Arsenal Facing Celtic in Champions League 2009-10 Play off

Arsenal will face Scottish giant Celtic in the play off round of Champions League 2009-10. The winning side would clinch a place in the group stage of Champions league this season. Arsenal finished 4^th in premier league last season, and thus, entering into the qualifying phase of the champions league. Celtic finished second in the Scottish premier league last season and they have reached the final round of the qualifying stage after defeating Dinamo Moscow in the third round of qualifying stage.

There is no doubt, it is an enticing encounter for the British football fans as it is an All British clash. The first round of the play off round will take place on 18/19 August and the second round will be held on 25/26 August. Arsenal is definitely favorite against Celtic, but it is also true that Arsenal’s current squad provides lots of worries for the fans. Arsenal has lost a number of star players like Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure in the Summer transfer window so far. However, the Gunners have not signed any replacement yet. Naturally, the squad has lost some strength.

Overall, I think, it would not be so easy for the Wenger boys to break Celtic whose confidence is now at the peak following their away victory at Dinamo Moscow.

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ESPN Soccernet

Bordeaux President Hints, Arsenal Could Sign Marouane Chamakh Very Soon

You already know that Arsenal has already lost its prime striker Emmanuel Adebayor this Summer and there is now a void in the striking position. Now, it seems that Arsenal is looking to land in Moroccan striker Marouane Chamakh, who is currently playing for French club Girondins de Bordeaux in an attempt to fill up the gap created by Adebayor’s move to Manchester City.

Bordeaux president Jean-Louis Triaud said that the club had received an offer from Arsenal, but the offer did not match with Bordeaux’s valuation of the player. So, Triaud asked Arsenal to make an improved offer for the 25-year-old striker. However, he also hoped that a deal for Chamakh could be done pretty soon.

Well, I think, Marouane Chamakh could be an effective player for us as we have some excellent playmaker in Fabregas and Arshavin. Chamakh is very much talented striker who can control the ball very well. With a height of 6 feet and 2 inches, Chamakh is excellent in the air. The biggest strength of the striker is his ability to work hard on the field both in taking control of the ball and holding possession. So, I think, Marouane Chamakh could be an excellent inclusion in Arsenal squad. However, it is not yet confirmed what the amount Arsenal offered and what the amount the French club is demanding for the player.

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Goal.com

Aaron Ramsey Looking for Arsenal First Team

Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey has set his target on clinching a regular spot in the Arsenal first team next season. The 18-year-old is now gearing up to prove his skill and quality in his attempt to secure a regular sport of Gunners first team. Ramsey moved to Arsenal at the start of the last season, but could manage only 22 appearances in his first season.

Aaron Ramsey now believes that he has improved a lot both physically as well as mentally and is ready to claim a place in the starting line up of Arsenal. He thinks Arsenal always lands young potential players and gives them chance whenever they are ready to play at the top level.

Well, it would not be easy for Ramsey to bag a regular place in the starting line up because Arsenal midfield boasts of the players like Cesc Fabregas and Andrei Arshavin. Moreover, there are some other young players like Jack Wilshere and Samir Nasri who are also aspiring to clinch a regular spot in the Arsenal’s first line up.

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Goal.com

Arsene Wenger does not want to buy new players for this season either

I can not think of any coach in English Premier League who is so popular like Arsene Wenger considering the fact that he could not bring any trophy for the last few seasons. Still, he is very popular and a few months ago, when Real Madrid wanted to buy him, many Arsenal supporters became very worried. So, what about this season? There is a growing pressure and call from everyone on Arsene Wenger to busy some top footballers for the season. However, he thinks that it is not the right solution and Arsenal should focus on the existing players in stead of going for multimillion dollar spending.

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Thomas Vermaelen Looking for Success with the Gunners

If you are a fan of Arsenal football club then you should already know that Wenger has got himself a new player by spending nearly 10 million pound. This is a lot of money and if you thought that it was spent to get a striker then you are wrong. I am happy that Wenger spent the money on a defender because this is the place that the club has weakness. Thomas Vermaelen is the defender and he has already promised to give his best for the Gunners’ success.

Mirror wrote:

Vermaelen, 23, made more than 100 appearances for Ajax after joining the Dutch club in 2004.

The Belgian international, added: "Arsenal is a great club with a world-class manager, high-quality players and a fantastic stadium.

"Everything is set up for Arsenal to be very successful for years to come and I joined this club because I know Arsenal will challenge for trophies."

Andrey Arshavin: Arsenal or Tax Problem

There is some rumor that Andrey Arshavin is not very happy with the British tax system and he may want to leave London and go to another country another club. Now, his agent categorically denied that there is no such thing going on and Andrey Arshavin would be happy to play for Arsenal in the next season.

