Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is facing pressure from all directions. Ever since bouncing back into the Premier League title race, his young Gunners are being questioned about their credentials to finally last the course of the� entire season, particularly given the tough string of fixtures ahead. While his side responded with a fighting display at Villa Park, the resulting goalless draw was enough for Villa boss Martin O'Neill to suggest that Wenger's judgmental comments off the field are getting the better of the Frenchman.

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Mustapha Diallo has been handed a 3 match ban by the disciplinary commission of the LFP following his red card against PSG in the Coupe de la Ligue last Wednesday.

He served one of the those against FC Istres on Tuesday night and will now miss the two cup games against Mulhouse and Toulouse this week.

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All season we've been talking about our game in hand, and it seemed on Wednesday we could finally get it out of the way. Snow and ice intervened, however, so we're still a game behind our rivals as we head into a busy period.

However, fate is allowing us to catch up, at least on Chelsea their game at Hull is one of six Premiership matches already called off this weekend.

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Another striker name who will definitely not join Arsenal was revealed by manager Arsene Wenger. 24-year old Andre-Pierre Gignac is too expensive for the North London Club to consider a move, even though the Arsenal manager ... Click to continue reading...

Another striker name who will definitely not join Arsenal was revealed by manager Arsene Wenger. 24-year old Andre-Pierre Gignac is too expensive for the North London Club to consider a move, even though the Arsenal manager ... Click to continue reading...

Arsene Wenger has confessed he may need to sign a new striker to boost Arsenal's Premier League Title odds this season.
The French manager indicated it could depend on the situation with Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner that sways his mind whether or not to bring a new forward to the Emirates during the transfer window. Click to continue reading...

The Gunners boss appears to have a lot of plans up his sleeve!

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Arsène Wenger is confident he will be able to sign the Bordeaux forward Marouane Chamakh, a long-term target, under the Bosman ruling in the summer and could rely upon Bendtner to lead the line in the absence of the injured Robin van Persie in the interim.

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The transfer window is upon us again, but all the Arsenal transfer news in the papers seem to be concentrating on which players are NOT coming to the Emirates! I personally thought that Andre-Pierre Gignac was the most likely striker to be moving to Arsenal, but the Mail is telling me that Arsene Wenger doesn't think [. Click to continue reading...

Arsene Wenger set to splash the cash in search of meaningful silverware.

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Arsenal are thought to be planning to give boss Arsene Wenger a £30million transfer kitty to turn the Emirates club from also-rans into real title contenders.

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First of all, Merry Christmas to all reading this! Its nearly the January transfer window and as we all know Wenger is looking for a striker. I have seen many blog's with various strikers mentioned but a lto of players have been missed. None here.

Full name: André-Pierre Gignac
Date of birth: May 12, 1985
Birthplace: Martigues,� France
Nationality: French
EU passport: Yes
Height: 187 cms
Weight: 84 kgs

Club: Toulouse
Position: Striker [C]
Squad Number: 10
Previous clubs: Lorient > Pau (loan) > Toulouse

International debut: 1 April 2009, W 1-0 v Lithuania
International Caps: 6
International Goals: 1
World Cups: none

Full name: Luca Toni Varchetta
Date of birth: May 26, 1977
Birthplace: Pavullo nel Frignano,� Italy
Nationality: Italian
EU passport: Yes
Height: 193 cms
Weight: 88 kgs

Club: Free Agent (to be released by Bayern)
Position: Striker [C]
Squad Number: 9
Contract expires: June 2012
Previous clubs: Modena > Empoli > Fiorenzuola > Trevise > Vicenza > Brescia > Palermo > (€11m) Fiorentina > (€18m) Bayern München

International debut: August 2004, v Iceland
International Caps: 47
International Goals: 16
World Cups: Germany 2006 (1st)

Signing Possibility: 6/10

Full name: Carlton Cole
Date of birth: November 12, 1983
Birthplace: Surrey,� England
Nationality: English
2nd nationality: Nigerian
EU passport: Yes
Height: 190 cms
Weight: 88 kgs

