Wenger stays calm after Arsenal destroy Everton

Wenger stays calm after Arsenal destroy Everton

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, pictured, has refused to get carried away after his side routed their …

by Krystyna Rudzki Krystyna Rudzki – Sun Aug 16, 4:29 am ET

LIVERPOOL, England (AFP) – Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger refused to get carried away after his side routed Everton 6-1 on the opening day of the Premier League season at Goodison Park.

Victory left the Gunners top of the table after many pundits had questioned whether the London club could maintain its status as one of English football's 'Big Four' alongside champions Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea.

"From before the game being ruled out by everybody to now become a super favourite, there's two extremes," Wenger told reporters after Saturday's success. "It was an interesting first game."

Denilson, William Gallas and new signing Thomas Vermaelen all scored in the first-half, with Cesc Fabregas adding two in the second-half and Eduardo rounding off the rout before Everton's Louis Saha added a last-minute consolation.

Arsenal have not won a major trophy since the 2005 FA Cup and had another quiet off-season, selling Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure to big-spending Manchester City and only bringing in Belgian defender Vermaelen.

Fabregas, who dedicated both his goals to his close friend and Espanyol captain Dani Jarque who died from heart failure on August 8, was not unhappy to see Adebayor and Toure leave.
"They are great players, but they had problems, they did not want to stay and continue at Arsenal," the Spain midfielder said.

"It was the best thing for them to do, I think for us as well because we want players who are committed, who want to be together for the season," the Arsenal captain added.
"We want to win things together and we can do it if we keep playing like that."
Meanwhile Wenger said this victory was not a shock as far as he was concerned.
"People are surprised, but last year we were the team that scored more goals than anybody away from home (37) and we have an unbeaten run in the Premier League away from home," the Frenchman explained.

"Of course it's a big surprise to win with such a big score but we know we can win away from home.
"It was a good team performance, but I feel overall there's still room for improvement," Wenger added.

"I'm very happy with the cohesion and team attitude really. We look like we have matured and it's a good basis to continue to improve."

Wenger blamed Everton's display on the recent international football window, rather than any disruption caused by Manchester City's interest in Toffees defender Joleon Lescott.
"We took every chance we created in the first half and Everton were maybe a bit disturbed by the international week, a bit flat physically," he said.

Arsenal now face Celtic in Champions League qualifying on Tuesday and Everton manager David Moyes was fearful for his former club.
"Arsenal have got a real capability of scoring on the counter attack," he said. "Every time we had a shot at goal and we let it go from the goalkeeper's arms, they nearly scored at the other end. I was nearly hoping that more shots were going to fly past the post."

Moyes, who said he could not find any positives from the performance, deflected questions about Lescott's future and said it was now down to him to raise Everton's morale.
"It certainly knocked the confidence for us all," he said. "The defending was terrible for the set-pieces. We need to do better, I need to do better.

"There's maybe one or two reasons but there's no excuses. I'll take my responsibility. You've got to remember that was the same team that finished fifth last season and got to the FA Cup final."

Sign Cesc Fabregas or lose your job - Barcelona president under pressure to complete £40m deal for Arsenal captain

Sign Cesc Fabregas or lose your job - Barcelona president under pressure to complete £40m deal for Arsenal captain

A power struggle at the Nou Camp has intensified Barcelona's attempts to sign Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas.

So, tell me about the Nou Camp: Cesc Fabregas (left) talks to Barca's Gerard Pique on international duty with Spain

Pep Guardiola, the boss of the European champions, has made Fabregas his No 1 transfer target, but a £40million price-tag is at least £10m more than they want to pay.
However, president Joan Laporta is aware that the man who wants his job will pledge to take Fabregas as part of his election bid next summer.

Sandro Rosell quit as Laporta's vice-president four years ago and has since been outspoken in his criticism of the club's hierarchy.
The 45-year-old was against a 16-year-old Fabregas's departure to Arsenal in September 2003.
Rosell has already signalled his intention to unseat Laporta next year and is said to already have a verbal agreement with Fabregas and his representatives.

The president can wound his rival's bid by moving for the Spain midfielder this summer but Nou Camp insiders believe it will be very difficult to complete a deal.

Super Cesc: Fabregas is a key part of the Arsenal midfield
Barca are working to a deadline of next Tuesday, when Fabregas would be cup-tied for the Champions League if Arsenal use him in their play-off against Celtic.

Power struggle: Barcelona presidential hopeful Sandro Rosell
The Catalans cannot spend as freely as rivals Real Madrid but have been boosted by the mayor of Barcelona granting permission for a land deal that would raise an estimated £260m.
Barca halted plans to sign Dmytro Chyrgrynskiy from Shakhtar Donetsk once the price reached £20m and they have also virtually given up on Liverpool's Javier Mascherano to concentrate their efforts to sign Fabregas.

Interest in Manchester United centre-half Jonny Evans and City's Vincent Kompany is also likely to fall by the wayside in favour of picking up a cheap defensive reinforcement.
Barca ideally need a holding midfielder to cover for Seydou Keita and Yaya Toure during the Africa Cup of Nations, but Guardiola admires the versatility of Fabregas after seeing him perform even as a second striker for Arsenal.

The 22-year-old is seen as a perfect midfield partner for Xavi, who he would eventually succeed as the midfield controller.

Barca value Fabregas at closer to £25m, but will consider offering players in part exchange.

Fabregas - I didn't think Arsenal wanted me!

Fabregas - I didn't think Arsenal wanted me!

By Richard Clarke

Cesc Fabregas has revealed that, initially, he was not sure Arsène Wenger wanted to sign him as a 16-year-old from Barcelona – even though the manager had sent scouts to watch him 44 times.