This must come as a welcome relief for the supporters because Arshavin was one of the top players in last season. His arrival in the club helped to improve the performance of the team and his historic 4 goals against Liverpool is perhaps the sweetest feeling for all the Gunners fans of last season.

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Cesc Fabregas: The Prime Target of AC Milan in Summer 2009 Transfer Window?

It has been reported by La Gazzetta Dello Sport that AC Milan has set its eyes on Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas, the influential midfielder from Spain. No doubt, he has shown excellent progress over the last couple of years and there are a number of clubs including European champion Barcelona who are interested to sign Fabregas in Summer 2009.

The Milan based club is reportedly trying to make some good cash in by selling Brazilian star Kaka to Real Madrid who are now desperate to sign the Brazilian star. Well, it is true that Arsenal would not like to sell their prime star at this moment. In fact, the Gunners do not have many star players in the squad and it would be a big mistake if Arsenal lets Fabregas move away from Arsenal in Summer. In the same way, Fabregas would also make a big mistake if he tries to move to AC Milan from Arsenal because he would not have as much choices at AC Milan as he now has at Arsenal where he has already been a regular player.

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Cesc Fabregas to Join Barcelona in Summer 2009?

Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas is now the prime target of new European champion Barcelona in Summer transfer window. The Catalan club is also reportedly ready to pay £40million for landing the 22-year-old member of Spain’s Euro 2008 winning team. The youngster has already become one of the most influential midfielders in the world because of his creativity. Recently, Fabregas said that any player would love to join a club which is champion in Europe. His comment also fueled up the speculation that he might leave the North London club this summer.

There are also reports out in the media suggesting that Cesc Fabregas might have already agreed with Barcelona on a possible transfer, though there is no confirmation behind this claim. Now, let us see if Arsenal captain remains with the club next season.

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Daily Mail

The drama of Emmanuel Adebayor and Arsene Wenger

Last season, there were lots of rumors that Emmanuel Adebayor would leave Arsenal and go to AC Milan. Now, there are two clubs that are associated with him: AC Milan and Chelsea. Both of them are ready to pay a lot of money, but it is not yet clear whether he will leave or not leave. This season, Adebayor could not perform like last season and suffered a lot of criticism from Arsenal fans.

 

Now, Adebayor has said that it is up to Arsene Wenger whether he would stay or not. He has also stated that if Arsene Wenger wanted then he had no problem to stay in the club. This is good news for most of the Arsenal fans because still he is a very good striker. In the last season, the injuries of Adebayor, Van Persie and Fabregas made a lot of problem for the club. Let us hope that if he stays next season, he will be in good form.

Next Season: Can it Bring Success for Arsenal?

Arsene Wenger is going to stay in Arsenal and it surely brings a lot of hope among fans. We all know that a day will come when we will be without Wenger but let us hope that that day comes after 10 years. He is a powerful figure and he has guided the club through very rough time. Whether you like or not, you have to admit that Arsenal is not rich like Manchester United or Chelsea and cannot afford to buy big players like Ronaldo and Robinho. Yesterday, the Gunners played their best in the season and won the last match of the league this season by 4-1. What I feel is that in this season, injury was the number one enemy.

Next season may seems to be better. The main thing is that we all have to pray that the Gunners suffer less injury- much less than this season.

Roque Santa Cruz and Marouane Chamakh Linked with Arsenal Move

It has been reported many times that Emmanuel Adebayor, one of the prime strikers of Arsenal, might join Italian club AC Milan in Summer. The Togolese striker has been linked with the Italian outfit since last summer and he could also join premier league club Chelsea, if Carlo Ancelotti becomes the new coach of the Blues. Though Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said that the 25-year-old striker will remain at Emirates stadium next season, Arsenal has already been linked with a number of replacements of Adebayor.

Blackburn Rovers striker Roque Santa Cruz is one of the strikers Arsenal has been linked with. However, to get the services of Santa Cruz, Arsenal has to spend around €20.5 (£18m) which Arsenal is less likely to spend. Marouane Chamakh is another striker who has also been linked with Arsenal. Bordeaux striker has been in impressive form and it is pretty much certain that he would leave the French outfit this summer. Moreover, his €13.5m (£12m) price tag seems to be more appropriate for Arsenal’s spending nature.

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Emmanuel Adebayor: Milan or Chelsea?

