Arsenal Win Against Genclerbirligi

Robin Van Persie and Theo Walcott got Arsenal’s goals in a comprehensive 3-0 victory against Turkish side Genclerbirligi, with two-new signings making their first appearances in an Arsenal shirt.

Eduardo Da Silva and Bacary Sagna had yet to don an Arsenal shirt, but this evening gave both the chance to experience competitive action with the Gunners.

The opposition only managed sixth place in the Turkish League last season, and it’s true to say that there will be sterner test ahead for the pair in the Premiership season. But both came through the test unscathed, and will hope to build on their performances.

In humid, difficult conditions, Arsenal began to show their ease on both ball and eye in the 3-0 victory. Adebayor, Walcott and Van Persie all impressed in the game, with the former showing a maturity that would encourage Arsenal fans in the absence of Henry.

The first goal came from young Walcott moments before half-time, using his speed well on the wing, before drifting a ball to the far post where Van Persie was waiting to execute a low finish.

Half-time rang in the changes for Arsenal, with Sagna coming off for Eboue after a solid first half. In all, Wenger made twelve changes throughout the game, evidence that this fixture was intended to stretch the legs, rather than the strategic intelligence of the players.

After the break, the Gunners soon settled in to a rhythm, with Denilson and Adebayor combining well after six minutes of the half had passed, to set up Walcott for the second, who was clearly enjoying his opportunity to shine in the absence of his mentor.

Adebayor also played well, holding up the ball nicely whilst Van Persie got in the ideal position to send the ball into the back of the net for Arsenal’s third just after the hour.

Eduardo came on for a fully-fit Van Persie for the last twenty minutes, but by that time the game was over and Arsenal could relax safe in the knowledge that there is life after Henry after all.

Fabregas Wants To Skipper Arsenal

Upon Thierry Henry’s departure for Barcelona, speculation was rife that both Arsene Wenger and Fabregas would follow, with either a move to Barcelona or Real Madrid. The prospects for the Gunners were bleak.

But a new week brings fresh hope, as Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood revealed Wenger is close to signing a new contract, and now Arsenal’s brightest hope for the future has announced his intentions of not only staying in London, but perhaps one day, becoming the team’s captain.

Speaking toArsenal.com, Fabregas said: “Of course. Everybody wants this kind of responsibility and 100 per cent me as well. It something that I have liked ever since I have been young and it would be no problem for me to be captain of this club.”

Despite many sections of the media believing that Wenger would leave the team he has built for the past ten years, Fabregas is also hopeful that the Frenchman will stay: “He has brought most of us here and given us the opportunity. But we don’t have to worry about that. It is his future and he can decide for himself.

“But we all believe he is going to stay for a lot of years. The future is looking good. We must fight for everything that is in front of us. We must prove we are not just young but that we are winners.”

Martins Staying At Newcastle 

Ever since Thierry Henry was announced as a Barcelona player, fans of Arsenal had been hoping that Arsenal would make a £13million bid for the striker who made an impact in his first season at Newcastle. The amount would have triggered a release clause in the 22-year-old’s contract, but reports in the Daily express suggest that this now seems unlikely.

According to the paper, sources close to Martins said: “Oba is going nowhere. He will be staying at Newcastle for at least this season and possibly the next.”

Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce had planned to sit down with Martins to discuss his future, following the media speculation over his move to the Gunners, but Big Sam said that this has not yet happened.

Also speaking to the Daily Express, Allardyce said: “I have not spoken to Oba, only his representatives, who assure me there is nothing in it.

“But while the window is open and when somebody has a get-out clause like he does, there is always a chance you might lose him.

“You hope that it is not going to be the case, but you just have to keep your fingers crossed and hope that it doesn’t happen.”

£6m For Ljungberg To Leave

According to reports in the press, Freddie Ljungberg wants a £6million pay off before he will consider leaving the Arsenal.

 Ljungberg has two-years remaining on his current contract, but was told by manager Arsene Wenger as early January, that his chances of first-team football were limited.

Reports in the Daily Star suggest that the Swede will ask for the remainder of his £60,000-a-week contract to be paid by Arsenal, a demand which could cost the club £6million.

The paper also suggest that reports emanating from sources in Sweden say that Ljungberg is unhappy with the way that Wenger is willing to be rid of him so easily, after almost nine-years, and 316 appearances with the club.

The midfielder has joined Arsenal on their tour of Austria but his situation has prompted interest from Portsmouth, Manchester City and Fiorentina.

Reyes Given 48 Hours To Decide His Future

Jose Antonio Reyes has been given an ultimatum. According to newspaper reports, he must decide on a £10million move to Lyon in the next 48 hours, or face the prospect of returning to Arsenal.

Reyes is desperate to leave the Gunners and spent last season on loan at Spanish giants Real Madrid.

He had been holding out for a permanent move to the Bernabeu, but the £6million offered by Los Blancos was deemed far too low, with Arsenal expected to hold out for around £10million, as Reyes cost the Gunners almost £17million when he was brought in from Seville in 2004.

