Showing posts with label Arsenal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arsenal. Show all posts
Friday, 3 June 2016
Arsenal already have a plan to replace Arsene Wenger reveals Ivan Gazidis
Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis has revealed the club already have a plan in place to replace Arsene Wenger. The 66-year-old Frenchman has been in charge of the Gunners since 1996 and while he has no immediate plans to walk away from the club, Arsenal have already devised a succession plan.
Gazidis said the Gunners have a clear idea of how they will replace Wenger when he comes to leave the club, although he refused to reveal specific details. "Obviously, he is going to be managing us next year and we are planning and making many decisions for the long term," Gazidis said, according to The Telegraph.
"The reality is we wouldn't leave things until the last minute. I'm comfortable both that if Arsene is going to extend we will know that and if, whenever that is, he is going to come to an end, that he will give us the time that we need to prepare for that transition."
Gazidis also insisted the Arsenal boss will not outstay his welcome at the Emirates Stadium, amid recent calls for the Frenchman to resign. "The relationship with Arsene is very deep. It will be done behind closed doors and we will have our transition plans well worked out," the Arsenal chief executive explained.
"I know Arsene wouldn't stay on if he thought the club wasn't heading in a good direction and thought he wouldn't be able to deliver what the fans want."
Meanwhile, Gazidis also rubbished the idea that Wenger is resting on past accomplishments or "nostalgia". "The reason we have Arsene as our manager is because our board believes he can deliver success," Gazidis said of the Arsenal boss. "The reason that Arsene is here is because he believes that he can deliver success.
"If either of us didn't believe that we would not be constrained by nostalgia or longing, we would have to make a change. Arsene would understand and support that. But it's just not how either side feels. We feel we are on a good path."
Wenger is expected to spend heavily this summer after he failed to sign a single senior outfield player for Arsenal during the 2015 summer transfer window. He has already completed the signing of Granit Xhaka and more big-name players are expected to follow in the coming months.
Monday, 29 February 2016
Man United 3-2 Arsenal: Marcus Rashford's superb double hits Gunners' title hopes - 5 things we learned
Marcus Rashford celebretes scoring second goal
The 18-year-old scored twice and set up Ander Herrera's third in a phenomenal display, while Mesut Ozil's assist and goal can't save Gunners
Marcus Rashford struck twice and set-up Ander Herrera's third to hand Manchester United a huge win against Arsenal.
Rashford scored twice in three minutes to continue his remarkable week and reignite United's fading top-four hopes and harm the Gunners' title chances.
The first, a flourishing finish, was followed by a glancing header that has seen the 18-year-old local lad take his goal tally to four in two games, following his brace in Thursday's 5-2 Europa League win over FC Midtjylland .
Danny Welbeck scored before half-time to reduce the deficit.
Rashford set up Herrera as Man United added a third, before Ozil kept Arsenal in the game with a fine finish.
Louis van Gaal was finally cheered by the Old Trafford faithful when feigning a dive on the sidelines - a response to Alexis Sanchez.
And there might be a few more cheers after this win. Here's what we learned.
1) Rashford has no fear
Fresh from his two-goal debut heroics in midweek, Marcus Rashford , 18, was United's main man again, scoring twice in three minutes to set up the win, as well as assisting the third.
No fear and a star in the making.
2) Varela proves his worth
Signed by David Moyes and brought back into the fold by Van Gaal, Varela proved his value with a hand in United's opening two goals, while he began the move for the third.
Only blot a caution for tugging back Sanchez.
3) Walcott has a day to forget
Culpable for United's opener, when he lost possession cheaply, Walcott was abject throughout.
Sloppy on the ball and more of a liability than an asset, he was hooked just after the hour.
4) Ramsey lucky not to see red
Ramsey escaped a sending-off, despite shoving Herrera to the ground after the United midfielder scythed into him with a late challenge.
Despite the reckless nature of the foul, Ramsey can consider himself lucky.
5) Van Gaal the fall-guy
Louis van Gaal rarely leaves his seat in the dug-out, but here it was worth the wait, the United boss dropping to the ground in front of the fourth official to mock Sanchez for a perceived dive.
Layer ratings - by John Cross
Manchester United
De Gea 6 - Terrific early block from Monreal showed his value to United.
Varela 7 - Booked. Forgotten man of Moyes’ reign played part in both goals.
Carrick 7 - Booked. Did well as a makeshift centre half. Composed.
Blind 7 - Reads the game well, sees danger and was effective.