The Spaniard has been in North London since 2003 and is now firmly established at Emirates Stadium having taken over the captaincy just before Christmas last season.However when Wenger was interested in bringing him to North London he mistook the Frenchman’s thoroughness for indecision.

But, in the end, it was Wenger’s eagerness that sealed the deal.“The Spanish scout told me after Arsenal signed me that they had come to see me 44 times," he said at a Members' Day forum last week. "I thought '44 times? They aren’t very sure about me!'”

“But when I came here to talk with the boss, he was the one that really came to talk to me. He cut his holiday short to come and see me as a 16-year-old. For me, that was a big honour.”

Arsenal: INJURY NEWS

Thomas Vermaelen is set to make his full debut at Everton on Saturday, however Arsène Wenger still has a number of injury concerns going into the opening match of the Premier League campaign.

The Belgian missed the latter end of pre-season with a hamstring problem but returned on Wednesday night by playing 45 minutes for Belgium.
That is the upside of the injury news. The downside is that Wenger could be without as many as six players for Saturday evening’s match. Tomas Rosicky (hamstring) and Samir Nasri (broken leg) were already sidelined before the manager spoke to Arsenal TV Online on Thursday afternoon. However, in that interview, the Frenchman ruled out Theo Walcott (back), Johan Djourou (knee) and Lukasz Fabianski (knee) from the trip to Goodison Park, while Abou Diaby (groin) is classed as a doubt.

“We have some problems,” admitted Wenger. “We have Theo Walcott (back), who is not available. Diaby has a little groin problem but he could be available.

“[Also] we have lost Johan Djourou and Lukasz Fabianksi because they had injuries. Lukasz had a cartilage surgery. He will be out for two months. Johan has a knee problem that will take some time to cure - one month.

“Thomas Vermaelen played 45 minutes for Belgium last night and came through OK so he will be available.”

Rosicky and Nasri collected their problems in pre-season. Both midfielders are working their way back but, even when they have recovered. they will still require rehabilitation.
“Tomas Rosicky is two weeks away,” said Wenger.

“Samir Nasri [is out] three-and-a-half weeks now. But it will be six or seven weeks until he is available for training.”

PENAJA rasmi blog ini

MCL musim ini sangat hebat!!

Kata-kata aluan Moderator

Assalamualaikum dan salam sejahtera. Berkahirnya sekali lagi MCL musim ini. Setelah berlatih pada setiap minggu akhirnya peluang semua pemain seksyen 6 menunjukkan skill yang membara dapat juga di keluarkan pada hari tersebut. Syabas kepada semua yang telah terlibat. Acara futsal sebenarnya telah menjadi satu acara yang dapat merapatkan komuniti di seksyen 6 ini dengan cukup berkesan sekali. Disini kita bukan sahaja dapat berkenalan dengan jiran-jiran yang baru malah dapat pula membincangkan segala isu yang berkaitan dengan kepentingan penduduk. Malahan kebanyakan yang menyertai futsal ini amat rapat dan dapat mengenali hati budi antara mereka.

Disini jugalah lahirnya pelbagai jaringan termasuklah jaringan perniagaan. Ini menunjukkan futsal seksyen 6 bukan sahaja dapat membentuk kehidupan yang sihat namun dapat pula membentuk jaringan kehidupan yang mengambil berat antara satu dengan yang lain.

Sebagai moderator blog bola penduduk seksyen 6 ini saya menyeru rakan-rakan yang lain menyertai futsal kita. Saya juga mengharapkan agar diwar-warkan program futsal ini ke seluruh pelusuk penduduk warga seksyen 6.

Akhir kata saya juga menyeru agar kaum hawa boleh datang memberikan sokongan kepada suami masing-masing. Bagi yang masih bujang pun boleh datang memandangkan lelaki bujang pun masih ramai lagi. Tak kisahlah apapun status anda kami mengalu-alukannya.

Terima kasih
Moderator
Zahir







Pemain-pemain baru sahaja sampai.

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Pasukan putih adalah pecahan pasukan Arsenal(Hitam). Team pasukan puteh ini adalah milik Tuan Arif (cluster). Team ini merupakan team yang "UNKNOWN ABILITIES". Tiada sesiapa pun mengetahui kekuatan mereka. Mereka ini diibaratkan senjata torpedo yang disimpan rapi di dasar laut!!

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Wenger - Eduardo unluckiest player I've met

Wenger - Eduardo unluckiest player I've met


By Richard Clarke

Arsène Wenger says he has never known anyone as unlucky with injuries as Eduardo.
The Arsenal manager admits his Croatian striker is ruled out for the season after collecting a groin problem in bizarre fashion when Rio Ferdinand fell on him during Wednesday's Champions League tie at Old Trafford. Of course, the 25-year-old only came back to the side in January having spent almost a year on sidelines following that horrific leg break at Birmingham the season before.

He returned dramatically with two goals in his comeback game against Cardiff. However towards the end of that match, he collected a groin injury. The problem has dogged him since, restricting him to one start and two further appearances off the bench.

"He is really distraught," said Wenger at his press conference on Friday. "We have had a few players who have been down [through injuries] but this time I think it has affected him a lot.
"The season is over for him, he'll be out for three weeks. It's the first of May today, it is hard to come back to football competitiveness three weeks afterwards. Maybe if Croatia plays in June he has a chance."

Wenger was asked if he had ever known a player as unlucky with injuries.
"No," he replied. "It looks like since he's come back just every single thing that can happen has happened to him. "We watched the incident on Tuesday carefully again on the slow motion and he has absolutely no chance to escape. He is on the ground and Rio Ferdinand falls on him with the knee on his groin and you see the groin going.

"He turns his body completely but he has no chance to escape. It's just a bad coincidence. "Before his groin injury was compensation, but this time it was purely accidental."

