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Tag: Arsene Wenger

  • Wenger gets more respect than me – Mourinho

    Wenger gets more respect than me – Mourinho

    Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho believes old foe Arsene Wenger is given more respect than him.

    The pair’s relationship on the touchlines and away from it has been an intriguing one over the years, with the spotlight returning to the duo ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash between United and Arsenal.

    Mourinho, who has lost only one of 15 previous meetings with Wenger, labelled the Frenchman a “specialist in failure” in early 2014, but there were no such inflammatory remarks on Friday. The Portuguese does clearly feel though that he is afforded less respect than a manager who last won the Premier League in 2004.

    “The records against any other manager being good or bad is not important,” Mourinho said.

    “For me, the only thing that matters is what you get globally as a team. Our team’s results, our CV, if you want to go to that direction.

    “In the Premier League, tomorrow is a match between the two managers with the best record in the Premier League.

    “Sir Alex Ferguson isn’t here anymore. Tomorrow, I think between the two managers we are speaking about, I think (we have) six or seven Premier League titles (between us). I have three, he has three or four.

    “Does that mean we should be respected, even in periods where our results are not the best? I think Mr Wenger has that respect from all of you, I don’t think I have, especially because my last Premier League title was 18 months ago, not 18 years ago.

    “I don’t think I get that respect. But to be honest, I just follow my way because I want to win a ninth championship and I want to win a fourth Premier League.”

     

     

  • Arsenal vs Barca: Can the Gunners stop the Spanish aristocrats?

    Arsenal vs Barca: Can the Gunners stop the Spanish aristocrats?

          

    Ahead of Tuesday night’s Champions League Round of 16 tie between Spanish giants Barcelona and English Premier League (EPL) side Arsenal, below are some highlights of previous encounters between the two sides.

    In 2006, Barcelona defeated Arsenal 2-1 in the final of UEFA Champions League played at the Stade de Saint Denis, Paris, France, courtesy of two late goals by Samuel Eto’o and Brazilian Belletti.

    It was Barcelona’s fifth appearance in the final, having won the competition once in 1992, and lost the other three finals.

    Meanwhile, Arsenal was appearing in the final for the first time and in doing so became the first club from London to feature in the final.

    That victory was Barcelona’s second victory in UEFA Champions League, 14 years after the Catalans first won the tournament in 1992.

    On March 31, 2010, Arsenal held Barcelona to a 2 – 2 draw in the round of 16 tie played at the Emirates Stadium in London.

    Cesc Fàbregas’s late penalty sealed an unlikely recovery as the English side recovered from two goals down play 2-2 with the defending champions.

    In the return leg played on April 6, 2010 at the Spanish side’s Nou Camp cauldron, Barcelona trashed Arsenal  4-1 to progress to the quarter final on 6 – 3 aggregate.

    Argentina’s super star, Lionel Messi, scored all Barcelona’s goal on that night.

    The two sides met again at the same stage 11 months later, precisely on February 16, 2011 and Arsenal defeated Barcelona 2 – 1 in the first leg played in London.

    Barcelona trashed Arsenal 3-1 in the second leg played two weeks later at Nou Camp and qualified for the quarter final on 4-3 aggregate.

    Going by records of previous meetings between both sides, the odds are firmly staked against the English side in Tuesday’s encounter.

    Will the Arsene Wenger managed Londoners shock soccer pundits by stopping the Spanish juggernauts in their stride?

    The match will kick off at 8.45pm on Tonight.

    Barca vs. Arsenal: Can the Gunners stop the Spanish aristocrats?
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  • Wenger confirms Arsenal’s interest in Eaglets duo

    Wenger confirms Arsenal’s interest in Eaglets duo

    Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed that the English Premier League club is in advanced discussions to sign Nigerian youngsters, Kelechi Nwakali and Samuel Chukwueze.

    The Frenchman said the club identified Nwakali “as a top player” at last year’s FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile, supersport.com reports.

    He added that deals for the pair is still not concluded as “talks are progressing well” and hopes the club lands both players in the current transfer window barring “work permit problems or medical issues.”

    “Talks are progressing well. There are work permit issues. There are medical issues, because they have to make medicals. It’s progressing well. We identified Nwakali as the player of the tournament (at last year’s FIFA U- 17 World Cup), basically, and as a top player.

    “We will see if we can manage to get it over the line during this transfer period. (If we can), we will do it. Chukwueze is (signing) as well,” supersport.com quoted Wenger as saying at a press conference on Friday.

    Arsenal remain front-runners to land the Nigerian pair despite earlier interest from German giants Bayern Munich.

    Nwakali, 17, was named the best player at the tournament which Nigeria won.

    Chukwueze got a bronze boot for his impressive performance for Nigeria after scoring three goals and weighing in with three assists at the cadet World Cup.