Rojo 6 - Feeble attempt to head clear when Welbeck scored.
Schneiderlin 7 - Worked hard, shielded United’s defence to good effect.
Herrera 7 - Booked. Very good passing, his shot deflected for United’s third.
Lingard 7 - Quite lively, provided the cross for Rashford’s second goal.
Memphis 7 - Bit better after his midweek confidence boost after midweek.
Mata 7 - Nice moments of quality in United’s midfield engine room.
Rashford 8 - MotM. What a story. Two goals for United’s new sensation.
Substitutes
Fosu-Mensah, for Rojo, 55 mins, 6
Januzaj, for Rashford, 80 mins
Arsenal
Cech 6 - Not much he could do on any of United’s goals.
Bellerin 5 -Exposed defensively but got very little protection.
Koscielny 5 - Partnership with Gabriel simply does not work. Awful.
Gabriel 5 - Horrible moment on United’s opener. In poor form. Shocking.
Monreal 6 - Had good early chance but was blocked by De Gea.
Coquelin 5 - Yet to rediscover his form since returning from injury.
Ramsey 5 - Booked. In poor form, looks very jaded, lucky not to see red.
Ozil 7 - Perfect free kick for Welbeck’s goal and scored.
Welbeck 7 - Gave everything, scored and was easily Arsenal’s best player.
Sanchez 5 - Where has Sanchez of last season gone? Didn’t track on opener.
Walcott 4 - Hooked early after a very poor game. Made no impact.
Substitutes
Giroud, for Walcott, 63 mins, 6
Elneny, for Coquelin, 73 mins, 5
Iwobi, for Welbeck, 83 mins
Mirror
Friday, 26 February 2016
Ox-lade Chamberlain hatacheza mpira kwa wiki kadhaa kutokana na kuumia goti
Kiungo machachari wa klabu ya Arsenal Alex Oxlade Chamberlain hatocheza kwa wiki kadhaa kutokana na jeraha la goti alilolipata jumanne wakati wa mechi ya vilabu bingwa Ulaya.
Akiongea na wanahabari Kocha wa Arsenal Arsene Wenger amesema, Chamberlain alipata jeraha walipokabiliana na Javier Mascherano . Jeraha lake ni baya na litamuweka nje kwa wiki kadhaa,''alisema Wenger.
Chambaerlain mwenye umri wa miaka 22 aliondoka katika uwanja wa Emirates akiwa na magongo.
Monday, 15 February 2016
Arsene Wenger hails Arsenal super-subs Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck for keeping title dream alive
The Gunners rallied from a goal down at the break to secure a crucial win over the table-toppers in the dying seconds of stoppage time
Arsene Wenger hailed super subs Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck for keeping Arsenal’s title hopes alive.
Arsenal were 20 minutes away from falling eight points behind Leicester until Walcott and Welbeck struck late on to fire the Gunners to a dramatic win against 10-man leaders Leicester.
Walcott cancelled out Jamie Vardy’s penalty opener before Welbeck – on his ahead-of-schedule comeback from 10 months out with a knee injury - headed a dramatic winner five minutes into added time to send the Emirates wild.
Wenger said: “That game shows you, at that level, the bench plays a big part. When you dominate the games, you can bring on strikers like Walcott or Welbeck, it changes completely your opportunities.
“A loss today would have been massive. After losing you get all the negative vibes, the belief goes down, it would have been much more difficult.
“We would not have given up, but eight points is three games to come back. We would need to win three, they would need to lose three.”
Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri was fuming about Danny Simpson’s dismissal for two yellows in five minutes and also over the timing of Welbeck’s winner.
He said: “I am very angry because maybe I make mistakes but an international referee gives two yellow cards for normal fouls and the match was full of fouls and very difficult fouls.
“When you make one yellow card you have to stay calm, my players but also the referee. In the second half maybe the crowd push a lot and put him under pressure. Also there was four minutes of extra time (signalled) and there was five minutes (played).”
But Ranieri was proud of his players after they finished a daunting run of three games against Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal with a battling display at the Emirates and tally of six points.
And, with no game for a fortnight, he has handed his players a week off.
He said: “I said to them ‘go home and we will see you next Monday’ because they deserve it. “They will go, I don’t know where, Dubai maybe, wherever they want. I will have one day in London and then I will go to Rome.”
Mirror
Monday, 8 February 2016
Premier League weekend: 10 things we learned as Leicester prove why they're title favourites
The Foxes' triumph over Manchester City put the 5000/1 pre-season outsiders in the box seat to win a first Premier League crown
What a weekend!
