing the League Cup final against Birmingham City on Sunday, before an FA Cup fifth-round replay next Wednesday and the Champions League last-16 return leg in Barcelona the following week, Wenger will pray that Fabregas and Walcott can recover quickly from what appeared to be hamstring and ankle problems respectively.

Arsenal had required around 90 seconds to illustrate they were in slick working order, eight minutes to fully breach the Stoke City defence. Their opening attack featured Jack Wilshere marauding forward then linking with Fabregas on the edge of the area. The Spaniard delivered a perfect pass to place Walcott in behind the defence before he blazed a shot that beat Asmir Begovic but smacked off his right post and back into the goalkeeper’s hands. Already it appeared to be Arsenal’s three points to throw away, though this sense would become muted as the half wore on.

After Rory Delap had been jeered a couple of times for launching his long throws, which were repelled comfortably enough by Arsenal, the home side moved down-field and won a corner on the right. Wilshere’s left boot flicked this over and though Ryan Shawcross stuck his head on the ball he merely moved possession on to Nicklas Bendtner, who was lurking beyond the far post. He chose correctly in scooping the ball on to the head of Sebastien Squillaci, who was stationed in front of the goal, and the defender finished coolly for his first goal since joining last summer.

The next major incident was not pleasant for any Arsenal loyalist. On 12 minutes Wenger and his players faced the sight of an injured Fabregas sloping reluctantly off the pitch.

The captain was replaced by Andrey Arshavin, which meant Samir Nasri going inside to occupy Fabregas’s central position. While this did not cause any break in Arsenal possession it did stunt their earlier fluency, with many of their attacks becoming static around Stoke’s 18-yard line.

One sequence of passes ended with Arshavin unloading a shot that hardly threatened to double the score but this was as encouraging as it got for a side who were then offered a reminder of the effectiveness of direct play after 33 minutes. John Carew’s powerful 25-yard volley forced Wojciech Szczesny to fling himself across goal to keep the ball out.

Wenger’s men closed the half virtually becalmed. Nasri stepped up to pull one free-kick wide but, beyond Tony Pulis complaining after Jonathan Walters was booked for fouling Walcott, Fabregas’s exit had proved to have slowly drained the contest of quality and incident.

Nearly a year since these sides had met at the Britannia Stadium, where a challenge from Shawcross on Aaron Ramsey left the midfielder with a double leg fracture to provoke bitter feeling between Wenger and Pulis, the emotion began bubbling. It started with Carew and Johan Djourou having a mild clash near the corner flag that drew abuse from the home support.

Djourou then played a crucial role in stopping a Stoke attack. Jermaine Pennant collected possession from a throw on the right, motored down his flank, and then delivered the cross. Shawcross’s header was on target but it hit Djourou to go wide.

Robert Huth also came close to an equaliser when the Delap slingshot landed the ball in the area and the defender rose above a melee to head over.

Having missed badly after Arshavin had expertly teed him up in the area, a subsequent coming together with Dean Whitehead ended with Walcott carried off on a stretcher.

Guardian Service

ARSENAL : Szczesny, Sagna, Squillaci, Djourou, Clichy, Fabregas (Arshavin 14), Song, Wilshere, Walcott (Denilson 71), Bendtner (Chamakh 80), Nasri. Subs not used: Almunia, Rosicky, Eboue, Gibbs. Booked: Clichy.

STOKE CITY : Begovic, Wilson (Wilkinson 87), Shawcross, Huth, Pugh, Pennant, Whitehead, Delap, Whelan, Walters (Fuller 78), Carew. Subs not used: Sorensen, Higginbotham, Collins, Jones, Diao. Booked: Walters, Wilson.

Referee : Peter Walton (Northamptonshire).

Arsenal Tumbang Di Tangan Jonathan?

2011-02-22T16:50:00.000-08:00

"Jonathan masuk menentang Arsenal dan menggelecek melepasi dua pemain pertahanan sebelum menjaringkan gol jadi ia mengangkat namanya. Maksud saya, mereka (Arsenal) baru saja mengalahkan Barcelona jadi ia sesuatu yang menakjubkan! "Saat-saat seperti itu boleh mengubah karier seseorang pemain.
"Saya memiliki memori indah buatnya. Dia benar-benar seorang lelaki yang baik.

"Apabila saya menyaksikannya, saya lantas terfikir dia mempunyai kualiti yang tepat untuk bermain di England." Baudu segera menghantar mesej kepada Tehoue - untuk membelikannya sekeping tiket bagi perlawanan ulangan di Stadium Emirates.

