Not convincing but job done

What a great start to the game when only 4 minutes gone we won a corner , Eduardo delivered in a ball into the box which dipped and swerved into the path of Senderos who shrugged off some slack marking from Benni McCarthy to put the ball home and my thoughts was how many can we get ? .

As the game went on in the 1st half we had some nice build up play but lacked the final the ball and that final touch we just needed that bit of luck to get the break through but wasn’t to be with Blackburn defending deep and keeping it narrow . Eventually we all got restless the players were trying too hard to get the 2nd goal and left allot of spaces in which Blackburn took advantage with Reid picking up some nice positions unmarked in midfield and Bentley in some dangerous positions on the right and they did create some good chances but the break came at a good time for us as Blackburn were starting to really fancy their chances.

About 10 minutes into 2nd half I noticed Clichy was reluctant to get forward I could only think that was because of the threat from Bentley in which it did stop the Blackburn man from effecting the game from the right and had to come inside to find the ball but we did miss Clichy’s attacking nature as countless times we looked for him to deliver a ball into the box but wasn’t there. The game gradually got messy at times and was signs of Arsenal getting the second but just couldn’t find that pass or a clean shot, Adebayor had run the legs off Oojier in which he had to be taken off with a thigh injury and was duly rewarded for his efforts when Hleb got through in from a Cesc ball, He cut inside and laid it off to Ade who deceived the defender with his 1st touch and slotted it in the bottom corner.

Tonight’s performance was a battle, Everyone worked extra hard despite the international break with a standout performance from Hleb who’s touch was faultless his dribbling was immaculate but all in all we done the job tonight 3 points in the bag, a clean sheet and defensive performance like the old guard and 5 points clear with 12 games left COME ON ARSENAL

Hleb ” 10 goals would be a dream ! “

 

 

Alexander Hleb is impressed by Liverpool’s summer signings – but is out to prove Arsene Wenger was right to have faith in his young squad.

“I like Liverpool’s transfer policy best of all,” said the Arsenal star. “Torres, Lukas Leiva, Babel, Voronin, Benayoun – buying them one after the other is impressive.

“We’ve only had a few acquisitions. But the squad is very good.

 

“At the moment I still don’t know how we will live without (Thierry) Henry. He is a great player and a part of Arsenal.

“But he wanted to leave. No one is irreplaceable and him leaving is not a tragedy.”

And Hleb has set himself a personal target. “It’s my dream to score 10 or more goals this season.”

 

Di Santo the new Maradona at 6ft 4 ? You gotta be avin a bubble

 

he talented 18 year old currently plays for Chilean club Audax Italiano, and is said to be one of the most promising footballers to come out of Argentina in recent years.The lanky striker, who was born in Mendoza, stands at 1.93 metres, and has attracted interest from no less than ten English Premier League clubs.

Di Santo has been playing his club football in the Chilean first division for a while now, and is participating in this year’s Copa Sudamericana with his club.

He represented Argentina in the U-20 World Cup qualifiers in Paraguay, and is expected to form part of the senior national team in the future.

From all the clubs interested in signing the player, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Chelsea are the most likely to attract him.

According to the player’s agent, he will be loaned out to one of these clubs for 730,000 euros, but if one of them is willing to buy him they will have to pay 7.3 million euros.

 

Wengers hope for Connolly

 

rsenal boss Arsene Wenger wants defender Matt Connolly to show his worth in the coming season.The teenage defender has joined the U’s on a season long loan and is expected to make his debut at Sheffield United this weekend.

And, speaking to the Colchester Gazette, Wenger believes needs first team action to develop further.

“I have let Matthew go to Colchester because he needs to play.

“He has made a big step forward but he will not learn a lot in the reserve-team anymore.

“Like every young player, he needs to learn to cope with responsibility.

“He will only get that when he plays in the first team.”

Gallas cant wait for new season to start

William Gallas has predicted the post-Thierry Henry era at Arsenal being just as exciting and more physical.

Gallas believes the club have shown a toughness in pre-season following the departure of their talisman to Barcelona and expects Arsene Wenger’s new-look side to challenge in the top four of the Barclays Premier League again.

The Gunners were characterised as a team who passed their way to glory when Henry led their attack, but Gallas also feels there is a physical dimension to their game.

The 29-year-old said: “The squad has matured, we have changed, we know we have to fight and to be compact to defend very well.

“I don’t think a team can beat us by being more physical than us this season. I think we can give a good answer.

“There are teams that just want to play the long ball and you have to be ready. You have to be physical and to fight and I think we will be physical enough to cope with that this time.”

With Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin van Persie showing promise and Eduardo da Silva arriving at the Emirates Stadium, Gallas is certain that Arsenal will remain an attacking force without Henry.

“We know we can score at any time because we have the quality up front,” he added.

“I am very confident that the players we have will fill the gap.

“I think this season will be different and it won’t just be about Chelsea and Manchester United.

“There are other clubs like Arsenal who will also be challenging and no-one can say who is definitely going to win the title.”

Gallas also feels Adebayor, Van Persie and Wenger’s other youngsters have shown they are capable of competing at the top level after reaching the Carling Cup last season.

“They are not kids anymore, they are young players and they really want to win a trophy this season,” he added. “They don’t want to say they are still young kids, when I train with them I don’t see young kids, I see players who are ready to fight.”

On a personal level, Gallas is desperate to improve on his first season at Arsenal by helping them compete at the top of the Premier League.

“I think the Premier League will be very exciting,” he said.

“Last season was a case of adaptation for me. It was not easy because a lot of things happened in my life. Now it is a new season.”

Villa bid for Hoyte ?