Wenger - Stats say Man Utd better in one area

Wenger - Stats say Man Utd better in one area

By Richard Clarke

The difference between Arsenal and Manchester United on Wednesday was simply sharpness around the penalty area, according to Arsène Wenger.

The Champions League Semi-Final first leg at Old Trafford was widely perceived to be a lop-sided affair in everything but the scoreline. Sir Alex Ferguson's side had a number of chances but only converted one through John O'Shea in the early stages. It leaves the tie wide open ahead of the second leg at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, but Wenger knows his side have to improve - and he has been putting a little research into where.

"I watched the game twice again when I got home," said the studious Frenchman. "We analysed it very well.

"If you analyse it in a neutral way, as neutral I can be anyway, then the night before Chelsea made 165 passes and Barcelona 480 but, in the game, we played it was much more level.
"There was very little difference in the passing. But in the final third, they were really sharp. In fairness to them, they created chances much more than we did.

"They were more convincing in the final third but even in the penalty area the statistics are very level. But when they went for it they were sharper.

"We hope that in the second leg that sharpness that sometimes the home game gives you will be on our side.

"Manchester United have got the advantage but they missed the chance to score a second goal and we are confident that we can make them regret that."

'We were composed and had a great attitude'

'We were composed and had a great attitude'

On the performance…“We dominated completely in the first half and were creating plenty of chances through out movement and technical quality. We were sharp, composed, mobile and had a great attitude. In the second half they changed their game plan and we struggled for about 10 minutes. They had a chance for 2-1 and maybe that was the turning point. When we scored the third the game was over."

On the wholesale changes to the side …“The injury worries are still [Robin] Van Persie and [Mikael] Silvestre. I just wanted to give a breather to some of the players.”

On an even lower average age of his side... “I never have doubts about these young players. I see them everyday and you can see there is a good communication, a good connection and we showed some good combination play; we work a lot on that. These players have talent.”

On team news for Tuesday…“I haven't decided on my team for Tuesday yet, but some from today could play. I don't know yet.”

On the penalty…“I haven't spoken to [Andrey] Arshavin him yet. Some people are saying he said no, but for me it looked like a penalty. There was one before on Carlos Vela that was 100 per cent. Portsmouth are not happy but for me it looked like it.”

On handing Arshavin the captaincy …“It was such a young side and I have said many times I like a rotational leadership. He was the most experienced player. Since he arrived he has had a fantastic attitude with everybody and I wanted to reward him for that."

On Nicklas Bendtner's contribution…“I always believed in him and I think he is developing very well. He showed that today."

MU menggunakan sistem takut!!

MU akan berdepan Arsenal dalam Champion League separuh akhir dan dijangka mengekalkan sistem bertahan seperti perlawanan sebelumnya. MU yang meletakkan hampir semua pemain dalam kotak penalti dan mengharapkan counter attack ketika menentang Arsenal tempohari berjaya mengekang Arsenal dari terus membuat asakan ke tiang gol.

MU bakal berdepan jentera serangan Arsenal yang pastinya dahagakan gol. MU dijangka akan mengalami kekalahan yang cukup menyesakkan pada malam rabu nanti.

United meneruskan penguasaannya mereka, Arsenal mengekalkan Rekod Tanpa Kalah

MU terus mengungguli tangga teratas EPL. MEreka menewaskan Tottenham dengan jaringan 5 - 2. MU yang dilihat goyah pada awalnya bangkit serta merta di separuh masa kedua berpunca dari kelemahan penjaga gol Spurs yang dilihat hilang keyakinan diri. Seperti yang dijangkakan oleh moderator, MU akan menjuarai EPL musim ini.

Arsenal meneruskan corak permainan yang hebat dan menarik seterusnya mengekalkan rekod tidak kalah dalam 20 permainan liga berturut-turut. Arsenal dijangka boleh mengulangi pencapai the Invicible team yang dipegang oleh mereka iaitu tidak kalah dalam 49 perlawanan berturut-turut yang mana pasukan MU, Chelsea mahupun Liverpool tidak mampu menciptanya.


Begitulah nampaknya tahun ini. EPL MU, Champion League Arsenal, Liverpool (good try, try again, and again), Chelsea boleh tutup buku (takde harapan nampaknya).

MU juara tahun ni

Aku punya prediction MU akan menjadi juara lagi tahun ni. Tapi nak dapat treble, ke Quantiple ke apa2 pel ke tu semua mengarut je. Sejak dari awal musim aku dah tahu MU punya cita2 tu nampak sangat mengarut dan berangan-angan. Ferguson pun nampak macam dah nyanyuk cakap team yang ada sekarang ni yang terbaik dia pernah ada. Aku tengok lawan team kecik pun huru-hara. Kena belasah dengan Arsenal 2-1 tempat sendiri pulak tu. Tambah aib Liverpool belasah sampai 4-1.

Liverpool pulak bersedialah untuk tak bawak apa-apa piala tahun ni. Champion league dah hanyut, FA dah terbuang, Premier League nampaknya dah semakin tipis. Sepatutnya Liverpool kena bersyukur dapat jaringan minit 93 dari referee rasuah. Ref tak bagi gol bendner yang nampaknya tak offside. Kalau nak kira Liverpool dah kalah dah. Tapi takpe, sebagai budak sekolah yang baru nak belajar, kira Liverpool mendapat malu besar. Al maklumle, penyokong liverpool yang jumpa aku semua cakap besar. Katanya liverpool nak kenduri gol belasah Arsenal. Sebabnya depa kata MU depa belasah 4-1, Real Madrid 4-0 so apalah sangat Arsenal. Akhirnya Liverpool baru sedar, bahawasanya Depa sendiri level entah apa2 ntah.

