Fabregas & Szczesny Contradict Wenger

Arsene Wenger is undoubtedly an excellent manager, he has been a big success at Arsenal and is a man of great knowledge and huge managerial talent. But when he recently claimed that coming second in the League is not a "disaster" - implying that his club would be happy with second place, it prompted more than a few raised eyebrows. Wenger is a winner, you can see from his reactions when his side loses, or suffer a bad result that he oozes the passion to win, however, defending his sides performances and position in the League when supporters have been waiting 6 years for a trophy is not the way to go to appease those fans.

I agree to an extent with what Wenger said; yes, there are 18 other teams in the League who would love to be in Arsenal's position, yes there are clubs all over the world that would give anything to be in the Champions League every year, and yes, every club would love to be in a comfortable financial position. But when fans have been waiting so long for any silverware, and the manager, some say does not buy enough big name players or spend enough money, it mus become frustrating.

Now Fabregas, who was in Arsenal's 'invincible' side of 2003/04 knows what it is like to win a trophy at Arsenal. The majority of Arsenal players currently at the club, do not, and the Arsenal captain has seen this situation coming for a while. He made some very intriguing and valid points too, especially as his manager only recently defended the clubs position on the issues he raises:

 “That the team are always in the Champions League, that we compete until the end, that we have young players, economic stability – for the board this is important. 

“But I imagine there will be a moment when you have to decide do you win things or not? 
The ‘Invincibles’ team (of 2003-4) is the best I have played in. 

“Now a lot has changed. From 2007 on I started to say, ‘We don’t win but we play very well’. After that you realise it doesn’t work. You enjoy it, during a part of the season, like this year, when we were in four competitions. 

“You say, ‘Here I have it all’. But then you cannot make the fi nal step and a decision has to be made – to go out to win or to develop players. But I imagine there will be a moment when you have to decide do you win things or not?"

"From 2007 on I started to say, ‘We don’t win but we play very well'. After that you realise it doesn’t work. You enjoy it, during a part of the season, like this year, when we were in four competitions.

“You say, ‘Here I have it all’. But then you cannot make the final step and a decision has to be made – to go out to win or to develop players.” 

These are genuine concerns from a player who has seen, and captained a side full to the brim with talent, yet unable to bring trophies home. It is sad really, that one of the greatest players of his generation may prove unable to bring Arsenal glory in the form of prestigious trophies.

When Arsenal's performances force their website to have to publish headlines like:

"Gunners let half-time lead slip in London derby on Saturday."

"Gunners lose ground after letting a four-goal lead slip."

"Last-minute mix-up ends Gunners' hopes of glory at Wembley."

It is a shame as the squad is full of talent, but, as their manager implies, their position isn't bad enough for supporters to complain or criticize. Arsenal's goalkeeper, Wojciech Szczesny agrees with his captain; he wants to win, and is not happy with settling with second place:

 "We are only thinking about winning the title, not who is behind us.

"We go into everything to finish first. We are Arsenal - we don't want to finish second and we definitely don't want to finish third. We just think about winning."

This is the right attitude to have, and Arsenal and their manager must have it when going into their game against Tottenham. It is crucial that they make the most of Manchester United's minor slip-up against Newcastle. Arsenal must win against their local rivals Tottenham to keep the pressure on United, because if they don't, quite frankly, they don't deserve to finish first. It will be a season of missed opportunities, avoidable slip-ups and unfortunate incidents that define Arsenal's season rather than trophies. This isn't what any Arsenal fans want, and it is surely not what Wenger wants.

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Watch: Gomes Blunder v Real Madrid

Tottenham's chances of progressing into the semi finals of the Champions League were pretty much dead in the water before this game even started. It would have been the biggest and best comeback in Champions League history if it were to have been completed, but it was never very likely. Spurs held hope as they kept it a 0 - 0 a half time, but when a Ronaldo shot left the former Manchester United players' right boot, Tottenham's 'keeper, Gomes was left looking like another Robert Green.

It was all too much for Gomes and Spurs, and this goal simply emphasises the overpowering force that Tottenham faced over the two ties. A very good team who are entertaining and attacking, with two fantastic wingers and a brilliantly creative midfield were outdone by a team who are filled with international superstars, worth in today's money, fees of £60 and £80 million.

Tottenham had a great journey on their debut season in the European competition, and they entertained throughout, but this was one comeback that proved too much. Next up for them is Arsenal, a completely different prospect. A win against Wenger's side may just make up for this quarter final tie forget.

Watch: Rooney Goal v Chelsea

Wayne Rooney added to his hat-trick against West Ham on the week-end with another vital goal in Manchester United's vital Champions League tie with Chelsea. 


It was a brilliantly worked goal with Michael Carrick launching a wonderful cross field pass to Giggs on the left who took a perfect touch, went round his man, and squared it to the awaiting Rooney who placed it onto the post to bounce back into the gaping net.