     

  • Wenger hails ‘visionary’ Iwobi

    Wenger hails ‘visionary’ Iwobi

    Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, has hailed the performance of his young Nigerian forward, Alex Iwobi, in the Gunners 3 – 1 triumph over Sunderland in Saturday’s FA Cup clash.

    The teenager impressed in his first start at the Emirates Stadium and was involved in the equalizer netted by Joel Campbell in the first half.

    “I liked the timing of his passes. He did well in the middle of the park, that is a vital quality and that fact he plays forward and sees things.

    “As a young boy he is not afraid to come on and that is not easy,” allnigeriasoccer.com quoted Wenger as saying to reporters after the match.

  • Wenger recommends Nigerian striker to French club

    Wenger recommends Nigerian striker to French club

    Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has recommended Nigerian striker, Austin Amutu, to high-flying French Ligue 1 side, SCO Angers.

    French media said Angers is interested in the Warri Wolves forward, who officials said is currently on trials at Israeli club, Kiryat Shmona.

    Angers, africanFootball.com gathered had already completed the visa application for the 22-year old after he was recommended to the club by Wenger, who has been keeping his eye on him for some time.

     

  • Cech’s farewell message to Chelsea

    Cech’s farewell message to Chelsea

    Petr Cech, goalkeeper of Premier League champions, Chelsea has finally completed his transfer to Arsenal.
    Cech recorded no fewer than 400 appearances during his 11 years career for the Stamford Bridge club.
    The 33-year-old goalkeeper seems to enjoy long-term contracts as he signs another long one with Arsenal Football Club.
    The transferred news was made public through a statement signed by the skipper himself.
    The statement reads in part: “I thought this would never happen but it is time for me to say goodbye to Chelsea Football Club. The club I have lived every single minute for since joining in July 2004, the club I though I’s hang my gloves and boots one day and finish my career. But life doesn’t always turn out the way you think it will.

    Read full text of his speech in the tweets below:

     

  • WENGER : HULL HAS BOUGHT TOP QUALITY

    WENGER : HULL HAS BOUGHT TOP QUALITY

    ARSÈNE Wenger believes that Hull City have assembled a team that has the quality to “beat anybody” in the Premier League.

    Steve Bruce’s side had a strong summer in the transfer market, adding the likes of Hatem Ben Arfa, Abel Hernandez and Mo Diame to their squad.

    Wenger is anticipating a major battle with last season’s FA Cup final opponents and says his team will have to be at their best to secure the three points.

    “The Hull game for us is a a remembrance of a big sweat because we played against them in the cup final in a very difficult game,” the Arsenal manager said.

    “They could not use Jelavic in the cup last season, and since then they have bought Diame, Hernandez – they have bought some good players.

    “When you look at their team sheet now, they look like they can beat anybody so I expect a tough game. Look at the quality of players they got in, you can say they bought top quality.”

  • Wenger: Arsenal not close to signing anyone

    Wenger: Arsenal not close to signing anyone

    Arsene Wenger claims Arsenal are not set to sign anyone in the coming days, following their 0-0 Champions League draw with Besiktas on Tuesday evening.

    The Gunners have spent over €62 million on Alexis Sanchez, Calum Chambers, David Ospina and Mathieu Debuchy this summer, but continue to be linked with the likes of Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira and Sporting Lisbon star William Carvalho.

    Yet Wenger has now revealed that the club are not actively attempting to finalise any deals.

    “Not at the moment, no,” he told the Gunners’ official website when asked if a transfer was close. “I have nothing special to add on that at the moment. Honestly, we are not close to signing anybody.”

    Wenger admits the club are “short” in defence but hopes to be able to field World Cup winning centre-back Per Mertesacker – along with compatriots Mesut Ozil and Lukas Podolski – in this weekend’s Premier League clash with Everton.

    “We are a bit short at the back, yes you’re right,” he added. “But we should have [Per] Mertesacker and [Mesut] Ozil and [Lukas] Podolski available again at the weekend. Let’s hope they are in good shape when we go home.”

  • World Cup: Nigeria has team spirit – Wenger

    World Cup: Nigeria has team spirit – Wenger

    Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, has tipped Nigeria to reach the second round of the World Cup alongside Argentina in Group F, Goal reports.

    The Frenchman feels the Super Eagles has something going for them this year – “team spirit” and a lack of big egos which has ensured for a united squad and differentiated the team from many African sides of the past.

    He said Argentina should win the group which also has Iran and Bosnia-Herzegovina and that Nigeria should join the South Americans in the second round.

    “I think that Nigeria might qualify for the second stage,” Wenger wrote in his Eurosport World Cup preview.

    “The team really made a good impression on me during the African Cup of Nations. Super Eagles seem to have a really good team spirit, which is not always easy for African teams.

    “Nigeria has less star players. They have a real team, and it’s been a while since that happened for them,” Wenger said of Stephen Keshi’s team.

    On Argentina, the Frenchman expects the two-time world champions to do well playing in South America where they would be buoyed by the rivalry with neighbours Brazil.