Selamat berjuang semua. Chelsea boleh tutup buku. Tapi Chelsea nasib depa cerah skit berbanding Liverpool sebab ada Champion League. So, MU le juara nampaknya. Jangan lupa layari Blog http://footballbola.blogspot.com


Tochee

'It takes quality to respond the way we did'

'It takes quality to respond the way we did'

On a night of mixed emotions..."I believe it was a game of a frenetic pace, and of top quality. Both teams created many chances and you can see when you play on a good pitch you can play football in the Premier League. Apart from that we are half-happy because we scored four goals but we are half-unhappy because we conceded four. As well, to be 4-3 up with two minutes to go, the team is disappointed. It was another great performance tonight and Liverpool maybe thought a draw was a fair result.

"The big regret we have is that 10 minutes into the second half we a 2-1 down, but not from something created by Liverpool; from balls we didn't clear properly from the back."

On

Andrey Arshavin..."Arshavin can play everywhere, like all great players. He scored four goals but it was at the end of good combination play. He has tricks and a short back-lift and that makes him very dangerous.
"It shows he has a good left foot, but in full confidence he can be relaxed enough to take the goal anyway. I have been in this job a long time and not many players get four goals in a top game like that. I didn't expect him to do that - he has scored seven in seven games.

"On the title race..."It is still very open. It depends on what kind of form Manchester United find because they had a bit of a problem before the interruption of the Champions League so we will see how they come back against Portsmouth."

On responding to the weekend defeat..."I never doubted the character of my players. The fact they came into the dressing room very, very disappointed says a lot about their character. It shows they wanted to win and that we go for it every time. It takes quality to respond like we did today, only three days after the [FA Cup].

"On the goalkeeper's performance..."He was fantastic in the first half but struggled a bit more in the second because I believe we were less dominant from crosses. But overall, Fabianski had a good performance.

"On Bendtner's disallowed goal..."I have just seen it again and it doesn't look offside at all."

Arshavin - I need some more time to settle

Arshavin - I need some more time to settle

By Richard Clarke

Andrey Arshavin has scored or created 11 goals in his eight Premier League starts – but he still feels he has not adapted to English football yet!The Russian hit a quite brilliant quartet in Arsenal’s 4-4 draw at Anfield on Tuesday night. But, incredibly, after the game the 27-year-old suggested it was “difficult” at the moment and he required a bit of breathing space.

“If you look at the first half you never saw me except for one moment when I scored,” he said. “It is difficult for me but I will try and I need time.“Everybody else is ‘common’ to play with each other. I still have to go through pre-season and after that everything will be in a good place.”Arshavin put Arsenal in a very good place four times last night.

Giving them leads at 1-0, 3-2 and 4-3 in a mind-boggling affair at Anfield. However Yossi Benayoun’s injury-time equaliser left the midfielder with mixed emotions.“I feel good but also disappointed because we did not get the result,” he said. “Both teams wanted to win. What can I say, it is unbelievable football - it is England.“I am disappointed because we want to win each game. We want to be at the top, not fourth place.“When we pressed [forward tonight] we played good but when we dropped back it was very dangerous for us because Torres and some tall players won the ball.

They got the second ball and tried to shoot but everybody must take responsibility for losing balls not just the defence and the goalkeeper. Everyone must help.”The result banished some of those FA Cup Semi-Final blues and extended Arsenal’s unbeaten run in the Premier League to 19 games.

Arsène Wenger remains positive in his pursuit of third place however the only chance of silverware is the Champions League, and this was a fillip for next week’s Semi-Final against Manchester United.

“Confidence comes when you win,” said Arshavin. “We drew. It is not good tonight but I think we will go through next week. I hope so but I can’t play and so it is easier for me to say.”

Eurosport - Wed, 15 Apr 23:56:00 2009

Eurosport - Wed, 15 Apr 23:56:00 2009

Cesc Fabregas helped Arsenal see off Villarreal and turned his attention straight to a Champions League semi-final against Manchester United.

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Arsenal storm into semis
Matchcast: Arsenal 3-0 Villarreal

A 3-0 win at the Emirates Stadium handed Arsene Wenger's side a 4-1 aggregate win over the Spanish side and set up a mouth-watering clash with their Premier League rivals.
Theo Walcott opened the scoring with a superb 10th-minute chip before Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin van Persie, with a penalty, put the result beyond doubt.

Fabregas said: "What was really important was that we'd said we wanted to try to score early, keep the pressure on and we did that well.
"At the end 3-0 is quite a fair result, we could have scored a few more but let's not be greedy.
"(Facing Manchester United) is unbelievable for us. What can you say? To be in the semi-final of the Champions League against maybe the best team in Europe, and the world, we would take it for sure."

Wenger praised Walcott's exquisite finish, after watching the England winger transfer his form on the training ground to crucial matches.
"We know he can finish but now he is transferring that to the games. His level of confidence has gone up," Wenger said.

"In training he was always a good finisher but now he is becoming a great finisher in games too."TeamTalk / Eurosport

Champions League - Arsenal storm into semis

Champions League - Arsenal storm into semis
Eurosport - Wed, 15 Apr 21:48:00 2009

Arsenal swept into the Champions League semi-finals with a 3-0 victory over Villarreal at the Emirates Stadium.

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Matchcast: Arsenal v Villarreal
Match Gallery

Theo Walcott broke the deadock after 10 minutes before Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin van Persie, from the penalty spot, scored in the second-half to complete a 4-1 aggregate success.
The visitors had Sebastian Eguren sent-off for protesting the spot kick award and the Liga outfit were helpless to prevent the Gunners setting up an all-Premier League last four meeting with Manchester United.