United then held on, threatening on the counter attack - especially on the wings, occupied in the end by all three of Giggs, Valencia and Nani after Rafael's second half substitution. United were lucky to get away a late penalty call when Evra brought down Rameires in the box, but Torres' desperation to appease the fans saw him dive twice in the box - receiving a booking as a result.


United take a vital lead into the the second leg, and hold that away goal too. And with all the talk about Rooney before the game, after scoring yet another goal, a clear smile was visible on his face - he was happy. It's looking good for both United and Rooney, but this tie is still very much in he balance.

[Pic] Douglas Costa at Old Trafford

Douglas Costa has been monitored by Sir Alex Ferguson for the past four years and it seems the 20 year-old Brazilian is a little closer to joining up with fellow Brazilians Rafael and Fabio at United after being spotted at the Manchester United - Bolton game on Saturday.

Costa is part of the Shakhtar Donetsk side that have reached the quarter finals of the Champions League and is seen as the perfect replacement to Paul Scholes in the United midfield. Costa is an attacking midfielder with pace and dribbling ability who can be utilised on either wing or up front as a second striker.


Manchester United would not comment on his appearance at Old Trafford, seen above, but Sir Alex had tried to sign him when he played at Brazilian side Gremio. A deal fell through and he signed for Shakhtar who will apparently ask for close to £20 million if United come calling. That is £15 million more than what Shakhtar bought him for in January 2010 and £13 million more than what United originally offered Gremio in 2009.


The player has scored 15 goals in 61 appearances for Shakhtar and a move to United could prove difficult with a work permit a possible stumbling block as well as the Ukranian clubs good financial position. As the richest club in Ukraine and this seasons good Champions League showing, they will be in no rush to sell their best players.

Rooney: I'm Staying At United Into My Thirties

Wayne Rooney has dismissed any talk of a big money transfer this summer. Rumours have been circulating - as they so often do - that the contract troubles last summer are still very much present in the United camp and that the signing of a new 5 year contract was simply a way of making more money out of a sale in the summer. These rumours suggest that the bridges that Rooney burned with Sir Alex Ferguson over his contract saga are beyond repair and that the manager will look to sell in the summer. But Rooney says these rumours are simply not true. Firstly, he banished any idea that him and Sir Alex have fallen out:

“My relationship with Sir Alex [Ferguson] has no problems whatsoever."

Perhaps all of those doubters were looking too far into the situation, and not taking the contract he signed for face value. You can't really be blamed for that considering Rooney's poor form at the start of the season with his personal problems causing havoc on his on field performances. The England striker said:

“I’m enjoying my football here and, if I was going to leave in the summer, I wouldn’t have signed a new contract when I did. I’ve signed it and I intend to see it through to the end.”

Those questioning his commitment anger him too:

"Yes, you get angry. On Sunday I didn’t even know it was in a newspaper until I was on the way home from training. I stopped off at the garage to get petrol and a few people asked me if I was leaving in the summer. I’ll be here until I’m in my thirties though, that’s for sure.”

Rooney's form has certainly picked up in the last few games. He played very well against Marseille on Tuesday with his touch much improved and his cross field passing ability delightfully brilliant as well as clever, quick thinking passes to set up goal scoring opportunities.

"The last two or three weeks is the best I’ve felt all season. I feel sharp and, if the manager needs me to get up and down the pitch, then fine.

"I haven’t played as many games so I feel good, but the more you play, the more consistent you are and better you feel.

“Since I had my injuries, people have taken their chance when they’ve come into the side and done brilliantly, so I’m delighted that we are still in three major competitions and it’s going well.”

He isn't getting carried away however with the possibility of a Manchester United treble. United remain in contention for the Premier League, FA Cup and the Champions League, but Rooney insists United must take one game at a time:

“We have to just take each game as it comes. We can’t look at that [The Treble].

“If you talk about that then it just puts pressure on ourselves, so we need to just concentrate on each game and see what happens.

"We didn’t win the league last year or the Champions League or the FA Cup, so we need to prove to ourselves that we are capable of doing it.”

Watch: Manchester United 2 - 1 Marseille

Just a quick summary tonight - I have a politics essay to finish!

Manchester United played a solid, strong game against a difficult to beat, well rehearsed Marseille side. A Chicharito double pulled United through this one, with his fantastic ability to find space in the box proving vital at the pivotal times in the game to kill off any possible momentum the French side could gain.

 

The win however did come with its negatives. Both John O'Shea and Rafael had to be substituted due to hamstring injuries. O'Shea started and was replaced by Rafael because of a hamstring injury, but well into the second half, Rafael had pulled up holding his hamstring, and was substituted with his twin bother replacing him.