The Villa defence are desperately short on numbers with Phil Bardsley, Aaron Hughes, Jlloyd Samuel and Liam Ridgewell all heading out the exit door during the summer. O’Neill is hoping that a £2 million bid for the England U-21 defender will be enough to tempt Arsene Wenger to part with the player.

Hoyte fits into the criteria of player that O’Neill is looking for, young, talented and with a point to prove and could follow his fellow England U-21 team-mates Nigel Reo-Coker and Ashley Young to Villa Park.

Age Is Not A Problem – Van Persie

 

The Dutchman believes the Gunners have the quality to win the Premiership despite their deemed lack of investment in their squad during the current transfer window.

It has been felt that Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United have pulled further away from Arsenal, but van Persie, who missed much of last season through injury, believes there is a lot to come from Arsene Wenger’s youngsters.

The 23-year-old said: “It’s hard to fight with them but I know we can do it. Football is not about age or money. It’s about if you want to run for each other, if you want to fight for each other and really play some ball.

“Liverpool have spent lots of money, Chelsea have been doing that the last few years, I respect that. This is their way of winning things. But we can win things as well. We are young. So what? Age doesn’t matter. It’s about the way we play football and the way we like to play together.

“To win the title with this team would be great. I really believe we can do that. I think the manager is thinking the same.

“Since I started pre-season with these boys, every day I’ve seen their ability. Yes, they are young and young people make mistakes but that doesn’t really matter. Like in love, age doesn’t matter.”

Van Persie has been ear-marked as Arsenal’s key goal-getter following the depature of Thierry Henry this summer, but he is not intimidated by the expectations.

He said: “I don’t feel the pressure at all. It’s not my aim to be the top scorer. My aim is to play good football with this team. I’ve been out for six months, way too long. I’m just so happy that I’m back.

“I was quite surprised we played such good football because this is just pre-season. We played some tremendous stuff. It was quite funny because during the game Cesc and I were smiling at each other because we liked the fact that we were playing so well. Everyone was smiling during the game. If we play the same way or even less, we will have a big chance at least to fight for the title.”

Cesc Confident Of Success

Cesc Fabregas believes the sudden rejuvenation of Arsenal in the Emirates Cup at the weekend justified his decision to turn his back on Real Madrid during the summer.

It cannot have been an easy decision. Questions were being asked of Arsene Wenger’s squad after the disappointment of finishing adrift in fourth place last season, and the departure of Thierry Henry heightened an air of disillusionment.

However, wins on successive days against Paris St-Germain and Inter Milan have cleared the dark clouds from the skies above the Emirates Stadium.

“We played some great football,” Fabregas said, “and if we keep doing it all of the way through the season we have a lot of chance to win things this year. Everyone was nearly perfect.

“We have a strong team, but we don’t keep saying, ‘We will win, we will win’. We have to keep going game by game and if we can keep the concentration, and play like we did on Sunday, we have a strong team and we can win. Why not? But we need luck as well with injuries. Manchester United and Chelsea, when they win big trophies, every weekend they nearly [always] play the same players. In that way you have to be lucky as well.”

It was not just the Arsenal players who recognised the improvement over the weekend; the Inter Milan players commented on it, too, apparently. “Some of their players were saying during the game, ‘Don’t make me run so much, you play so well’,” Fabregas reported. “If some players from Inter say that, it means something. We have a very young squad, but we’re not scared of anything and want to win things. I think Sunday was the first trophy of many this season.”

Fabregas committed himself to Arsenal during the summer, spurning overtures from Real Madrid. However, that has not put off Ramon Calderon, who made the signing of Fabregas one of his presidential pledges a year ago.

Now, though, Calderon has said the Spanish midfielder is his No 1 target for next summer. “Since I signed this contract everybody could see I really believe in this team,” Fabregas said, “and my commitment is the same as the first day I came here.” However, he added that he would never say never about a move in the future.

Robin van Persie, back after a long injury to score the winner against Inter, said he was surprised at the football Arsenal played against the Italians. “It was quite funny because during the game Cesc and I were smiling at each other because we liked the fact we were playing so well,” he said. That now has to be transferred to the season proper.

Diarra Alerts Arsenal

Diarra is believed to have informed Chelsea of his desire to leave Stamford Bridge and Arsenal are ready to offer him a move to Emirates Stadium.

The French international is believed to be unhappy with his lack of first-team action at Chelsea and he is well down the pecking order in Jose Mourinho’s plans.

The 22-year-old is entering the final year of his contract and he is believed to have told Chelsea he will not be signing a new deal.

The news has alerted Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger who is a big fan of the young midfielder.

The two London rivals are understood to be in talks over a deal and the player is keen on securing a switch to North London as he searches for regular first-team football.

 

Reyes Has Finally Departed What A Relief

 

Arsenal have confirmed striker Jose Antonio Reyes has joined Atletico Madrid for an undisclosed fee.

The Spain international’s future has been the subject of speculation all summer after he made it clear he did not want to return to north London after a one-season loan at Real Madrid last year.

Lyon, Atletico and Real were all in the running for his signature but the Rojiblancos have managed to add Reyes to their other summer signings including Diego Forlan and Simao Sabrosa.

A statement on Atletico’s official website reported Reyes has signed a four-year deal and will be unveiled at 10am tomorrow.

The 23-year-old Spain forward will then join up with his new team-mates ahead of the pre-season Amsterdam tournament at the weekend.

Reyes spent last season on loan at Real Madrid, where he scored on the last day against Mallorca to help seal the win that brought the Primera Liga title back to the Bernabeu for the first time in four years.

Unhappy with the climate in England, Reyes wanted to return to Spain, but an agreement between Arsenal and Real could not be reached.

Reyes joined Arsenal from Sevilla in January 2004 and made a total of 110 appearances for the Gunners, scoring 23 goals.