Beliau berkata: "Saya tidak pernah menaiki kapal terbang mahupun kapal laut tapi adalah menarik untuk menyaksikannya. Satu jemputan pastinya hebat, malah satu panggilan telefon untuk berkata 'Hello'.

"Kami pernah melahirkan beberapa pemain muda berbakat, seperti Michael Pereira yang kini bermain buat Real Mallorca. Begitu juga Jimmy Kebe yang bertindak baik di Reading.

"Kami ada seorang pemain remaja, pemain berusia 19 tahun yang amat bagus, dan kini berada di Toulouse.

"Anda patut memberitahu beberapa kelab Inggeris mengenainya! "Jika kami boleh membawa mereka ke Manchester United atau Arsenal, maka ia pastinya hebat!"

>PROFIL
NAMA PENUH: Jonathan Kahne Tehoue
TARIKH LAHIR: 3 Mei 1984
TEMPAT LAHIR: Paris, Perancis
TINGGI: 1.79 meter
POSISI: Penyerang
KELAB SEMASA: Leyton Orient
NOMBOR JERSI: 18
KARIER SENIOR:
* 2003-2004 SC Bastia
* 2005 Apoel FC
* 2006 R E Virton
* 2006-2007 FC Brussels
* 2007-2008 Kasimpasa S K
* 2008-2009 Konyaspor
* 2009-2010 UJA Alfortville
* 2010-kini Leyton Orient

Blues Are Out From The FA CUP (19/2/11)

2011-02-19T14:43:00.001-08:00

Everton progressed through to the fifth round of the FA Cup after knocking out holders Chelsea on penalties at Stamford Bridge.
90 minutes of football failed to produce a goal but Chelsea thought they had done enough to set up a fifth round clash with Reading when Frank Lampard finally found the back of the net in the 104th minute.
However Leighton Baines took the game to penalties when firing home a spectacular free kick in the last minute of extra time.
Baines missed the first spot kick to swing the tie Chelsea's way again but both Nicolas Anelka and Ashley Cole also missed before Phil Neville slotted the decisive spot kick to send the Toffees through.
Manchester United made hard work of their fifth round clash before eventually edging out non-league Crawley Town 1-0 at Old Trafford.
Crawley matched United for large parts of the game but it was Wes Brown that finally broke the deadlock when he headed home Darren Gibson's cross in the 28th minute.
Richard Brodie struck the post deep in stoppage time but United to survived and will go into the hat for the quarter finals.
Elsewhere, Stoke cruised through to the quarter-finals with a comfortable 3-0 win at home to Brighton, with all the goals coming in the first half.
John Carew got things underway in the 14th minutes with a close range header before Jonathan Walters made it 2-0 with another header, this time at the near post.
Ryan Shawcross made it a hat-trick of headers on the stroke of half time to send the Seagulls crashing out.
Birmingham City also made light work of Sheffield Wednesday with a 3-0 victory at St Andrews.
Jean Beausejour opened the scoring after just six minutes before Obafemi Martins made it 2-0. David Murphy got the third after the break to put Birmingham in the draw for the quarters.

Arsenal Vs Barcelona (Champions League 16/2/11)

2011-02-16T06:22:00.000-08:00

MATCH FACTS:
Arsenal have scored a joint-competition-high 18 goals in the Champions League this season.
Arsenal and Barcelona have been drawn together three times in Europe, the 1999-2000 Group Stage, the 2006 final and last season’s quarter final, with Arsenal winning none and losing three of the five games.
There have been red cards in three of the five matches between Barcelona and Arsenal.
No team from continental Europe has won away at Arsenal in the Champions League since Inter beat the Gunners 3-0 in September 2003 – a run of 36 games with the only defeats coming against English sides (Chelsea and Manchester Utd).
Only two teams (Barcelona and Manchester United have scored more than once in 33 Champions League games at the Emirates, with 21 sides failing to score at all.
Arsenal have won penalties in eight of their last 11 Champions league games at the Emirates Stadium and each of their last five.
Arsenal have kept just one clean sheet in their last eight Champions League games.
Lionel Messi has scored 13 goals in his last 11 Champions League starts including four in one game against Arsenal.
Arsenal hit the target with 63% of their shots in the Group Stage, the highest percentage in the competition.
Barcelona had the tightest defence in the group stage, allowing their opponents just eight shots on target against them.

Marouane Chamakh has scored three goals from just six shots in Europe this season.
Barcelona have made the semi-finals of the Champions League in the last three seasons.
Source: Eurosport / Opta

Wayne Rooney bicycle kick goal against Manchester City (12/2/11)

2011-02-15T16:47:00.000-08:00

LONDON - Wayne Rooney berkata, jaringannya pada perlawanan menentang jiran tetangga Manchester City kelmarin adalah yang terbaik.