Sometimes, I cannot understand how the footballers, coaches and clubs behave in the transfer market. Just a few days ago, Emmanuel Adebayor stated that he would stay in Arsenal because he felt that the club has put him in the global football map. Now, there is intense speculation that he may head for Italy to AC Milan. Last year, after the end of the season, similar intense speculations took place too. This time most probably it will happen. This time also, Arsene Wenger is not that much keen to keep him. I don’t understand the reason. He is a good player and one of the top strikers in EPL. It seems that Chelsea is also keen to have him and boost their fire power.

Arsene Wenger Leaving London and going to Madrid?

If it happens really it will be like an earthquake for some fans like me. I always believe that he is the best coach for the club and no one can replace him. It seems to me that Real Madrid is keen to take Arsene Wenger at any cost and they feel that he can change the fortune of the club in Spain. I know that Wenger has suffered a lot of criticism for his transfer policy and many people have criticized him bad way. However, he should not listen to them and listen to the feeling of fans like me who adore him in any situation.

Arsenal Held Manchester United to a Goalless Draw in Premier League

It was a match for Arsenal to show they were not as weak as their recent Champions league defeat against Manchester Unite suggested. Though the match ended in a goalless draw, Arsenal could successfully prove what Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger recently claimed. Wenger said that Arsenal was not far behind than Manchester United in terms of strength and that is what was proven today by his spirited boys.

Arsenal came to Old Trafford to destroy Manchester United celebration party of hat-trick premier league title. Gunners may not have been successful from this aspect, but North London club played very well and created some good chances today. Manchester United did not go for all out attack, unlike to their recent trend, as the Red Devils were happy to stick to defensive mode, knowing that they were just a draw away from their third consecutive premier league title. Though Manchester United also had some good chances, but Arsenal was better side than Manchester United in the match.

Nintendo wii losing market share in USA

Nintendo wii is one of the popular gaming consoles in the world and also in the USA. However, according to a report of Bloomberg, it seems that it is losing popularity and sells. In fact, what we can see is that there has been significant decrease in sells of Nintendo wii in USA in the last one year. For example, in April 2008, nearly seven hundred and fourteen thousands gaming consoles were sold but in April 2009, the figure is only three hundred forty thousand. Well, Microsoft has seen some decrease in its popular X-Box 360 consoles but the decrease was not that much. However, Sony’s play station 3 has also suffered 32% less sell.

In a time of an economic recession, it is natural and in fact all kind of products are witnessing decline. In fact, a few days ago, we saw unemployment figure and it was not good. Some people are hopeful that economic recession is going to end very soon but if you look at the economic reports of Germany, England and USA then there is little room to be optimistic. For example, the economy of Germany has seen significant amount of decrease. In fact, in the first quarter of this year, German GDP shrank almost by 4%.

Arsene Wenger: No Need of Revolution at Arsenal

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is very much concerned about the fact that his side could not land any title for the last four seasons, but the French manager does not think Arsenal needs any big investment to buy star players in Summer in order to bolster its squad. Rather, the manager believes that the average of Arsenal squad is 22 and there is no need to cause a revolution at this moment. He is not yet totally disappointed by Arsenal’s performance.

Arsene Wenger is known for his strong youth side and he is good at handling young players and making them future stars in football. For example, when Thierry Hendy joined Arsenal, the French striker was a lesser known player, but by the time he left the club, he already became an Arsenal legend. The same thing could go for Cesc Fabregas as well as Emmanuel Adebayor. So, I think, Arsene Wenger does not need to spend more to add players to his current squad. Rather, Wenger should try to prepare his young players at Arsenal youth side, and keep an eye on young talented players around the world whom he can land at Arsenal and nurture them so that they could become future stars of Arsenal.

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A Bad Luck for Arsene Wenger and His boys Against Chelsea

In the end, the score line read something like this Arsenal 1- Chelsea 4. If you have not watched the match then you would think that it was a one sided match and Chelsea dominated from the beginning to the end. I like to say that it was just the opposite. Yes, I could not believe my own eyes either. Arsenal totally dominated right from the start and suffered goals instead of scoring them. It was not their day. I badly missed Arshevin who was out due to illness. The midfield was superb and Fabregas and Nasri created many opportunities but Walcott, Van Persie, Adebeyor and Bentdner- all missed one after another chance. A bad day for the coach Wenger.

Arsene Wenger: Arsenal is as good as Manchester United

I do not know whether Arsene Wenger is good mood or not but I know that the supporters of the club are very unhappy and frustrated to see another season without any trophy. There is now a lot of pressure on the coach for buying some top quality players in the transfer window of July. It seems that Arsene Wenger is determined to pursue his policy of not spending a lot of money.