Marseille will be bitterly disappointed with themselves after creating some wonderful opportunities to score, with Gignac and Diawara missing glorious chances early on. Gignac was played through with a skillful ball over the United defence leaving the French hit man one on one with van der sar. He attempted some sort of lob or high placement as the ball bounced and was hit wildly over the bar. Then, Diawara saw a cross fly right on his head. With no defenders marking him, his free header went woefully wide, allowing United fans to breath a sigh of relief.

A late Wes Brown goal led to some more buttock clenching, nail biting times for United fans as Marseille pushed forward for that crucial goal to win the tie. They searched, but couldn't find that goal, and leave the competition at Old Trafford, knowing that they had their chances and wasted them.

One more thing: Wayne Rooney had a great game. His cross field, attacking long balls were masterful which Paul Scholes often achieves with apparent ease. He created the first goal both with the first ball to the wing, and his continued determined run into the box and eventually crossed to Chicharito who claimed an easy tap in. Impressed with the two strikers tonight. What must Berbatov be thinking? 

United v Marseille: What the Two Sides Say

Manchester United will host Marseille on Tuesday on the back of a simple win against a tired, exasperated and weary Arsenal side. United will hope to march on in the competition, aiming for the quarter finals -boosted by the news that Nani and Michael Carrick will be fit to play alongside long term absentee Antonio Valencia.

United

Sir Alex Ferguson emphasised the importance of experience at this stage of the competition against tough opposition. After all, it is a very rare occurrence when Sir Alex has not led United to this stage of the Champion League:

"It’s an important time, with us being involved in three tournaments. But we are experienced enough to do what we’re doing at the moment - taking each game as it comes."

"We have faced that situation a million times. You have to get on with it. The team needs to step up and perform though, we know that."

The return of Antonio Valencia is a massive boost to a United side who have lacked his skillful wing play, creativity and provision of goals. Rooney applauded Valencia recently, calling it "fantastic" to see him back on the football pitch after his broken ankle which was suffered in September in this very competition. Sir Alex knows all to well the importance of the Ecuadorian:

"With Antonio back it’s a fantastic bonus for us. It’s a great step forward considering he’s been out for such a long time."

"It’s a great selection poser for me to have. We missed him in the run-in last season so it’s a great boost. Hopefully it will help us, having everyone available.

More positive news on the injury front followed:

"Nani and Michael Carrick trained on Sunday and Monday and both will be involved tomorrow. But we are getting players back. Ji-Sung Park is making good progress and Owen Hargreaves has started training."

"It doesn’t matter how many players you have injured in the past, the important thing is to have them available for the run in. If we have that, then it will increase our chances."

On the actual game, Sir Alex acknowledged the strength of the opposition who also come into the game off the back of a 2 - 0 win against their Ligue 1 title rivals Stade Rennais FC. Ferguson said:

"We have to recognise that they are experienced and powerful. It's going to be a hard game, but it's always a terrific atmosphere at Old Trafford, that does help us."

Marseille

The French Champions recognise that despite United's less than convincing performances this season, they are the underdogs. Their manager, Didier Deschamps has been doing his homework on the Red Devils. Not only did he go to the United - Arsenal match at Old Trafford on Saturday, but he has been looking at the stat books:

"On paper you would expect United to qualify, but we have a little opportunity."

"If you look at the match purely from a statistical point of view, United have not been defeated at home for a long time. They have conceded only one goal in seven Champions League games and are a very strong side, so it is a tough task."

"In addition they are one of four or five teams who have a realistic chance of winning the Champions League."

Deschamps continued and spoke of the first leg, claiming the 0 - 0 result was better for United than it was for them:

"It was a good result for Manchester United … if you look again at stats, if you get an away draw and do not concede, around 70 percent of the time the team goes through when they play at home."

"We are talking about Manchester United here, they know how to manage whatever situation might occur on a European occasion."

Perhaps a stat that Deschamp may have purposely avoided is that Manchester United have never lost to French opposition at Old Trafford.

Tottenham get the Job Done against AC Milan

Tottenham have done one better than their local rivals tonight with a winning draw against AC Milan, which saw the London side hold on to their first leg lead to progress to the quarter finals.

It wasn't the most eventful of games, with a William Gallas goal line clearance being the biggest save whilst the main controversy being Mathieu Flamini's continued aggressive tackles from the San Siro. In comparison with Arsenal's controversial, action packed clash at the Nou Camp yesterday, this game was more of a competitive kick around.

I thought there would be more attacking from both sides, however Milan were predominant in attack but were not being able to create any chances of real merit, apart from a few ambitious shots from Pato and Robinho. Zlatan Ibrahimovich whose biggest fan is himself, mustered a powerful freekick which needed a good save from Gomes in the Tottenham goal.

