Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger responded to criticism today from England manager Roy Hodgson who complained earlier this week that there are far too few English football players plying their trade in the Premier League.
Here's what Wenger had to say regarding the matter:
It's a trip to the midlands today and a game against West Brom.
This fixture last year was one of the most tense, nerve-wracking Arsenal games I can ever remember. We took an early lead, let it slip to go 2-1 behind, got it back 3-2 and then hung on for dear life, quite literally at times, to the lead which would guarantee us Champions League football.
Seaman DoubtsSzczesny's Ability to Win Starting Role Back
Arsenal legend David Seaman isn't sure whether goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has what it takes to win back his position in coach Arsene Wenger's starting line-up.
So we know that we are without Theo Walcott who would insist of travelling with England, silly boy, Abou Diaby, and possibly without Kieran Gibbs who is ill.
And we know Lukas Podolski and Bacary Sagna are fit.
We also know that so far this season we have scored seven [.
Arsenal crept closer to Chelsea and Tottenham with a solid 2-0 win at Swansea on Saturday and kept their second away clean sheet in a row. The game lacked drama though as the Gunners were more or less in control of the proceedings right from the opening kickoff and very rarely seemed to be in trouble in their own end of the pitch.
This is it, the home stretch. We finally got the Champions League distraction out of the way and we can turned our attention completely on the chase for the trophy known as "top four". There are many ways to interpret that sentence, none of which involves me being castigated for stating that.
You can't criticize a team that went into Munich and beat the Bundesliga leaders 2-0 in their own backyard. However, it was still a case of too little too late for Arsenal as they needed a third goal to secure a spot in the European Champions League quarterfinals and lost on the away-goals rule after leveling the aggregate at 3-3.
After 10 days of inactivity from Arsenal in a competitive match (and so did I on here), we find ourselves on the cusp of the 2nd leg match between us and Bayern Munich. I say match but for the rational, it is just a matter of concluding what is already known. That by Thursday morning, we would find ourselves knocked out of the Champions League.
With a fourth place finish on the line and just 12 games to go in the season, I have to wonder why Arsenal are still loaning put players. Needless to say if the Gunners don't make it to the top four by the end of the campaign they can kiss goodbye to millions of pounds of Champions League money.
Santi Cazorla believes the secret behind his quick adjustment to life in the Premier League is that coach Arsene Wenger uses the same footballing philosophy at Arsenal which is prevalent in Spanish football.
Aaron Ramsey has injured his calf and is now a major doubt for Arsenal's upcoming Premier League game against Sunderland.
The 22-year-old Gunner picked up the injury while away on international duty with the Wales squad and could now be unavailable for his club's visit to Stadium of Light on Saturday.
The January transfer window closed yesterday and surprised, surprised we signed someone. With the entire month to do business, it only happened on the final day. Personally, I wanted to see more investment (more players) than just the one and I'm sure there will be plenty who will agree with me.
Arsenal have reportedly agreed a fee of £8.5 million with Spanish club Malaga for the purchase of their defender Nacho Monreal.
The 26-year-old left-back has left for London and the Gunners are now hoping to get the deal ratified by the FA before the transfer window shuts close later tonight.
Doesn't seem that long ago since Terry hit the dirt and watched as Brave Sir Robin danced away from him. Happy Days.
And what chance of a repeat today? Well, we did it against the Cave Dwellers so why not against Chelsea? I know, I know lightning doesn't strike twice but in a world of infinite probabilities, it does!
Doesn't seem that long ago since Terry hit the dirt and watched as Brave Sir Robin danced away from him. Happy Days.
And what chance of a repeat today? Well, we did it against the Cave Dwellers so why not against Chelsea? I know, I know lightning doesn't strike twice but in a world of infinite probabilities, it does!
Chelsea's Juan Mata and John Terry-Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
Chelsea play host to London rivals Arsenal on Sunday in an important match for both teams. After surrendering a two goal lead at home against Southampton mid-week, Chelsea will be looking to end their poor run of form at home, which includes two losses and a tie in their last three outings against Arsenal.
Much has been written about Arsène Wenger's penchant for foreign players – French players in particular. Over the years he has been ridiculed for playing teams full of foreigners and for his seeming adversity to English youth. This culminated in a league match against Crystal Palace on 14 February 2005 when Arsenal named a 16-man squad that featured no British players for the first time in the club's history.
Much has been written about Arsène Wenger's penchant for foreign players – French players in particular. Over the years he has been ridiculed for playing teams full of foreigners and for his seeming adversity to English youth. This culminated in a league match against Crystal Palace on 14 February 2005 when Arsenal named a 16-man squad that featured no British players for the first time in the club's history.
Should have gotten this done 2 days ago but was caught up in my new job this week. If only I was being paid enough to blog everyday, which I don't. So here's the shorten version of it.
Started poorly Continuing on from the Southampton game, another 45 minutes of poor-ness all around.
You have to feel for Kieran Gibbs don't you? He puts in a MOTM performance, scores a brilliant goal to give us the lead with five minutes to go and then some of his team-mates conspire to show the very worst of our defending and give away a goal tolevel the score at 2-2.