He believes that he has some quality players who can be the asset for the future and he also believes that there is not much difference between his club and Manchester United. I agree with this idea because Arsenal has perhaps the best midfield in the whole premier league right now. All they need is Another three top quality players in defense, and striking. Tomorrow, they’re going to face against Chelsea and this is a match that Arsene Wenger wants to win.

Theo Walcott Will be in Arsenal for Long Time

Another season without winning a trophy and many players feel frustrated. These players earn a lot of money but they also want a trophy so that they can remember their past when they become old. You may feel that if they are not satisfied then they should join the clubs that they will give them trophy. Well, I have to say that Arsenal has at least 3-4 world class players and if they leave then it will be a disaster for the club. Theo Walcott is perhaps one of them and there is huge potential about him. He is already playing for England national team and even at this early age, he has scored a hattrick.

So, it is reassuring to know that he is going to stay in the club. He has signed a long term deal with the club and this is good news for all of us. Emmanuel Adebayor has also informed that the will not leave London soon.

Should Arsene Wenger Rethink his Transfer Policy after Champions League Exit?

Last night, the Gunners lost 1-3 to Man Utd infront of home fans at the Emirates stadium. It was a loss that made many fans depressed and I am sure that in the next few days, we will hear a lot of criticism against Wenger about his transfer policy of not spending money too much money for getting star players. I still believe that he has the right strategy because you have to understand that at the end of the day, he has to think of the financial condition of the club. The only way I think is that the supporters become more passionate and form some kind of fund and donate it to the club. If it happens then it will become much easier for the club to buy some players.

Will it be The Night of Arsene Wenger?

As a supporter of the Gunners I am excited, hopeful and at the same time worried for the match against Manchester United tonight. It is the second leg of Champions Trophy and winning this match can mark the start of a new Arsenal in England and in Europe. It seems that the economic worry for the club is over and next season, there will be some healthy amount of cash for the transfer market in the hand of Arsene Wenger.

If the Gunners win today then more than everyone, it will be the night of Wenger. It does not matter who score how many goals tonight for the Gunners but the person to get most of the credit will be Wenger. Those who are quick to criticize him for his transfer policy always forget that we are in the midst of economic recession. His prudent policy has saved the club financially and his young players are now becoming matured. They just need a couple of quality players like Arshevin and Fabregas.

Arsene Wenger Excited and Confident about Champions League Clash with Man United

Just 47 hours left before the clash of Manchester United and Arsenal champions league semifinal clash. Arsene Wenger is now prepared and he thinks that his team is in good mental condition because of their recent good performance. He thinks that Arsenal players are in superb form in Europe this season and they are capable of doing anything.

Times Online wrote:

Arsenal’s prospects have been hindered by a defensive injury crisis that worsened during yesterday’s 2-0 Premier League win over Middlesbrough at the Emirates Stadium. Mikaël Silvestre was removed at half-time because of a back spasm, but Johan Djourou and Emmanuel Adebayor came through unscathed after being introduced as second-half substitutes. Gaël Clichy and Robin van Persie are definitely out.

Let us see if Arsene Wenger can be successful in the semifinal against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

It was Andrei Arshavin vs Liverpool Match Last night

What a match last night between Liverpool and Arsenal! It was surely one of the most exciting matches featuring these two clubs in recent history. I gave live updates of this match in my blog and many people enjoyed it. For arsenal supporters, this is the match in which see perhaps saw the emergence of a very big star Andrei Arshavin. Yes, he last night scored four goals and showed that he can be the next big a star for the club and he should be because the club paid a lot of money to get him and Andrei Arshavin is a very big name in his home country Russian football.

Telegraph gave an excellent description:

Andrei Arshavin scored four goals after auditioning for the role of Invisible Man. Maybe Liverpool just didn't see him. The hosts pounded the Arsenal goal all night yet needed a late punt to nick a point.

Beware Arsenal in the springtime. Not much. Events of 20 years ago have dominated the Anfield landscape of late. Michael Thomas's late winner for Arsenal with seconds remaining of the 1988-89 season closed a bleak chapter in the history of Liverpool.

What attracted me most was that he scored almost all of his four goals in style and he looked very confident.

Taking on Liverpool in Anfield

I can tell you that it wont be an easy task for the Gunners. Of course, they have one advantage. They are free of pressure. The pressure will be on Liverpool as they are fighting to stay at top position in the premier league. Arsenal is now 7 points in front of Aston Villa and even the most optimistic Villa supporter is not thinking of becoming 4^th in the League this season. The 4^th position is very important because it allows you to try your luck for UEFA Champions League next season. It is not a direct route but English clubs are strong and they stand a better chance to go to the final league of the Champions League.