    He also said that Alejandro Sabella has done better than Diego Maradona in his selection of a balanced side despite the array of impressive attacking talent at his disposal.

    “Normally Argentina should qualify thanks to the team’s offensive potential. You might even say that Argentina has too many good players in attack,” Wenger wrote.

    “It’s not easy to be a manager in Argentina, because it’s hard to build a balanced team without leaving some indisputable players off the field.

    “Argentina has Higuain, Messi, Aguero, and Tevez, who didn’t even make the final squad. They have so many forwards; it will be very hard to keep a balanced team. It’s what happened in South Africa.

    “Still, Sabella’s team seems more balanced than Maradona’s. They can’t make a mess of this World Cup; Argentina just can’t.

    “The two main rivals in South America are Brazil and Argentina. There can’t be a World Cup in Brazil and Argentina be humiliated and not have a great tournament,” Wenger said.

  • FA Cup: Can Arsenal end nine-year trophy drought?

    FA Cup: Can Arsenal end nine-year trophy drought?

    Can Arsenal end a nine-year trophy drought in Saturday’s English FA Cup final against Hull City?

    The match starts at 5pm Nigerian time in Wembley.

    The pressure is on Arsenal ahead of the game because of its clear favourites tag and the quality of players expected to be on duty for the Arsene Wenger side on Saturday evening.

    Interestingly, it was in this tournament back in 2005 that the north London club secured their last piece of silverware, when they beat Manchester United on penalties.

    The win against the Tigers today could bring back Arsenal’s lost glory.

    The “Gunners” have since lost two League Cup finals (in 2007 and 2011) and were beaten by Barcelona in the 2006 Champions League final.

    Probably, the most painful defeat was in the 2007 Carling Cup final when Wenger‘s men surprisingly lost to Birmingham City. Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny and centre-half Laurent Koscielny howler gave Alex McLeish’s side their first piece of silverware since 1963. Substitute Obafemi Martins’ 89th minute strike separated the two sides.

    Arsenal started the season on a bright note, raising hope of the club’s supporters that they could challenge for the English Premier League title, but floundered as the season entered home stretch. But as usual, the club secured Champions League football for a 17th consecutive season.

    Wenger is quite aware of the fans’ expectation on Saturday and has expressed confidence that the pressure of the club’s nine-year trophy drought will not derail his side against Hull City.

    “No matter what the result is, this club — and this is always most important — can deal with the consequences of any game,” Wenger said.

    “What is important is that we come out of the game and have the feeling that we gave absolutely our best, our total energy to play at our best, and then you always accept the consequences.

    “No matter how much we talk about it, you can win and lose, but you want to come out of the game feeling you have done the maximum to win and that is what we want to achieve.”
    Should Arsenal leave Wembley without the FA Cup, the questions will rise again about whether he can ever regain the touch of a decade ago, and whether he has lost the ability that came as second nature after he arrived at Highbury in September 1996.

    Wenger has shown every indication of extending his stay as Arsenal manager, dismissing rumoured interest from former club Monaco. But how would such disappointment sit with him and a passionate fan base desperate for trophies rather than the consolation of a top-four place in the Premier League?

    If Arsenal wins, however, Wenger has every right to paint the season as a successful one.

    20 years to the week since lifting the FA Cup as captain of Manchester United, memories of that illustrious day still burns as intensely as ever for Hull’s boss Steve Bruce.

    In an illustrious playing career which also yielded three Premier League titles, European Cup Winners’ Cup and Super Cup honours, Bruce admits his three FA Cup winners’ medals – the latter as a non-playing squad member in 1996 – have an extra-special place.

    During his nine years as a player with Manchester United he prepared for the FA Cup final on no fewer than four occasions in six years. Wins came in 1990 and 1994 before defeat followed in 1995. A year later he failed to make the cut as United beat Liverpool.

    Bruce relishes the role of underdog against ‘mighty Arsenal’ ahead of the encounter and an FA Cup final against Arsenal, the biggest fixture of his managerial career.
    “It’s just dawned on me that we’re here,” said Bruce, surveying the room.

    “I’ve been fortunate enough to win it before but to go as a manager I never thought that would be possible. I’m going to enjoy the occasion and take a deep breath. There can’t be anything better than what we’re about to go through.”

    “It can be over in a blur,” said Bruce, offering early words of advice. “Not many of them are married but I told the players it’s a bit like your wedding day. Before you know it, you’re married and before you know it, the FA Cup final’s gone.

    “That’s what it was like for me. You’ve got to try to grasp the occasion and enjoy it. If you’re not careful, it just goes past you.

    “The memories of the FA Cup are the ones you cherish, when you’ve finished your playing career. The ones you really remember are your FA Cup days and believe me, it’s far better when you’ve won one than when you’ve lost one.

    “I’ve experienced losing but more importantly I’ve experienced winning, so let’s hope it’s our day.”

    Arsenal finished the season fourth on the table while Hull City ended 16th in the Premiership table.