Club: West Ham
Position: Forward [C]
Squad Number: 12
Previous clubs: Chelsea > (loan) Wolverhampton > Chelsea > (loan) Aston Villa > Chelsea > West Ham

International debut: February 2009, v Spain
International Caps: 4
International Goals: 0
World Cups: none

Signing Possibility: 6/10

Full name: Edin Džeko
Date of birth: March 17, 1986
Birthplace: Doboj,� Bosnia and Herzegovina
Nationality: Bosnian
EU passport: No
Height: 192 cms
Weight: 80 kgs

Club: Wolfsburg
Position: Forward [C]
Squad Number: 9
Previous clubs: Zeljeznicar > Usti nad Labem > Teplice > Wolfsburg

International debut: June 2007, v Turkey
International Caps: 20
International Goals: 14
World Cups: none

Signing Possibility: 5/10

Full name: Goran Pandev
Date of birth: July 27, 1983
Birthplace: Strumica,� Macedonia
Nationality: Macedonian
EU passport: No
Height: 184 cms
Weight: 75 kgs

Club: Free Agent
Position: Forward [L]
Squad Number: 19
Previous clubs: Belasica > Inter Milan > La Spezia > Ancona > Lazio

International debut: December 2000
International Caps: 17
International Goals: 6
World Cups: none

Signing� Possibility: 7/10

Full name: Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
Date of birth: August 12, 1983
Birthplace: Drempt,� Netherlands
Nationality: Dutch
EU passport: Yes
Height: 183 cms
Weight: 78 kgs

Club: Milan
Position: Striker [C]
Squad Number: 11
Contract expires: June 2013
Previous clubs: PSV > (loan) De Graafschap > PSV > (loan) AGOVV Apeldoorn > Heerenveen > (€9m) Ajax > (€27m) Real Madrid > (€15) Milan

International debut: August 2006, v Republic of Ireland
International Caps: 26
International Goals: 14
World Cups: none

Signing Possibility: 5/10

Full name: David Villa Sánchez
Date of birth: December 03, 1981
Birthplace: Langreo,� Spain
Nationality: Spanish
EU passport: Yes
Height: 175 cms
Weight: 69 kgs

Club: Valencia
Position: Forward [C]
Squad Number: 7
Contract expires: June 2014
Previous clubs: Sporting Gijon B > Sporting Gijon > (€2.

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The January transfer window is approaching fast, and the papers are full of Arsenal transfer news. The news that Stan Kroenke is getting closer to a massive takeover bid at the Emirates has prompted many pundits to say that the American is keen for Wenger to buy a top-class striker in the New Year to continue [. Click to continue reading...

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will face pressure to sign new players and spend significant money from the Gunners board in January, according to a report from The Daily Mirror.

Shareholders have apparently made it clear to the club's directors that a major signing is required in January in order to appease fans and make a statement of intent as far as ambition is concerned.

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Toulouse battler Andre Pierre Gignac appears to get better and better, the no nonsense powerhouse scoring a great double in the Ligue 1 side's win over Sochaux and further justifying a potential move to the Premier League where his playing style would surely be ideally suited.

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According to the Daily Mail, Toulouse want £12million for striker Andre-Pierre Gignac. Gignac has been linked with Arsenal as Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is searching for a new striker to replace the injured Robin Van Persie.

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Chamakh

Its Official folks. Arsenal are in a state of mini-crisis. 3 defeats in a row, the last two being 3-0 hammerings courtesy the Blues & the Sky-Blues. Injuries to Van Persie, Bendtner, Walcott & indifferent form of both Eduardo and Vela, has meant Arsenal are playing all their games with practically no strike ammo.

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Because I read all the papers, I often come across news that the rest of you miss. Here are a few gems that your insane loyalty to the Buxton Advertiser might have caused you to overlook.

Arsenal target Andre-Pierre Gignac sure does like his garlic mashed potatoes.

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Wenger considers move for talented trio.

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Sevilla's winger Diego Perotti could be part of the answer, with Arsenal ready to test his £20m buyout clause.