At home and abroad - a series of results shed light on some things, and cast a looming shadow over others.
Leicester City are undoubtedly the team of the weekend in the Premier League, after going to title favourites Manchester City and coming away with a 3-1 win to go five points clear at the summit.
There was less good news for Gary Neville over in Spain, after he watched his Valencia side slip to a 1-0 defeat at Real Betis - making it 12 league games without a win for the former England defender.
Here are 11 things we learned from the weekend...
1. Mesut Ozil likes playing Bournemouth
By Neil McLeman
The German has scored twice since November – both times against last season's Championship winners.
His craft is just what the Cherries lacked, though most teams could use a £42m playmaker.
2. Lingard has an outside chance for the Euros
By John Cross
Roy Hodgson was at Stamford Bridge to watch what has traditionally been a top of the table clash.
It’s got a different context these days with Chelsea labouring in the bottom half of the table and Manchester United’s main target is simply top four.
But one player to surely have caught Hodgson’s eye must have been Jesse Lingard.
Lingard has scored three important goals recently, against Newcastle, Stoke and now at Stamford Bridge.
His goal at Chelsea was a peach. He controlled the ball, span and fired it into the top corner.
Hodgson got some stick for calling up Lingard a few months ago. If Lingard keeps playing and progressing then no-one will question his next call-up. He might even be in with a chance of the Euros.
3. Ranieri's spirit a joy to watch
By David McDonnell
Even with his side 3-0 up and heading for a six-point lead at the top, Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri was still in the technical area, cajoling and berating his side, his enthusiasm and spirit refreshing to watch, just like his team.
4. Adebayor can be an asset for Palace
By Andrew Gwilym
A first start in over a year was always going to be a challenge for the Togo international, but he did enough to suggest he will be an asset to Palace even if his full debut did not go his way.
Gave away the free-kick for Sigurdsson’s goal, but will get better as he finds his fitness.
5. Norwich spending spree looks wasted
By James Nursey
Promoted City spent £25million on eight new players in January but they are yet to get any return on their investment.
New right-back Ivo Pinto was dropped for this game and Timm Klose looked unsure at the back. Steven Naismith was a willing runner but looked on a different wavelength to team-mates and was subbed.
6. Barkley must be England regular
By David Anderson
Ross Barkley must be key for England at Euro 2016.
Barkley showed what an instinctive genius he is with his backheel in the build-up to the penalty for Everton's first goal and such players are priceless in big tournaments.
7. Spurs are hot off the press
By Mike Walters
As well as having the youngest team in the Premier League, Tottenham also press with the most urgency.
In areas of the pitch where others are happy to yield possession or territory, Mauricio Pochettino preaches emphasis on closing down space and working feverishly to regain the ball.
Harry Kane may be at his best around the box, but he was not too shy to track back 50 yards at full tilt to rob Nathan Ake.
8. How the absence of a manager affects players
By David Maddock
There was little doubt Liverpool were slow out of the blocks here, and not at their usual game of pressing and closing the opposition high up the pitch.
They weren't helped by first half injuries to Dejan Lovren and Joe Allen, which knocked them off their stride further, but it seemed the urgency of Klopp was missing.
9. So Aleksandar Mitrovic can score
By Simon Bird
The Serb needed that goal, after a blank spell and many a missed chance. Mitrovic collected the ball from Shelvey's wonderful pass and kept his cool to slide home under the advanced Ben Foster.
It was a good job Mitro made amends for being offside when Cheick Tiote lashed in a stunning 30 yarder, which was eventually disallowed.
10. England blessed for goalkeepers
By Adrian Kajumba
With Fraser Forster returning from injury looking as sharp as ever and Jack Butland's emergence this season Joe Hart has some genuine rivals pushing him for the England spot.
Forster was heroic against Arsenal in midweek and produced another important save to keep out Winston Reid's first half header.
He also notched a fifth clean sheet in a row since his return.
Mirror
Saturday, 30 January 2016
Arsenal 2-1 Burnley: Alexis Sanchez helps Gunners into FA Cup fifth round – 5 things we learned
Calum Chambers and Sam Vokes traded first-half goals before the Chilean settled the tie with a cool finish
Arsenal booked their place in the FA Cup fifth round with a 2-1 win over Burnley.
Alexis Sanchez was the matchwinner for the Gunners, netting a second-half winner on his first start since returning from injury.
That was after Calum Chambers and Sam Vokes had exchanged goals in an intriguing first half in north London.