Spurs didn't take full advantage of their wing play which has been good to them in the previous European rounds - most notably against Inter with Bale. Lennon didn't have many opportunities to stretch his little legs in a super sprint, and was restricted to a few impressive crosses up to the towering Crouch who seemed intent on heading it down to van der Vaart. After one particularly good cross from Lennon, Crouch, who was only about 8 yards out and at not a particularly tight angle, hit it back where it came, hoping for an on runner to strike it in rather than going for goal himself.

The pressure that Spurs were under was nothing in comparison to Barcelona's relentless attacking of the Gunners yesterday, and so they coped with it well. Milan were pretty poor for a team who had to score a goal in truth, never looking threatening.

So Tottenham progress to the final eight, and Redknapp becomes the first English manger to take a team to this stage - which was quite surprising but quite an achievement. They will most probably hope to avoid Barcelona in the next round, although will surely love the opportunity to have a go at them, and perhaps get yet another one over on Arsenal who were quite harshly described yesterday by one Spanish journalist:

“This Arsenal is a losing team, they lack grandeur, ambition and talent, there’s only one Barça and are no imitations are accepted.”

Tottenham will not be wanting that sort of description.

Fabregas: Wilshere was Scared to ask Messi to Swap Shirts

Despite being probably the best player on the pitch, which held the likes of Iniesta, Xavi, Messi, Fabregas, Nasri and David Villa, Jack Wilshere was apparently too scared to ask Lionel Messi for his shirt after the game between Arsenal and Barcelona. 

The Arsenal captain, Cesc Fabregas, tweeted Wilshere saying:

"can't believe i had to go to get Messi's shirt for u. U were so scared. You were MOTM [Man of the match] so next time please ask urself!"

In the end, Wilshere walked away with both Messi's and Xavi's shirts, and tweeted a picture of him [Right] and his dad holding the precious items which hold such significance to the young man early in his career.
He said:

"Morning tweeps. You will like this one. Me and my dad with Messi and Xavi's shirt after the game."

Wilshere was praised by his manager Arsene Wenger as outstanding after the Champions League clash, saying that the young midfielder was unfazed by the quality that surrounded him. After all, he will be - if not already - as good, if not better than the players he was up against. Wilshere is an outstanding and rare English talent and Arsenal are lucky to have such a down to earth, footballing man, who plays football so well - the heartbeat of the Arsenal midfield at times.

After the game, Wilshere was ecstatic:

"It's been a great couple of weeks - the best of my life.

Arsenal 2 - 1 Barcelona: Brilliant Comeback Does Gunners Proud

When Arsenal went behind to a David Villa goal, it looked as if some impressive Arsenal play would count for absolutely nothing as Barcelona looked to keep possession and settle, as they capably do, with the 0 - 1 result. They may not have expected then, that Arsenal, in front of their brilliantly supportive fans who stayed on their side all night would bravely fight back for a memorable win at the Emirates - their first ever win against Barcelona.

It is hard to pick out an Arsenal player who had a bad game. Every one of them did themselves proud, with the young Jack Wilshere doing particularly magnificently among some of the greatest central midfielders on the planet. He was brilliant at knocking the ball around as well as getting out of some tricky and tight situations, portraying a footballing age years beyond his own 19.

The Arsenal defence, often questioned and exposed as their main weakness, was resilient and made very few mistakes - only falling asleep a couple of times, with only one of those instances being punished. Koscielny was very good at the back and coped with the explosive attack of Barca very well.

The game was a fantastic spectacle, and it did fly by, with the football from both sides being typically technically wonderful, and at times was end to end football. The entertaining game was constantly competitive, with Arsenal being spurred on by their excellent fans who played a very big part in the comeback, giving the players the belief that they needed to pick themselves up after some rocky spells.

A blasted Van Persie shot from an impossible angle caught Victor Valdes on his near post as he occupied himself with the prospect of a flashed cross. The Dutch striker caught everyone out with the shot, and it took a moment to sink in for the fans that the back of the net was bulging.

Five minutes later, and the breathtaking comeback was complete with an Andrei Arshavin winner. He popped off the bench late on and in a counter attack which saw the surprise starter Samir Nasri (after injury) roll it back almost in slow motion, the little Russian stroked the ball past Valdes for a second time. He wheeled away to the delight of the Arsenal fans who mustn't have believed the astonishing sight, as Barcelona players held their heads in their hands.

Arsenal should enjoy it while they can. Yes, they have beaten one of the best teams in the world for the first time in Barcelona. Yes, they showed excellent character to come back from behind. Yes they take a lead into the second leg. But, the second leg will be far higher task for them to complete. The atmosphere will be hostile, the players will be up for it, and Arsenal will be desperate to cling on to their win.

It would be absolutely fantastic for English football and Arsenal if they could pull off an aggregate win over Barcelona at Camp Nou. But it will be, as they undoubtedly know, a very tough task. Even if they do not, they can take great solace in the fact that they have improved from last year and shown great character to come from behind and win. They should use this as a spring board for better things, and finally come of age.