Pengurus Manchester United, Alex Ferguson pula menyifatkan pemain itu adalah penyerang terhebat yang pernah dilihat di Old Trafford.

Kecemerlangan Rooney menenggelamkan semua masalah yang membelenggu pemain itu pada musim ini apabila menjaringkan gol penyelamat buat United ketika menentang City, kelmarin.

Pada perlawanan kelmarin, penyerang England itu berusaha sedaya upaya untuk mendapatkan jaringan pada minit ke-78 sekali gus memberi kemenangan 2-1 kepada United untuk menewaskan City yang juga pesaing terdekatnya.

''Saya dapat lihat peluang untuk menjaring gol dan terus memanfaatkan peluang tersebut,'' kata Rooney.

Aksi akrobatik Rooney kelmarin membuatkan penjaga gol City, Joe Hart tergamam seketika.

Dalam pada itu, pemain pertahanan United, Rio Ferdinand yang tidak dapat beraksi kerana kecederaan turut berkongsi kegembiraannya dalam laman sosial Twitter

''Wow... lihatlah jaringan daripada Rooney untuk mendapatkan kemenangan. Sepakan gaya kayuhan basikal Rooney itu sungguh mengagumkan,'' tulis Ferdinand.

Sementara itu, Ferguson berkata, prestasi yang dipamerkan oleh penyerang itu mengingatkannya kepada bekas pemain handalan United, Denis Law yang menjaringkan 171 gol sepanjang karier bersama kelab tersebut.

''Itu adalah aksi luar biasa daripada Rooney dan kita berjaya mendapatkan gol yang cukup mengagumkan serta jarang dapat dilihat.

''Walaupun gol yang dijaringkan oleh Nani adalah jaringan yang tidak diduga, namun gol Rooney tetap dianggap terbaik kerana memberi kemenangan kepada pasukan,'' kata Ferguson.

Gol pertama United dijaringkan oleh Nani pada minit ke-41 sebelum pemain City David Silva berupaya menyamakan kedudukan 1-1 pada minit ke-65.

Beberapa percubaan dilakukan pada babak kedua perlawanan oleh kedua-dua pasukan sebelum Rooney memecah kebuntuan untuk memberikan kemenangan bergaya kepada United.

Ketika ini United terus berada di puncak liga dengan 57 mata melalui 26 perlawanan yang telah berlangsung, tempat kedua milik Arsenal dengan 53 mata manakala City di tangga ketiga ketinggalan lapan mata daripada pendahulu liga musim ini. - Agensi

Adakah Cristiana Ronaldo Tenggelam?

2011-02-10T19:48:00.000-08:00

LONDON - Lionel Messi memenangi perhitungan peribadi dengan musuh ketatnya, Cristiano Ronaldo apabila mencipta gerakan untuk gol pertama dan menjaringkan gol kemenangan ketika Argentina mengalahkan Portugal 2-1 dalam perlawanan persahabatan penuh dramatik di Geneva, semalam.

Pemain Terbaik Dunia FIFA dua tahun berturut-turut itu menyempurnakan penalti seminit sebelum tamat permainan untuk memastikan kemenangan milik Argentina, pada ketika Ronaldo, Pemain Terbaik Dunia 2008 terpaksa meninggalkan padang sebagai kapten pasukan yang kalah, biarpun turut meledak gol buat Portugal di minit ke-21.

Messi mempamer keunggulan lariannya pada minit ke-14, dengan membawa bola ke sayap kanan, sebelum menewaskan pemain Portugal, Raul Meireles untuk menghantar bola kepada Di Maria, yang kemudian meledakkan gol pembukaan Argentina.

Portugal bertindak balas dengan menyamakan kedudukan, tujuh minit kemudian menerusi tindakan pantas Ronaldo menewaskan penjaga gol, Sergio Romero, malangnya ketika saingan hampir berakhir Argentina dihadiahkan penalti selepas Coentrao mengkasari Juan Manuel Martinez.
Ronaldo, 26, menegaskan perlawanan semalam bukan perhitungan peribadi di antara dia dan Messi, sambil mengakui, Portugal tidak wajar kalah selepas menunjukkan satu permainan menarik.

"Saya puas hati dengan cara saya dan pasukan bermain, saya menjaringkan satu gol dan beroleh beberapa peluang menambah jaringan. Begitupun saya ingin menegaskan, ini bukanlah perhitungan peribadi di antara saya dan Messi. "Portugal agak malang kerana kalah dalam perlawanan hari ini, tetapi itu sama sekali tidak bermakna bahawa Argentina lebih baik daripada kami,'' tegas bintang sayap Real Madrid itu.