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If you're only going to have 5 players play well, make sure they include at least three defenders and the goalkeeper. I'm writing in a vacuum I did have the Setanta commentator who rightly pointed out how poor France were, but I have to say that I thought France were shocking.

Good performances: Sagna, Evra, Gallas, Lloris, Anelka
Poor: Henry, A.

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La speranza resta sola

E' proprio vero, a volte la sorte ti volta le spalle. Ma quando anche la giustizia ti abbandona allora la rabbia è più che legittima. Allo stadio Saint Denis di Parigi, c'era il macht di ritorno tra Francia e Irlanda per l'accesso ai mondiali in Sudafrica. Click to continue reading...

France won the first leg of the World Cup playoff away to Ireland 1-0, but the tie is still up in the air.

France was the better team, but they weren't firing on all cylinders, and as a result, need to get a result in the second leg in Paris.

The formation didn't always hold it's shape, but it was something like this:

Gignac
Henry Gourcuff Anelka
A.

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So President Nicolas Sarkozy went on Facebook to wish les Bleus good luck.

Pretty sure that will be all it takes to push them over the top.

GFC over at The Beantown Frog is cautiously optimistic about this leg of the match, predicting a 1-0 win.

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Jogaram pelas eliminatórias da Copa do Mundo, no Estádio de Saint-Denis, para um público de 78.099 pessoas, as seleções da França (9º no ranking da FIFA) e Áustria (58º no ranking da FIFA).
Antes desse jogo, as 2 seleções jogaram:
Copa do Mundo: 2 jogos, 1 vitória da Áustria, 1 vitória da França, 03 gols da Áustria e 03 gols da França. Click to continue reading...

Jogaram pelas Eliminatórias da Eurocopa, em Guingamp, no estádio Roudourou, as seleções da França (9º no ranking da FIFA) e Ilhas Färoe (122º no ranking da FIFA).
Antes desse jogo, as 2 seleções jogaram:
08-09-2004 - Ilhas Färoe 0x2 França - Eliminatórias Copa do Mundo
03-09-2005 - França 3x0 Ilhas Färoe - Eliminatórias Copa do Mundo
11-10-2006 - França 5x0 Ilhas Färoe - Eliminatórias Eurocopa
13-10-2007 - Ilhas Färoe 0x6 França - Eliminatórias Eurocopa
12-08-2009 - Ilhas Färoe 0x2 França - Eliminatórias Copa do Mundo. Click to continue reading...

The Qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup are over, except for the playoff games which will determine the last batch of teams that will travel to South Africa. Here is a breakdown of the qualified teams, and the teams that will fight for a spot in the playoffs.




Europe


Qualified teams: Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Slovakia, Switzerland, England, Italy, Serbia, Spain
Playoff teams: Portugal, Greece, Slovenia, Russia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ukraine, France, Republic of Ireland
Many big teams had difficulty in Europe, Portugal and Sweden struggled, and eventually Portugal prevailed, leaving Sweden and Ibrahimovic out of the 2010 World Cup. Click to continue reading...

The UEFA Region had its second to last matchday with some countries needing wins to keep their hopes of traveling to South Africa next summer alive. Some of the key matches were Republic of Ireland v Italy, France v Faroe Islands, and Portugal v Hungary.

Here's a recap of these matches along with video highlights from Saturday, October 10, 2009.

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LES ÉQUIPES PROBABLES

FRANCE: Mandanda - Sagna, Gallas, Abidal, Evra - Govou, L. Diarra, Toulalan, Henry (cap.) - Anelka, Gignac
ILES FÉROÉ: Mikkelsen - Danielsen, Gregersen, Eliasen, Davidsen - A. Olsen, S. Olsen, Benjaminsen, Loekin - Jakobsen - Hansen

I was willing to bet my house yesterday that we'd be playing two DMs, and guess what?

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C'mon, Romania!!! Oh, and France, too.

If we can get a win today at Serbia, our fate is still in our own hands. Our guys can do that. Right?

According to Raymond when asked about the starting XI, « Tout est possible », but l'Equipe is expecting Domenech to go for continuity.