Watch: Disgraceful Gattuso Sours Spurs Superb Night

Graeme Souness summed it up perfectly when he called Gennaro Gattuso a "dog" who past his best quite a time ago. He said this immediately after the Italian defensive midfielder had head butted Tottenham's assistant coach Joe Jordan, and subsequently began a scrap between half the coaching staff, the Spurs bench and some Milan players. It was such a poor show of sportsmanship and sets a terrible example to young footballers watching with enthusiasm as the disgusting behaviour from the 33 year-old unfolded.

Tottenham played fantastically, from a solid, committed defence, a hard working, creative midfield and a brilliant work ethic and astounding patience from the lone striker up front, Peter Crouch. He, and Tottenham got their just reward in the end, with a brilliant counter attack in which Aaron Lennon showcased his blistering pace to twist and turn around the last man to set Crouch up for a simple tap in.

Crouch was unbelievably patient and restrained all night, and not just because of some poor service. Yes, Gattuso was always there, nipping at his heels, complaining to the referee about innocuous challenges, and elbowing Crouch in the chin whenever he could jump high enough.

 It was immensely irritating to watch from the side of Spurs, and the general bad gamesmanship from AC Milan was highlighted when Corluka was victim of a vicious two footed, off the ground challenge. Rather than looking concerned about the writhing defender - who was obviously in quite a lot of pain, they complained, with Gattuso and Robinho at the forefront of the crowd, as some tried to usher Corluka and the attending medical staff on the pitch treating him.

This was added to once Gattuso got closer to someone else with a pulse who he could start a fight with. This time it was Joe Jordan, and as the Spurs coach shouted from the touchline, Gattuso bumbled over, words were said, and the Italian pushed him in the neck. It was quite amazing that Jordan didn't retaliate.

We all know how passionate the player is, but he purposely gets himself in needless scraps and confrontations just for the sake of it. Or perhaps he enjoys it, playing up to the crowd, knowing he has them on side, whilst getting himself into trouble.

He will miss the return leg at White Hart Lane to my relief, as he picked up a deserved yellow card after a typical strong challenge from behind. In truth he was lucky to get away with only a yellow throughout the game. Tottenham however were the well deserved winners and hold an impressive advantage over Milan even without Gareth Bale bursting down the left wing. Spurs could be heading for the quarters and beyond if they continue to show the hard working, resilient, strong minded and quality performances like this one.

Arsenals Diaby Wants Barca Transfer "At Some Point"

His teammate and captain, Cesc Fabregas has been subject to several substantial bids from Barcelona, and just a week before he will be up against them in the Champions League, Abou Diaby has expressed his desire to one day move to Spain to play for them.

The 24 year-old Frenchman was speaking upon being asked of the prospect of playing Barcelona in Europe in a few days, and it turns out he is also a fan of Barca's rival Real Madrid:

“At some point I would like to play for Barcelona or Real Madrid, but I would prefer to play for Barca, because I prefer their style.”

Diaby has been compared to the former Arsenal captain, Patrick Viera with his positional preference as well as physical appearance. Wenger once said: "His ability to win the ball back is just like Vieira. He is capable of a very quick transitions from defence to attack and has fantastic strength box to box, nobody can go with him."

Wenger will be needing this quality when his team takes on The Spanish Champions next Wednesday in the Champions League, and Diaby recognises this too:

"We played them last season, and we found them at their highest degree of effectiveness, both individually and collectively. This year will be the same, so we know what to expect. Barca are a great team, and this year they are very strong."

The Arsenal manager will be especially concerned about Lionel Messi - the player who he described last year as "unstoppable" and the best player in the world "by some distance" immediately after the two sides met in which Messi scored all four goals in Arsenals 4 - 1 loss to Barcelona. Abou Diaby highlighted however, that his team should not concentrates solely on the quick feet, trickery and sheer class of Messi, as the rest of the Barca team are just as big a threat:

"Messi is the best in the world. We all know that the Argentine is a great player who can make the difference at any time, but we cannot focus only on him."

If both sides play their football how we all know they can, the game looks set to be an absolute cracker, with beautiful football on show and hopefully plenty of goals. While Arsenal fans will be hoping Abou Diaby doesn't lose his temper and do anything rash like in the Newcastle game, he will be wearing the red of Arsenal for now, and not the blue and purple of Barcelona.

Sir Alex Wants Stekelenberg at Man United

Rene Meulensteen, the Manchester United first team coach has reportedly stated that the Dutch goalkeeper, Maarten Stekelenburg is top of Sir Alex Ferguson's transfer target list for the summer as they look to replace the retiring Edwin van der sar.