There were also appearances for Mohamed Elneny (his first for his new club) and Tomas Rosicky, who appeared for the first time since last May.
1. Calum Chambers enjoys playing Burnley
Chambers scored his second goal of Arsenal . His first was also against Burnley in November 2014.
So, Chambers could be forgiven for asking Burnley: can we play you every week?
More importantly, Chambers played at right back. He was nice and solid, his goal was a lovely curling shot with the top corner.
Chambers can play right-back, centre-back and holding midfielder. He is an excellent squad member.
2. Burnley make 4-4-2 work
Burnley and Sean Dyche won a lot of friends and admirers in the Premier League. Not least because they always tried to play football, it didn’t always come off, but they always tried to attack.
They came to the Emirates with two strikers in Sam Vokes and Andre Gray. Their movement and threat caused Arsenal problems.
Vokes’ towering header for Burnley’s equaliser was top quality and no more than he deserved.
3. David Ospina lacks height
This was Ospina’s first game for Arsenal since his nightmare in the Champions League against Olympiacos.
No-one has ever doubted Ospina’s ability as a shot stopper and a good reflex keeper.
But his height (I can’t believe he really is 6ft as the stats say) and lack of presence mean that he can leave Arsenal’s penalty area looking vulnerable.
Sure enough, opponents target high balls, crosses and set pieces. It was one of those high balls which allowed Sam Vokes to head home.
4. The FA Cup is useful for Arsenal
Mohamed Elneny was neat and tidy without being outstanding on his Arsenal debut.
He is clearly going to need time to settle in and adapt to English football as he looked a bit headless chicken at times.
Alex Iwobi is a bright prospect, has got great control and skill. But he couldn’t really get on the ball enough to influence the game. But played a part in Arsenal’s first two goals.
Arsenal were also to bring back Alexis Sanchez and Francis Coquelin to give them some match sharpness.
To that end, the FA Cup was useful rather than an unwanted distraction from bigger prizes.
5. Arsenal respond well to setbacks
After the defeat against Chelsea, Arsenal needed to regain some momentum. They couldn’t afford to lose against Burnley.
This should restore some confidence, get them bubbling again and also keep them in line to become the first team to win the FA Cup three times in a row since Blackburn in the 19th century.
They make a habit of responding well after body blows. Now their season nicely placed ahead of facing Southampton on Tuesday.
Player ratings
ARSENAL
- Ospina 6 - Made some good saves, but lacks Cech’s presence.
- Chambers 7 - Super goal, terrific curling effort. Nice game at right back.
- Gabriel 7 - His pace gives him such an advantage, did well.
- Koscielny 7 - Booked. Good strong combative display in defence.
- Gibbs 7 - Looked sharp in front of England boss Roy Hodgson.
- Coquelin 6 - His first start since November, clearly lacked sharpness.
- Elneny 6 - Did OK, but will take time to adjust to English football.
- Iwobi 7 - Big prospect, skilful and involved in both Arsenal goals.
- Oxlade-Chamberlain 6 - His cut back set up Sanchez. Will boost his confidence.
- Sanchez 8 (MOTM)- Marked his return with a goal. Always lively and trying.
- Giroud 6 - Disappointing. Didn’t make enough of an impression.
- Subs: Arteta 6, Rosick 6, Walcott
BURNLEY
- Heaton 7 - You can see why he is a regular member of the England squad.
- Darikwa 7 - Really caught the eye. Excellent crossing, good on the ball.
- Keane 7 - Did well, strong and commanding in defence.
- Mee 7 - Looks a good player. Helped marshall the defence.
- Ward 6 Decent game at left back, solid in defence.
- Boyd 6 - Lively and tried to make things happen.
- Jones 5 - Subbed early, tried hard for Burnley.
- Ulvestad 6 - Solid. Hung in there against Arsenal’s quality.
- Anfield 6 - Booked. Made a good goal line clearance.
- Vokes 7 - Excellent towering header for Burnley’s equaliser. A big threat.
- Gray 6 - His pace caused Arsenal problems, looks a good player.