You have to feel for Kieran Gibbs don't you? He puts in a MOTM performance, scores a brilliant goal to give us the lead with five minutes to go and then some of his team-mates conspire to show the very worst of our defending and give away a goal tolevel the score at 2-2.
Arsene Wenger blamed his Arsenal side's lack of focus after they were held to a 2-2 draw by Swansea City in their FA Cup tie at Liberty Stadium on Sunday.
The Welsh minnows drew first blood when their star striker Michu scored in the second half.
Arsenal left Wales a little dejected on Sunday Jan. 6 after being held to a 2-2 draw in their Third Round tie of the FA Cup by Swansea. The Gunners allowed a late goal by Danny Graham in the 87th minute to level the score at 2-2 after taking the lead themselves just four minutes earlier.
Based on the play, Arsenal should have held on for a deserved win, but their lack of quality defending hurt them again.
Swansea vs Arsenal FA Cup Highlights 2013 2-2 Kieran Gibbs Goal Volley Michu Podolski Graham Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter
Swansea vs Arsenal FA Cup Highlights 2013 2-2 Kieran Gibbs Goal Volley Michu Podolski Graham Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Swansea vs Arsenal 2-2 ( Swansea Arsenal VIDEO BELOW) Final score and result:- Swansea vs Arsenal 2-2 ( Michu, Graham/ Podolski, Gibbs) Liberty Stadium, Wales- 6 January, 2013- [.
Well, quite a year to end the year of 2012 for Arsenal Football Club. Plenty of goals, not only in the goal we were aiming for but also conceding our fair share of it. Suicidal defending and lacklustre moments complimented by some display of sublime attacking football. This match that ended 7-3 in our favour, perhaps no better summation of the kind of year we've had.
Arsenal blew the doors off of a weakened Newcastle side 7-3 at the Emirates Stadium on Dec. 29 in a thoroughly entertaining finale to 2012. However, don't let the final score fool you, Newcastle was neck and neck with the Gunners right up until the 69th minute and also had 56 per cent of ball possession compared to Arsenal's 44.
The only claim to footballing glory on a personal level that I have is being selected for my university team. The nature of me being selected was little different from everyone else. They held a trial process where every man and his dog can attend and show what they are capable of.
Chelsea's loss was Arsenal's gain on Saturday March 30. The Gunners didn't really break a sweat while disposing of an uninterested Reading side 4-1 at home while Rafael Benitez led his men to another loss, this one a 2-1 defeat down on the south coast at Southampton. Spurs managed to beat Swansea 2-1 to sneak past Chelsea into third spot by two points point and Benitez's men slipped into the all-important fourth position in the table.
It's an early start this morning and it's Stoke in the Premier League this afternoon.
The game at the Orc Arena in the early part of the season was one of those which gave us some hope that our defensive issues were sorted, one of three clean sheets in our first three games and, on the day, we were relatively untroubled by a team which usually causes us more problems at their place.
When Kieran Gibbs pulled up on Wednesday night, clearly crocked, little could we know that that one split second, that sprained thigh, would cost the club £8m. Because I think it's fair to say that had Gibbs been roaming the Emirates pastures happy as punch at the end of the Liverpool game, Wenger would not have signed anyone this transfer window.
Sagna to Start on Left against Bayern If Vermaelen Fails to Recover
Arsene Wenger could be forced to deploy Bacary Sagna on the left side of Arsenal's backline in the first leg of the upcoming Champions League clash with Bayern Munich, according to a report published by Goal.
Sixth-place Arsenal didn't lose any ground on Chelsea, Tottenham, and Liverpool on Wed. Jan. 30 with their 2-2 home draw against Liverpool, but they didn't gain any on them either. However, they did fall a further two points behind fifth-place Everton. It was another game of two very different halves and while the team can be praised for coming back from a 2-0 deficit, when you look at the big picture it was another two points dropped at home and to a team below them in the league table.
Arsenal did just enough to squeak by Brighton and Hove Albion 3-2 on Saturday Jan. 26 on the south coast and advance to the fifth round of the FA Cup. However, they had to bring the big guns off the bench to do it as Theo Walcott shot home the winner in the 85th minute after coming on as a sub with Jack Wilshire in the 68th minute.
Some days Arsenal create chance after chance, but just can't put the ball in the net. On other occasions they seem to have the Midas touch as everything they do ends up past the opposing keeper. Their London derby against West Ham at the Emirates on Jan. 23 was a prime example of the latter as they rifled five goals past Jussi Jaaskelainen for a dominant 5-1 thumping of neighbouring West Ham.
There's only one place to start this morning and that's the announcement from yesterday that five players, British ones at that, had signed new long-term deals.
As expected Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey, Kieran Gibbs, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Carl Jenkinson signed new contracts which will, all going well, keep them at all the club for seasons to come.
Another double gameweek is upon us. Our Best XI was filled with double gameweek stars last week including the likes of Ba, Lambert, Puncheon, and Mata and they certainly didn't disappoint all registering big FPL scores. And now ... Continue reading →