United have been linked to several goalkeepers including David de Gea, Manuel Neur and even Liverpool's Pepe Reina, but according to Meulensteen, Stekelenburg is the priority:

"Stekelenburg is indeed a keeper who is at the top of our wanted list,"

"We naturally talk a lot among ourselves about who should replace Van der Sar. Alex Ferguson has spoken about Stekelenburg with Edwin, and that does not seem strange to me at all."

After having so much trouble in finding a replacement for Peter Schmeichel after he left United, Ferguson is understandably eager to sign a goalkeeper similar to his most recent successful buy, van der sar.

Stekelenburg and Van der Sar both began their career at Ajax - the club where Stekelenburg currently plays with around 186 appearances. During the 2006 World Cup, Stekelenburg was the understudy to Van der Sar while in the 2010 World Cup, Stekelenburg was the number one goalkeeper, and helped his country get to the final - conceding only five goals in the process. He did unfortunately end up on the losing side.
They also both have a large frame - with Van der Sar standing at 6 foot 6 inches, while Stekelenburg stands at 6 foot five and a half.

Despite the signing of Danish keeper Anders Lindegaard, Ferguson is looking for a proven, top quality, goalkeeper with experience in big competitions such as the Champions League. He has a pool of talent to choose from, and he will certainly do his best to get his decision right as he tries to avoid a repeat of the last time their number one left.

Arsenal Injury Update: Djourou, Vermaelen, Nasri & Song

There is yet more woe for Arsenal on the injury front. The Barcelona game in the Champions League is fast approaching, and Arsenal are facing an uphill battle to field a strong enough team who could challenge the goal hungry Catalans.

Facing Barcelona is a match that can border on impossible to win at the best of times. With a front line that strikes fear into even the strongest defence in the land, and a defence that can drive out some of the most potent attackers around, when you play Barcelona with the objective of winning, you need a strong team.

Losing a four goal lead away to Newcastle on Saturday isn't going to inspire confidence into the Arsenal side, and at the same time, the poor result certainly won't see the Barcelona team quaking in their boots. It is made worse then, that some of Arsenal's brightest players this season look likely to miss the first leg on the 16th February.

The injury list is as follows: Samir Nasri, Lukasz Fabianski, Alex Song, Thomas Vermaelen and now Johan Djourou.

Johan Djourou was taken off in the eight goal thriller at Newcastle on the week end, and was feared may be out for the rest of the season with damage to his knee ligaments. However, it has since been confirmed that he has not suffered a serious injury, but bruising to the knee. The Swiss national doctor confirmed that Djourou could be back in training very soon: "Djourou is probably less than one week away of beginning training" - very good news for Arsenal fans.

Samir Nasri will return in around three weeks after suffering a hamstring strain last week which certainly rules him out of the Barca game.

Thomas Vermaelen has been out since early September but Arsene Wenger can now see the finishing line for his Belgian centre back. "Thomas Vermaelen is making very good progress so he should be [back in] three to four more weeks,” said the manager on February 3rd, which again, rules him out of the Barca game.

Lukasz Fabianski, the Polish goalkeeper has been ruled out for the rest of the season. The Polish goalkeeper has been sidelined since early January with a shoulder injury and he is about to undergo surgery to cure the problem.

Alex Song's injury isn't as serious as the above, and will most probably be back for the 16th, as he only suffered a kick, but the injuries above still highlight the problem that will face Wenger when the time comes for him to pick the defence against Barcelona.

In the immediate future however, Arsenal will be hosting Wolves at the Emirates, and it is Wolves who have all of the momentum. After ending Manchester United's 29 game Premier League unbeaten run, the players in orange will be on an almighty high as they continue in the fierce relegation scrap. Arsenal meanwhile will be deflated after their astonishing  breakdown at St James Park. They will be without Abou Diaby due to his sending off in that game, and, of course, the casualties will be missing.

Will Hargreaves Follow Neville & van der sar Into Retirement?

Poor Owen Hargreaves. The Manchester United midfielder has constantly been plagued with terrible injuries to his knees, suffering from an extremely serious case of patellar tendinitis which was described by his surgeon, who has 35 years experience in his field as the worst case he had ever seen.

It takes an incredibly strong minded individual to keep going despite being bombarded with injuries which must frustrate the undoubtedly talented individual beyond belief. It would be fair to call the Canadian born England midfielder "injury prone", or perhaps just "unbelievably unlucky". The question is, how can he continue at the top level with all of these injuries - the latest one a torn hamstring, of which I gather, he is slowly recovering from.

Manchester United have already seen Gary Neville walk out of Old Trafford after an outstandingly successful long career wearing red, while Edwin van der sar has announced his retirement at the grand age of 40. Nobody likes to see a professional have to step down, whether it be because of their advancing age, or incessant injuries. But sometimes it is necessary.