Sementara itu dalam satu lagi perlawanan tumpuan, juara dunia, Sepanyol mencatat kemenangan tipis 1-0 ke atas Colombia, berterima kasih kepada jaringan lewat David Silva di Madrid.
Kemenangan itu mengakhiri persembahan hambar juara dunia itu yang kalah 4-1 kepada Argentina dan kecundang 4-0 kepada Portugal dalam persahabatan terdahulu. Silva yang dibawa masuk sebagai gantian, menjaringkan gol dari jarak dekat pada minit ke-86.

Rusia yang masih meraikan kejayaan meraih hak pusingan akhir Piala Dunia 2018, dikejutkan dengan kekalahan 1-0 kepada gergasi Asia, Iran di Abu Dhabi dengan Mohammad Reza Khalatbari dibuang padang kerana membuka baju ketika meraikan gol kemenangan minit terakhir mereka. - ReuterS

Gaji Lumayan Pemain Bola Sepak

2011-02-08T19:01:00.000-08:00

Nicklas Bendtner

mendakwa pemain bola sepak berhak mendapat gaji lumayan kerana kemasyhuran itu terlalu mahal harganya.
Penyerang Arsenal itu berpisah dengan tunangnya dari Denmark, Caroline Luel-Brockdorf hanya tujuh minggu selepas tunangnya itu melahirkan cahaya mata sulung.

Ia menyebabkan Bendtner, yang menerima gaji STG50,000 (RM245,000) seminggu menjadi tumpuan ramai di Denmark menjelang perlawanan persahabatan mereka menentang England di Copenhagen hari ini.
Bendtner berkata pemain bola sepak masa kini patut dibandingkan dengan bintang filem apabila berbicara mengenai gaji kerana kedua-duanya berada dalam perniagaan hiburan.

Bintang Piala Dunia Denmark itu berkata: "Saya berada dalam perniagaan bola sepak dan di peringkat tertinggi, kerana Arsenal mempamerkan bola sepak kelas pertama yang menghiburkan. Jadi adalah salah membandingkan gaji saya dengan ahli perniagaan, sebaliknya bandingkan dengan aktor filem.

"Saya pasti berbohong, jika saya berkata saya tidak menikmati wang yang saya raih dalam bola sepak. Saya fikir kami menghabiskan banyak masa, tenaga dan tumpuan terhadap karier bola sepak kami, kerana apabila kami tidak berlatih atau bermain, kami masih hidup untuk bola sepak.

"Adalah tidak salah bertanya sama ada pemain memang berhak untuk mendapat wang yang banyak dan bertanya sama ada kami menerima terlalu banyak.

"Saya percaya kami perlu berbaloi dengan gaji kami kerana itulah mekanisma kemasyarakatan. Selagi saya bekerja keras sedaya mungkin, saya percaya saya berbaloi dengan apa yang saya dapat.

"Ada harga juga yang perlu dibayar bagi kami pemain, dan secara peribadi, saya fikir harga yang besar perlu dibayar dengan badan saya, masa saya dan tiadanya privasi apabila saya keluar dan dikelilingi orang lain.

"Jangan silap faham, saya tidak merungut mengenainya. Ia satu kebiasaan bagi seorang pemain bola sepak profesional, tapi pastinya ada harga yang perlu dibayar, sebagai contoh, anda tidak boleh keluar sewenang-wenangnya makan di sebuah restoran dengan teman wanita anda tanpa ada orang yang mengejar anda."
Bendtner enggan menceritakan mengenai kegagalan cintanya dan berkata: "Saya tidak pernah memberi ulasan mengenai desas-desus di majalah mengenai kehidupan peribadi saya. Pastinya saya tidak bercadang melakukannya, sekarang."
Bendtner sudah kehilangan tempatnya dalam kesebelasan utama di Arsenal dan mengakui kecuali dia lebih kerap bermain, dia terpaksa mempertimbangkan mengenai masa depannya pada musim panas ini.

"Saya gembira untuk menjadi seorang pemain Arsenal, tapi pastinya saya perlu bermain lebih banyak perlawanan. Saya sudah cukup bagus untuk berada dalam kesebelasan utama.

"Saya akan bermain musim ini hingga ke penghujungnya dan kemudian membuat keputusan pada musim panas. Jika saya masih gembira maka saya akan kekal, sebaliknya kita perlu lihat apa yang akan berlaku. (Sumber: Harian Metro)

║Cesc Fabregas║Fabulous║

2011-02-07T17:57:00.000-08:00

Arsenal FC - 10/11 Promo

2011-02-07T17:50:00.000-08:00