Walcott gave Arsene Wenger's men the vital early goal when Emmanuel Eboue, stepping in for the ill Bacary Sagna at right-back, played a ball down the right flank that was flicked on by captain Cesc Fabregas.

The touch wrong-footed Diego Godin and gave the England winger a sight at goal which he took with some aplomb, dinking the ball audaciously over keeper Diego Lopez.
Walcott continued to give Spain left-back Joan Capdevila a torrid time, producing two dangerous crosses, the first of which ended in Van Persie nodding over and the second seeing the hesitant Gonzalo Rodriguez tread on the ball in the six yard box only to do just enough to avert the danger.

The Gunners came close to a second just before the half hour when Van Persie's free-kick was superbly saved by Lopez, diving one handed to his right.
Adebayor should have scored from the rebound but failed to get much purchase on his header and Rodriguez hacked off the line.
Villarreal failed to seriously test a makeshift Arsenal rearguard without Sagna, William Gallas, Johan Djourou and Gael Clichy plus keeper Manuel Almunia.
A scissors kick from Godin was straight at Lukasz Fabianski and the big defender also headed over while former Gunner Robert Pires had a shot from the edge of the area deflected for a corner.

The Londoners started the second-half tentatively but their nerves were eased with a second on the hour.
Fabregas nodded on to Van Persie and the Dutchman picked out Adebayor who escaped the attentions of Godin and poked the ball into the corner for his fourth goal in three starts since recovering from injury.
And the match was settled nine minutes later when Walcott checked inside and was brought down by a sliding Godin.

The big Uruguayan defender took some ball but also the man in his follow through and a spot kick was awarded by German referee Wolfgang Stark. Villarreal were incensed by the decision and Eguren received a second yellow card for dissent.

Van Persie swept a left-footed penalty into the corner past the diving Lopez as Arsenal ended Villarreal's Champions League hopes for the second time in four seasons.

Hebat ARSENAL!!! THE INVICIBLE TEAM IS COMING BACK!!

Champions League - Ronaldo bullet fires United past Porto

Champions League - Ronaldo bullet fires United past Porto
Eurosport - Wed, 15 Apr 22:03:00 2009


A stunning long-range strike from Cristiano Ronaldo sent Manchester United into the Champions League semi-finals with a 1-0 win at Porto.

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Matchcast: Porto v Manchester Utd
Match gallery


The Portuguese powered home a spectacular drive in the sixth minute as the holders secured a tense 3-2 aggregate victory.


United became the first British side to win at the Estadio do Dragao in 23 attempts over 41 years, and their reward is an all-Premier League semi-final against Arsenal.
After a month of shambolic defending and uncertainty, this was the solid, secure United that earlier this season set a record number of consecutive Premier League clean sheets.


Rio Ferdinand must take much credit for this on his return from a groin injury. While he did not have an outstanding game individually, his constant communication appeared to imbue his colleagues with improved positional sense and confidence.
Nemanja Vidic, in particular, looked much improved from his poor displays against Liverpool, Sunderland and the first leg against Porto.


Porto fielded the same starting 11 that performed so admirably at Old Trafford a week earlier, but were without their charismatic coach Jesualdo Ferreira, who served a touchline ban.
The punishment was the result of a misguided appeal against a sanction from earlier in the competition, and Ferreira opted not even to turn up to the stadium, leaving his assistant Jose Gomez to his own devices.


United failed to control the first leg, allowing Porto to snatch a late 2-2 draw, but grabbed the return fixture by the scruff of the neck. Or rather, Ronaldo did.
The winger has been widely criticised for performing below his best this season, but for all the carping he remains a fairly useful player - if not the world's best, then certainly still in the top 10.
He has 20 goals to his name this campaign and has lost none of his sense of occasion.
After five minutes of barracking from the Porto fans - a product of his former association with rivals Sporting Lisbon - Ronaldo unleashed a firecracker from nearly 40 yards that whooshed past Helton into the top-left corner.


Take that, naysayers.
In an instant, all the angst about Mariano Gonzalez's late equaliser in the first leg disappeared.
United had regained the aggregate advantage and could once again lead from the front. Although Porto improved as the half went on, they were reduced to half-chances - the best of these came to Bruno Alves who beat Vidic in the air but sent his header just wide.
United fans held their breath when Wayne Rooney pulled up in pain on 37 minutes after a challenge from Rolando.


The England striker has had a tough history against Portuguese opponents. He suffered a broken metatarsal against Portugal at Euro 2004, then another following a Paulo Ferreira tackle versus Chelsea in 2006. Then he was sent off - after an intervention from Ronaldo - for a stamp at that year's World Cup, again against Portugal.


While United could have been forgiven for fearing the worst, the 23-year-old hobbled around briefly before shaking the injury off.
Porto created little in the second half, but the knowledge that a single home goal would send the holders out meant jitters crept in.


United have not forgotten the late Costinha goal that allowed Jose Mourinho's Porto to topple them in 2004, and the failure to add more breathing space made for a tense finale.
Edwin van der Sar's horribly bobbled clearance on 82 minutes typified the anxiety, yet in truth he had little to do except make some routine saves from Hulk and Lisandro Lopez.
After the pyrotechnics at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, this was much more like the tense, tight Champions League we know.
But United know what it takes to win and did just enough to set up an all-English semi-final.







ALAH BARU SEBIJIK GOL DAH KECOH GILERR!! TENGOK ARSENAL, BELASAH SAMPAI 3 -0. STEADY JER!!

Torres: Gerrard is irreplaceable

Fernando Torres paid tribute to his club captain Steven Gerrard and cannot wait to see his captain back in action.

Gerrard has been struggling with a slight hamstring tear but the inspirational midfielder could make a surprise comeback against Manchester City this weekend.