Hargreaves joined United in 2007, hoping to help the Red Devils to unrivalled success with him playing a big part. The former became true, as it has consistently done over the years, and the latter was true for the first year. In United's 2007/08 season, Hargreaves clocked up a good 34 appearances in all competitions, playing his part in United's Premier League and Champions League success that year. However, a couple of seasons down the line, and the players' tally of appearances has only increased by 5 - and not many of them were where he played the full 90 minutes.

Hargreaves is now 30 years old, and the Manchester United team is starting to bring in younger players into the setup. His contract expires in the summer, so Hargreaves is currently in a race against time to prove to his manager that he deserves a contract renewal. But if there is one thing that Hargreaves knows from experience which shouldn't be rushed, it is injuries. It is sad to say, but it looks as if he is fighting a losing battle. When will we see him back for United at 100% fitness and battling away like the engine he is at the heart of the United midfield? I'm not so sure we will.

On Monday, Hargreaves was included in the club's 25-man Premier League squad, but he has not made the cut for the Champions League. It would be great to see him return, but whenever I see him on the pitch, I am constantly weary of his fragility, and frightened that in a flicker, he could be hobbling off of the pitch, down the tunnel and into that all too familiar treatment room. Despite his inclusion in the Premier League squad for the second half of the season, it seems unlikely that he will play a big part.

Hargreaves has had a successful career as a footballer. Seven years at Bayern Munich saw him win four German Bundesliga titles and the 2000/01 Champions League. His short happy period at United also saw him win a Premier League and yet another European trophy, but age and injury have taken its toll on poor Hargreaves, and he may be only one more injury away from hanging up his boots and giving up football for the sake of his body.

Video Goals: Arsenal 3 - 1 Partizan Belgrade

Watch the Goals Here

Arsenal ended up winning the match three goals to one with van Persie netting a penalty, Walcott driving home and Nasri finishing off a slick move. More detail would have been added to this blog post, but due to very unfortunate circumstances (art coursework and masses of revision) the length has been limited. Enjoy the goals.

Watch Goals: Manchester United 1 - 1 Valencia

(Watch Goals Below)

It was a quiet night at Old Trafford, in which the United team didn't hit their top gear, but bombarded the Valencia goalkeeper with shot after shot - with only one hitting the back of the net. It was a game of sloppy individual errors, wasted chances, and doing just enough to please everyone.

United conceded first, which dashed their chances of setting a new clean sheet record in the group stages of the Champions League. Michael Carrick gave the ball away inside his own half, to which the Valencia attackers pounced on the rare chance to score. Dominguez ran with the ball, and slid it to Pablo Hernandez on the right, with the 25 year-old midfielder subsequently hitting the ball through Ben Amos' legs in the United goal.

United deserved to have at least one goal if you were looking at the amount of chances that they had - Anderson and Berbatov had excellent chances, running through the defence, but not testing the goalkeeper well enough. Rooney tried a fantastic shot from the corner of the box which dipped onto the crossbar as the helpless keeper could only watch. Rooney wasn't yet back to his best of course, but showed his fantastic ability with glimpses of brilliance.

Anderson was probably the man of the match. He hasn't convinced all of the United fans since his £17 million move with Nani to United, but if he keeps playing like this; bursting into the box, dominating the midfield, winning the ball, creating chances - he will win over the doubters soon enough. He scored the equaliser too, as he broke into the box to pounce on a rebound from Ji Sung Park's vicious shot, and the ball finally rippled the net with his finish. His celebration of dancing with himself was briefly interrupted with Rooney running in and slapping him over the head in joy, but it didn't stop the Brazilian boy.

From then on it was all about not conceding. United didn't push themselves to grab a winner while Valencia looked the more likely in the closing minutes. It was a good warm up game; not too hard, not much to play for - all in build up to the big match on Monday in which United will lock horns with title rivals Arsenal.

Watch the Goals Here

Arsenal the Latest Club to be Linked to Benzema

Karim Benzema has hardly set La Liga on fire since his £35 million 2009 move to Real Madrid. Players like Ronaldo and Higuain have been the main starters up front for the Spanish club, and the Frenchman has naturally been linked to a move away from the Bernabau as his frustration by lack of games has caused him to turn his head in search of new options.

Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson have been well known admirers of Benzema, but lost out in the summer 2009 race for his signature. It was also rumoured that Ferguon was preparing to swap Berbatov with Benzema. Unlikely as it was at the time, it is now even more unlikely after Berbatov almost made history with 5 goals in one game against Blackburn on Saturday.

Tottenham too have recently been linked to him. Since their soar to success in the Champions League, Tottenhams options for players has been broadly widened as they now have the attraction of European football. Yet despite manager Harry Redknapp stating that he liked the player, he said:

"certainly we haven’t made any enquires at all for him".

Aston Villa under their new French manager Gerard Houlier - the manager who has already brought one Frenchman back to the Premier League in Robert Pires is now reportedly interested in bringing in Benzema.