- Subs: Barton 6, Hennings 6, Kightly
Sunday, 24 January 2016
Arsenal 0-1 Chelsea: Diego Costa makes Per Mertesacker pay for early dismissal by scoring winner five minutes after red card
- Arsenal centre back Per Mertesacker was sent off in the 18th minute after bringing down Chelsea's Diego Costa
- Mertesacker could have no complaints as he brought down Costa while the Chelsea man was running at goal
- Costa piled further misery on Arsenal by poking a delightful Branislav Ivanovic cross past goalkeeper Petr Cech
- Home defeat means Premier League title hopefuls Arsenal are three points behind leaders Leicester
Chelsea striker Diego Costa celebrates his 23rd-minute goal against Arsenal after poking a Branislav Ivanovic cross into the net
As he made his way, slowly, to the touchline the derision filled the night air. Then the response from blue corner. 'Diego Costa – he’s done it again'. And he had. Drawn the red card, got the goal, got right up Arsenal’s hooter. It was just like old times.
The result was familiar, too. A Chelsea win. These teams have met 27 times competitively in 12 seasons and this was Chelsea’s 16th win, with seven draws. The last 12 goals, in league fixtures, have belonged to Chelsea too. Do Arsenal have the nerve to win the title this season? They certainly don’t have the steel to beat Chelsea.
Not many teams will drop six points to them this season, but Arsenal have. And while they curse bad luck and Costa’s dark side for the defeat at Stamford Bridge, the buck stops with the home team here.
Per Mertesacker made a dreadful decision leading to his dismissal and Arsenal barely managed a shot at goal. Cesc Fabregas ran the game in midfield, aided as ever by the tireless, Willian and was unfortunate not to win a penalty when bodychecked by Laurent Koscielny after a beautiful run in the second half. That Nemanja Matic gave away a foul, and was booked, for an identical challenge on Alexis Sanchez in midfield soon after shows the inconsistency.
True, Arsenal were down to 10 for 71 minutes of the match but, even handicapped, they knew what they had to do after half-time and disappointed. Their best chances were scrappy, scrambles with opportunity coming by fortuitous deflection rather than invention. Leicester will have looked at this with quiet satisfaction. Everyone thought they would be the ones that blinked first.
Petr Cech is the best goalkeeper around these parts since David Seaman. So, knowing that, why didn’t Per Mertesacker trust him to deal with Diego Costa, even one on one?
When a quite lovely pass put Costa through after 19 minutes, Mertesacker’s lack of pace left him floundering. At that point, he had a choice. Lunge, risk missing his tackle, and play the inevitable game of red card roulette, or chase Costa, applying as much pressure as possible and hope that Cech can do the rest.
The worst that could happen would be that Arsenal went a goal down, against a team that started the day in 14th place, and with 70 minutes to retrieve the game. Instead, Mertesacker pressed the doomsday button.
As usual, when things happen in a rush, there was the debate about whether Costa was taken out, clipped or merely fell over taking evasive action. It really doesn’t matter. Mertesacker’s tackle was wild and did not allow Costa to continue his run on goal. Of course, the same could be said of a challenge made by Nicolas Otamendi on Michail Antonio during Manchester City’s match with West Ham on Saturday, and that was only judged to be a yellow card.
This time, Clattenburg did the right thing. Mertesacker was dismissed and the angry reaction of the locals probably had more to do with the involvement of bogeyman Costa than any true sense of injustice. Had it been the other way around, they would have been howling for a straight red.
It was the seventh time in the Premier League that an Arsenal player had been sent off against Chelsea — not including Gabriel’s red at Stamford Bridge earlier in the season, later rescinded. They have a way of getting under red skins and, momentarily, Arsenal lost their way. Arsene Wenger’s reaction to the calamity — removing Olivier Giroud for a centre half, Gabriel, was not well received, and Gabriel’s first involvement was, frankly, calamitous.
He had been on the pitch barely a minute when Branislav Ivanovic whipped in a cross from the right, which Costa met at the near post, getting across Gabriel, and forcing the ball into the net. He is back to his best, no doubt of that, recording more goals and assists under Guus Hiddink than he did in 16 league games with Jose Mourinho this season. Make of that what you will.
Arsenal rallied, in terms of possession if not chances, but Chelsea could have moved further ahead shortly before half-time. Another beautiful ball from Willian — Chelsea’s player of all the season, not just a fraction of it — found Costa but Cech saved well at the near post. From Willian’s corner, Ivanovic’s powerful header was cleared off the line by Nacho Monreal.
Arsenal had one good chance before being numerically disadvantaged, and one after. In the second minute, a cross by Theo Walcott — honorary captain on the day after 10 years at the club — deserved better than a skewed finish from Joel Campbell.
Then, with the last attack of the half, a neat chip from Aaron Ramsey was met by Mathieu Flamini, beating the offside trap but not his own nerves before goal, and choosing an ambitious volley which troubled only those departing early for a half-time cup of tea.