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France's lineup was something like this:

Gignac
Henry Gourcuff Anelka
Toulalan Diarra
Evra Escude Gallas Sagna
Lloris

With Henry and Anelka, it was a bit like a 4-2-1-3, but it was essentially the France formation (4-2-3-1).

And although it looks to me like Domenech is picking just about the right players, the team play is lacking fluidity.

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Abou Diaby: Serbia attack's most dangerous weapon?

This upcoming weekend will be filled with World Qualifiers up until Tuesday so I will not comment much on Le Championnat from last weekend that saw a very disappointing 0 – 0 between Marseille and Bordeaux, a very convincing 3 - 0 win by PSG against Lille, St Etienne's first 3 points versus a sad Grenoble and more Lyon magic thanks to Lisandro Lopez (ARG), Gomis (FRA) and Bastos (BRA).

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There is a surprise leader early in the 09-10 French Ligue 1 season. AS Nancy has been on fire offensively in rising to the top of the Ligue 1 standings. This week, AS Nancy defeated Monaco 4-0 in their home opener at Stade Marcel Picot. Cameroonian forward Paul Alo'o Efoulou scored twice to stand out in the win. Click to continue reading...

World Cup Qualifying � for South Africa 2010 continued in the UEFA Region with several key matches taking place. A few of the top teams played on Wendesday including Germany, Scotland, Norway, and France. Here's a recap of some of the matches from Wednesday's qualifying.

France edges Faroe Islands 1-0 Video Highlights

France struggled to get goals against the Faroe Islands but still won 1-0.

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Olympique Lyonnais have made no qualms about beginning their 'new era'.� With Benzema, Juninho and Keita three big names to leave the club this summer so far, the French side have wasted no time in splashing out on some big-money transfers and it doesn't look like the deals are done yet!

With Benzema leaving, a huge gap was created in the striking position.

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Morning and welcome to a brand new pre-season filled week. At last the football has begun again and the countdown to the new season is well and truly on.

After seeing Tomas Rosicky return in Saturday's game against Barnet Arsene Wenger admitted he had serious fears for his Czech mate's future during his time out with injury.

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by CARL ELDRIDGE IT's Day 57 of transfer speculation since the final kick of last season and there is a new hat in the ring as a possible replacement for you-know-who.

According to those seemingly informed bods at the Daily Mail, Arsenal are considering moving for Toulouse striker Andre-Pierre Gignac.

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According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal are interested in Toulouse striker Andre-Pierre Gignac. However Toulouse want around £18million for the striker.

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Incoming:

Aly Cissokho: Should arrive in Lyon either today or tomorrow to take his physical and pen his deal which is said to be worth 15mill with a clause that sees FC Port recieving 20% of his future sale! JMA has found a new nemisis in Porto president Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa.

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Lyon Can Finally Fly Straight Again: OL's New Winger Swoops into Town, Hopefully to Take Us to New Heights.
No, it's not a Ferrari nor Beluga caviar, it's a Brazilian winger. Like and injured bird, OL's left wing- along with a slew of other issues- hindered it's abilitiy to fly as strong as it was capable of, but now it's finally healed, stronger than ever, and ready for lift-off.

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It was bound to happy eventually. I don't know about you guys, but after the embarrassment of last season's finish, I was dreading the oncoming ~dramah~, :tearz:, and angsty soap operas from the players and the staff. I was expecting a meltdown of epic proportions. I thought that the sky would fall.

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OL Gets Serious About The Attack!

In:

Lisandro Lopez: Lyon finally got their man. JMA's first signing of the summer cost OL 24 mill plus performance bonuses. Lisandro is supposed to be in Lyon Friday for his physical.

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Hotting up.

IN:

Lisandro Lopez: JMA himself was supposed to be in Portugal today to personaly finalize the deal for Lisandro, but management dropped a bomb today on Porto! In L'Equipe, Bernard Lacombe announced that management had called-off the trip to Portugal today, as well as divulging that negotiations for Toulouse striker Andre Pierre Gignac were underway(see more below).

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