Meanwhile, Houllier's former club Liverpool, in need of a striker to partner Torres have been advised by Jamie Redknapp to snap up the former Lyon striker. His opinion may not mean much, in fact it means next to nothing in terms of Liverpool football club, but he said:

“Liverpool need a striker and they should look no further than Karim Benzema.

“The new Anfield owners have their first challenge: sign him.” 

Arsenal are now said to be prepared to smash their record transfer fee to buy Benzema for £25 million. Persistent injuries to important attackers such as Robin Van persie and Theo Walcott among others, as well as Nicklas Bendter's similar situation to Benzema - in his lack of game time, has apparently caused Wenger to feel the need to build on his attacking options.

Benzema is obviously doing something right to have all of these clubs after him. They are not just any old club either, these are some of the top Premier League clubs. But does the fact that a man who cannot get into a top Spanish team, but could get into any one of five top English teams simply exaggerate the fact that the Spanish League's quality is higher than the English? Maybe, but there is no arguing that the Barclays Premier League is still the most exciting in the world.

Rangers 0 - 1 Man United: Rooney Scores Winner as United Stay Top

As Wayne Rooney ran with clenched fists screaming and moving his head wildly towards the Manchester United fans, you could be forgiven for thinking that he was about to knock every one of the boo boys out in a massive punch up. He had actually just scored the winner for Manchester United against Rangers in the Champions League, and he was positively animated, overjoyed, and most probably relieved that he had scored a goal at last.

(WATCH THE VIDEO OF THE GOAL BELOW)

For the most part, Rooney looked so much better than previous performances this season. He had a couple of tough chances that the Rooney of last season may have taken, but after the summer he had, he is still climbing back up the ladder to get to that prolific stage once again.

Rangers didn't look at all like a team that wanted to win the game. They needed to win, but their extremely negative tactics of about five defenders and one striker restricted them to only around 5 minutes of the whole match outside of their own half. They were dominated by a controlling but wasteful Manchester United, who admittedly didn't create a massive amount of chances.

Rangers brought on James Beattie - another striker - just after Rooney had scored, and with little chance of getting anything from the game just whithered away, accepting their Europa League spot.
Valencia had beaten Bursaspor 6 - 1 and so Rangers needed to win. Nobody must have told them that though.

Manchester United ended up being too much for the Scottish team, and stayed at the top of their Champions League table with a point against their next opponents and closest rivals Valencia, guaranteeing them top spot.

Hopefully for Manchester United and Wayne Rooney, the striker can now get back on track in the Premier League with goals galore. It might take a little while longer for him to get back into top form, but he will get there - and if his estatic celebration was anything to go by, his commitment to United is not in any doubt.

Braga 2 - 0 Arsenal - Watch Goals - Fabregas & Eboue Injured

Watch the goals on the links below.

Braga First Goal

Braga Second Goal

Tempers were running high after the game, with Arsenal furious with the referees decision not to give a penalty to Arsenal, which could have changed the game in Arsenals favour. Carlos Vela was booked for a dive when he was clearly brought down, but this cannot mask the poor perfomance from the London side.

Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas was brought off in the 69th minute and Wenger said:

"Fabregas has a hamstring injury so it's difficult to predict how long he will be out for. But he will definitely be out for the weekend."

While Emmanuel Eboue was also added to the injury list after a nasty challenge on him from behind. Wenger said:

"Eboue will be out for a few weeks because he took a very bad tackle, unpunished. It is a medial knee ligament injury."

Wenger wasn't finished there however. He went on to claim his team are in an unlucky period of their season which will pass while he critisized UEFA's additional officials and branded the system "useless".

"We are going through a period where we have bad luck, we had Eboue kicked off the park without any punishment and we also had the penalty turned down.

"What was the fifth official doing? We have another proof that it is absolutely useless, this system.

"Then when we were 10 against 11, we made a mistake at the back, there was a minimum of communication and that's where we were punished."

"[Not having qualfied yet] is a concern, but we'll make it."

Defender Johan Djourou added:

"It's very hard to take."

The two goals came late on in the game - both in counter attacks from Braga in which Arsenal were left short at the back. Clinical finishing played a big part as you can see above, but Arsenal really should have been looking for a simple win against the Portugese club.

There will be calls again for Wengers reign to be over at Arsenal; extremist views, but views which are becoming more understandable as the dissapointing results keep coming in. It is hard to take for the patient Arsenal fans everywhere, but Wenger knows this. The bad results may be a wake-up call - a call that will alert Wenger to the need for improvements to his squad; a new goalkeeper? Stronger defenders? Or maybe it is simply a physcological problem.

Arsenal have good quality players, and they have a manager widely regarded as a football genius. It is odd then that they have so many weaknesses, or rather such a large single weakness.