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Torres said: "The news was that he would be out for three weeks, but we hope that he'll be back playing again sooner,

"But you never know how things can turn out with a hamstring injury - and I speak from experience.

"It was a good sign that he asked to be substituted as soon as he felt the twinge, because if a hamstring goes completely, you don't get to walk off the pitch.
"I hope and wish that he will be back soon."

Torres concedes Gerrard is the one player in Liverpool's ranks who is irreplaceable: "He has no natural replacement."Every side has a main reference, a home-grown player, someone who lives and breathes the club.

"Other players come and go, but that player remains. Here, our reference player is Gerrard. Liverpool FC is Gerrard plus ten more. He's irreplaceable."

Rafa Benitez will be hoping for Gerrard to recover in time for Liverpool's Champions League tie against Spanish giants Real Madrid next week.

Nasik Tambah: tiada Gerard...tiadalah Liverpool..... kalau dia ngan Torres injured.. sekian Terima kasih.... :)

Vidic proud of part in record

Nemanja Vidic is proud to be part of Manchester United's record-breaking defence - the 13 successive clean sheets.

Yet those would mean nothing to him without victories to go with them.
United have won 11 of those matches, meaning they have surged to the top of the Premier League table while still having a game in hand over all their main rivals.

Sir Alex Ferguson may swap his defenders around for Sunday's FA Cup tie at Derby on Sunday, especially as Patrice Evra and Jonny Evans have recovered from foot and ankle injuries respectively.

But Vidic has assured Red Devils supporters there is no intention among the defenders who do play to let their standards slip as the hunt for trophies becomes more intense.
"I am very proud and happy to be part of a team that created the record," said the Serbia international.

"We are delighted to have the new record but we will try to keep going and doing the same things we have done in the past because the most important thing is to win games."
Nevertheless, having dedicated his professional life to stopping opponents finding the net, Vidic takes immense satisfaction from a run that dates back to Samir Nasri's goal for Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on November 8.

Vidic and Edwin van der Sar are the only ever-presents during that amazing run and the 27-year-old admits he has allowed himself a few moments of satisfaction to reflect on a run that might continue against Fulham next Wednesday.

"I am very happy to be part of this defence," he said.
"I have been there all the time and it is a nice feeling to know you have not lost a goal for so many games.

"As defenders we can take a lot of credit because our job is to keep clean sheets.
"It is obvious we have done well over the last few months and I have really enjoyed it."

Nasik Tambah: Zahir tegoq aku kata Bias ke MU jer artikel yg aku letak.. tapi nak wat camna, dah aku MU FAN kan.. kalau kasi Amrey ka Nasrin ka mejar ka..sure Bias ke Liverpool plak.. alah Zahir dulu pun sama bias ke Arsenal :P

Phelan: Giggs fully deserves new Man Utd contract

Manchester United assistant manager Mike Phelan says Ryan Giggs deserves a new contract for all the hard work he has put in.

The 35 year old Welshman signed a new one-year deal earlier this week.
"If anybody deserves a new contract it is Ryan," Phelan said.

"He has got his rewards for all the hard work he puts in. He trains exceptionally well and enjoys the game more than he ever did.

"He's Mr Manchester United. He has been there, seen it and done it, and he wants to do more."
The Red Devils assistant can clearly remember when Giggs broke into the first team as a raw 17-year-old in 1991.

"I was probably the one who left when he came through," he added.
"He was one of the new generation. You could see, even underneath when I was playing in the team, he was on the verge of breaking in.

"It was great to watch him training. Everybody was talking about it. Once he got in there was no stopping him."

Nasik Tambah: at least Chef akan terus sokong MU utk 1 season lagi... dia minat Giggs saja.. dia kata lebih kurang muka mcm dia??? any comments?? :)

Liverpool keeper Reina has Atletico Madrid ambitions

Liverpool stopper Pepe Reina would love to play for Atletico Madrid, claims his father Miguel.

"My son has seen the red and white colours since he was small and he would love to play for Atletico. This weekend I am going to see him and I will talk to him about it," he told Radio Marca.

"Pepe is crazy about playing for Atletico and I will try to convince him so that he does it as soon as possible."

Nasik Tambah: mungkin dah tiba masanya dia move on sekurang-kurangnya kat sana MUNGKIN dia leh dapat apa2 piala yg Real ngan Barca tak nak dari dok di Liverpool.. YNWA ( You'll Never Win Anything!!)... jangan marah ekkk...

Wenger's up for the Cup

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes the Gunners' campaign can only draw strength from an extended FA Cup run.

The Gunners have so far failed to mount a serious challenge for the Barclays Premier League title, and are currently outside the top four.

However, the battling goalless draw at Tottenham last weekend - where they played more than half the game with only 10 men following the dismissal of Emmanuel Eboue - extended an unbeaten run to 11 matches in all competitions.

Arsenal will be confident of another positive result at home to Coca-Cola Championship side Cardiff on Monday night, in their rescheduled fourth-round replay.

The FA Cup was the last trophy won by Wenger, in 2005, and could now present the best chance of silverware this season.

The Arsenal boss, though, maintains it is all about continuing momentum.
"We want to prepare well because we know it is a very important game for us and we need to focus," Wenger told Arsenal TV Online.

"We are unbeaten and want to keep that going in every competition - the longer that lasts, the stronger you will be."

The Arsenal boss added: "If the three draws put together don't look good, then you must put the whole 11 games together and that looks like we are on a run.

"We want to transform that bit of disappointment from a draw into a convincing victory, and the team is on a good way."

The original fixture at Emirates Stadium on February 3 had to be rearranged because of the snow which crippled London's transport network.
Arsenal have now been left a tie behind the rest of the competition, with a potential home fifth-round clash against Burnley pencilled in for March 7/8.

With a two-legged Champions League last-16 encounter against Roma also to come in the next three weeks, there seems little room for manoeuvre in terms of fixture scheduling.
Wenger, though, insisted: "It does not bother me too much. We have to deal with that and I do not think it is a big problem."

New signing Andrei Arshavin is ineligible for the replay, having only completed his protracted move from Zenit St Petersburg on transfer deadline day.
Striker Eduardo, who was on the bench at Spurs, played in midweek for Croatia and could feature against the Bluebirds.

However, young midfielder Aaron Ramsey is a doubt to face his former club having injured a knee while away with Wales.

Eboue is suspended, while Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor will miss the next three weeks with a hamstring problem. Full-back Gael Clichy has recovered from a badly-gashed head.
One player who has produced some consistent displays in recent matches has been centre-half William Gallas.

Wenger believes the Frenchman, who was replaced as captain earlier in the season following public criticism of the Arsenal squad, has shown his calibre.
"He is playing well," the Gunners boss noted.
"I have said many times that after a major incident he has responded like a real professional and has dealt well with the situation and that is what we want."

Arshavin, meanwhile, is expected to make his highly-anticipated debut when Premier League action resumes against Sunderland on February 21.

Nasik Tambah: Kesian Zahir.. tak dapat tengok Arshavin main.. tunggu 21 ni la Yeop baru dia leh turun.. 1st time turun dah injured... kot :)

Premier League - Chelsea reveal massive losses

Chelsea have been left counting the cost of recent managerial upheaval after announcing losses of £65.7 million for the last financial year.

In a statement released on Friday the Premier League club confirmed it had achieved "record group turnover and reduced losses for a third successive season" but revealed £23.1m had been paid in compensation to two first team managers and five coaching staff.

The results for the financial year ending June 30, 2008 include severance payments made to former Blues managers Jose Mourinho and Avram Grant.
The figure does not account for compensation paid to Luiz Felipe Scolari, who was sacked as manager earlier this week.

The loss is lower than last year's figure of £74.8m, which was in turn an improvement on the £80.2m loss announced the previous year.
The club announced record losses of £140m in 2004-05.

The London club, owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, increased group turnover by 11.9 per cent to £213.1m from £190.5m in 2006-07.

Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon said: "There is no doubt that the positive upward trends of turnover and the continued reduction in losses shows that Chelsea is building a strong business base to build on in what will be challenging times.

"This is even more evident given that the results were adversely affected by the exceptional items."

A report today by the BBC claims that Abramovich's investment in the club since 2003 has reached £710m, although Kenyon insists the club still hopes to become "self-sufficient" within the next 18 months.

"We have set ourselves ambitious targets to be EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization) neutral on June 30, 2010 and to require zero cash funding from the owner at the beginning of the financial year 2009-10," Kenyon continued.

"We have consistently advocated the aim of self-sufficiency which has always been supported by the owner. We are hopeful of being close to these targets in the timeframes we have set given the underlying strengths of the business.

"This is the fifth set of financial accounts since the takeover and Chelsea has made huge progress during that period as a football club and a business."
Today's figures also revealed that wages, excluding compensation payments, were up to £148.5m from 132.8m in 2006-07, and that shareholder loans have been reduced to £339.8m while shareholder capital/equity has increased to £369.9m.

Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck said: "Following the conversion of half of the interest-free loans into equity there should now be no doubt as to the owner's commitment to the club and the stability of the company's funding structure."

AC Milan ace Kaka slams Chelsea: You've no idea!

AC Milan star Kaka has slammed Chelsea over the sacking of Luiz Felipe Scolari.

The AC Milan superstar was part of Scolari’s World Cup-winning Brazil squad of 2002 and was also given his first cap by the axed Blues boss.

Kaka said: “I don’t understand how a club that wants so bad to win titles can take such a bad decision as this.

“Just because Chelsea had a couple of bad matches. It was a big mistake. I’m sure, in a few weeks or months, he’ll be coaching an even bigger club than Chelsea.”

Gilberto Silva: Arsenal now in critical period

Panathinaikos midfielder Gilberto Silva believes former club Arsenal are going through a crucial period in their history.

“It’s a big period for Arsenal. Since I was there they haven’t experienced a situation like this," said the Brazil midfielder.

“Now they are out of the Champions League places which is very uncomfortable but I’m sure they will pick up points and qualify like we expect.

“It’s quite hard for a big club like Arsenal to be so long without a title and the team is also very young.

“They need time and this is the problem at Arsenal — when you are in a big club you don’t have much time to grow up and they don’t know how to cope under pressure.

“It’s hard work for the experienced players to help them in the situation they have.
“But they’ve got quality and a good manager, Arsene Wenger will do a good job with them.”

nasik tambah: kalau dulu memang Arsenal punya ramai player muda yg dibawa masuk dan "dibelai" oleh Wenger sehingga menjadi team yg tidak terkalah untuk semusim. Namun keadaan berbeza sekarang. Mungkin Wenger perlu "ternak" kembali generasi muda Arsenal untuk bangkit semula dan kembali ke Gelanggang BIG 4 BPL... mungkin juga kekalahan di tangan MU yg menghancurkan rekod tanpa kalah mereka masih belum menjadi igauan?? tak gitu Zahir hehehehe...

Real Madrid put aside £60M for Man Utd star Ronaldo??

11.02.09 tribalfootball.com

Real Madrid have put aside £60 million for a new bid for Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo.

Cadena Ser says Real have the loan through Banco Santander and though the cash won't cover the entire deal, it will go a long way to bringing Ronaldo to Madrid in the summer.

While Ramon Calderon is no longer with Real, his successor, Vicente Boluda, is in charge of plans for a new bid for Ronaldo and part of his remit is to find unity amongst Real's presidential candidates to begin negotiations with United before the summer election.

Madrid sources insist Ronaldo was on his way to Real last summer, only for fears of a public backlash from United fans preventing the move from going through.

nasik tambah : nak amik-amik la... duit tu boleh invest dekat player lain. Sama masa beckham blah gi Madrid, memang tiada pengganti tapi dapat player yg lebih berbakat.. lagipun main bola bukan game 1 man show!!

Pires: Arsenal need a full English

One-time Arsenal great Robert Pires believes Arsenal's current woes are down to the club's lack of English stars.

Pires, who is currently plying his trade in Spain with Primera Liga outfit Villarreal, joined Arsenal in 2000 and enjoyed a stellar career during a six-year stint in north London.

Alongside Pires as he won two Premier League titles and three FA Cup successes, were the likes of Englishmen Martin Keown, Tony Adams, David Seaman and Ashley Cole.Arsenal currently only have two English stars in their ranks - Theo Walcott and Jack Wilshere. It's a situation that, according to Pires, Arsenal have to change if they are to challenge for silverware again."What Arsenal lack now is English players, that is very important," he said."When I arrived there were a lot of English players and that is why we won. You need to have a mix in the dressing room.

"What I see now when I look at the club from outside is that they lack that mix. "They only have two English players in the squad." Pires also took time out to explain the principal reason for his Arsenal exit in 2006, the year when Jens Lehmann was sent off early in the Champions League final against Barcelona, forcing the Frenchman to be sacrificed for substitute goalkeeper Manuel Almunia.

"My biggest disappointment was playing only 18 minutes in the Champions League final. "Wenger killed me when he took me off. For that reason, I could not stay at Arsenal and I moved to Villarreal.

"The final was played in Paris. All of my family was there and I really suffered. We lost the game so that night was very tough."

Man United 1 Other Clubs 923

Ever wondered how many managers have come and gone since Sir Alex Ferguson took over at Manchester United?

Fergie took the reigns back in November 1986 and has since gone on to win tons of honours with the Red Devils.

However, the same cannot be said of the other big English clubs as a whopping 923 managers have been hired and ousted in his 23 years stay.

Cutting it down to bite size for our readers, a much smaller sum of 193 rival bosses from the 19 Premiership clubs currently in the top flight have been ousted from their seats while the Old Trafford head honcho is still going strong.

Managerial Casualties (BPL clubs 2008/09)

Portsmouth 14
Tottenham 14
Stoke City 14
West Brom 13
Man City 13
Newcastle 12
Wigan 12
Fulham 12
Hull City 11
Sunderland 10
Chelsea 10
Blackburn 10
Aston Villa 9
Everton 8
West Ham 8
Bolton 7
Middlesbrough 7
Liverpool 5
Arsenal 3

Premier League - Spurs held by 10-man Arsenal

Premier League - Spurs held by 10-man Arsenal

Eurosport - Sun, 08 Feb 16:00:00 2009

Tottenham Hotspur were unable to secure a first Premier League win in a decade against local rivals Arsenal as they were held to a goalless draw at White Hart Lane.

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Matchcast: Tottenham v Arsenal
Match gallery

Robbie Keane made his second debut for Spurs but, despite playing with the extra man for almost an hour following Emmanuel Eboue's sending off, the Irishman could not skipper his side to derby victory.

However, the draw means that Spurs were the only side in the bottom six to earn even a point this weekend, while Arsenal are now five points off fourth-placed Chelsea.
Tottenham began the match in buoyant mood, and managed to maintain a high tempo that Arsenal found difficult to deal with. Wilson Palacios saw a shot from distance saved by Arsenal keeper Manuel Almunia before Roman Pavlyuchenko fired a difficult half-volley over the bar.

Despite being on the back foot, the Gunners can count themselves unlucky to have a goal disallowed when Eboue burst into the Spurs box. His stabbed ball across the box broke loose and Emmanuel Adebayor lashed it into the back of the net, but referee Mike Dean had already blown his whistle for an apparent foul on Jonathan Woodgate, denying Adebayor his ninth goal against Spurs.

Arsenal received a double-blow in a three-minute spell later on in the first half. Adebayor pulled up unchallenged as he chased a long ball down the wing and was stretchered off with a suspected torn hamstring.

However, before Arsene Wenger could get substitute Nicklas Bendtner on to the pitch, he saw his team go down to 10 men permanently when Eboue received his second yellow card and a subsequent red.
The Ivorian had already been booked for his persistent dissent after Bacary Sagna was penalised for a foul, with referee Dean waving him away twice before eventually brandishing the yellow card.
Eboue then received his second booking for a petulant flick of the boot to trip Luka Modric after the Croatian had done the same to him. Dean booked the Tottenham playmaker first before calling Eboue back and making him the 76th Arsenal player to receive his marching orders under Wenger.
Inevitably, Tottenham emerged following the break the more likely to score, with Keane sending a close range header over the bar when he should have at least tested Almunia. Palacios also had another long-range strike parried by Almunia.
However, as the half wore on and Keane and Pavlyuchenko failed to establish any real understanding between them, Arsenal began to work themselves back into the match.
Samir Nasri delivered a dangerous 70th-minute corner that corner that had it fallen to someone other than Alexandre Song may well have ended in the back of the net rather than being steered wide of the far post.
Moments after that chance Keane had his best opportunity, controlling a flick-on from Jermaine Jenas with his chest and firing a volley on the turn that whistled past the post with Almunia well beaten.
Both sides had chances to win it in stoppage time, when Bendtner had a rasping shot tipped over the bar by Cudicini before Modric found himself in plenty of space only to fire a shot right at Almunia, but the Gunners held out to extend their unbeaten league run to 11 games.