French champions Lyon are now in the picture and are thought to be close to agreeing on a figure close to the asking price as they look to replace Florent Malouda who joined Chelsea earlier this month.

Reyes’ agent, Jesus Rodriguez de Moya has confirmed the interest but is still hopeful of a move to Real Madrid.

“We know Lyon have an interest. The first thing we need to know is if he can stay at Madrid,” de Moya said.

“Ramon Colderon, the Madrid president, has said he wants to sign Reyes but if Real don’t want him then Lyon would be his priority.”

Lyon’s club president Jean Marie Aulas has already admitted Reyes is a player he is fond of and it is something he would be following up.

“We’re on the trail. The deadline is the key.”

Gilberto, Toure & Gallas Are Wenger's Leaders

Following the departure of club captain Thierry Henry to Barcelona, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger must appoint a new skipper and is looking to the most experienced players to lead his young team.

Arsenal 2 Flamini 45, Dendtner 70

Paris Saint-Germain 1 Luyindula 80

Arsenal gave themselves a great chance of winning the inaugural Emirates Cup with a 2-1 win over Paris St-Germain on Saturday.
 
The format of this new tournament awards three points for a win, one for a draw and one for each goal scored. Valencia took five points from the first game of the afternoon with a 2-0 win over Inter. Arsenal victory’s in the second game mirrors that tally however they are second in the table on goal difference.
 
Arsène Wenger’s side play the Italians on Sunday in the final game of the tournament so they will have the luxury of knowing exactly what is required to lift this trophy for the first time.
 
In all honesty, PSG bossed the game in the first half and were unfortunate to find themselves trailing when Mathieu Flamini crashed home a close-range effort on the whistle. Arsenal were much improved after the break and doubled their advantage in the 70th minute when Nicklas Bendtner’s scored from Denilson’s corner.
 
Peguy Luyindula reduced the arrears with 10 minutes to go but Bendtner’s late penalty could have put Arsenal top of the midway table. Unfortunately it was easily saved.
 
Though, as it stands, Wenger will be content with a decent performance and a win. An impressive crowd of 55,106 certainly seemed to be happy with their afternoon’s entertainment.
 
Emirates Stadium filled up nicely for the arrival of the hosts. Nine days hard work in Austria had cost Arsenal the services of Emmanuel Adebayor, Theo Walcott and Tomas Rosicky for the weekend. Meanwhile Eduardo was still awaiting his work permit.
 
It meant Wenger had little choice but to pair Robin van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner up front. Bacary Sagna got his first run-out at Emirates and, for once, Arsenal played without a proper wide man. Denilson and Cesc Fabregas patrolled the middle with Abou Diaby on the left and Mathieu Flamini on the right.
 
The lack of genuine pace down the flanks did nothing to help Arsenal settle in the opening stages. In fact it took 15 minutes for either side to carve out a chance worthy of note and then it was the visitors who took the initiative. Luyindula found space on the right and crossed low for Pierre-Alain Frau to thump a low shot past Almunia’s right-hand post.
 
Seven minutes later, Sylvain Armand cut the ball inside to Jeremy Clement on the edge of the area. He neatly played the ball into the path of Luyindula, who wastefully clipped the ball past the far post. Up to this point, Arsenal had offered precious little going forward. Their most incisive attacker had been left back Gael Clichy, who had rampaged into the area on a couple of occasions.
 
In the 24th minute Arsenal got themselves on the chance-sheet if not the score-sheet. Van Persie’s electrifying run was abruptly halted by Armand and the Dutchman picked himself up to crack the free-kick just over the bar.
 
Pauleta weaved in from the right and thumped a shot into Almunia’s chest. Then seven minutes before the break Jerome Rothen sent a free kick to the far post and Didier Disgard’s spectacular effort had to be tipped over the bar by Almunia. From the corner Zoumana Camara flicked a header wide of the far post.
 
Arsenal were still struggling to find any kind of attacking rhythm while PSG were carving out by far the better chances.
 
But on the stroke of half time, Arsenal scored. Clichy floated a ball into the area, Bendtner chested it down and the stumbling Flamini hooked the ball home off the upright.
 
There was a delicious irony about the goal. All last term Arsenal had dominated teams at Emirates Stadium only to concede sucker-punch strike. Yet in the first home game of this season, the had inflicted exactly that on their opponents.
 
Wenger changed five players at half time. Perhaps the most interesting move saw Emmanuel Eboue stationed in front of full back Justin Hoyte on the right. Alex Hleb replaced Van Persie and was pushed into a more attacking role through the centre as Arsenal moved from a traditional 4-4-2 to a 4-4-1-1.
 
For once the plethora of changes seemed to settle Arsenal. They enjoyed their first spell of sustained pressure in the opening quarter of the second half, creating a couple of half-chances along the way.
 
Frau’s burst into the area just before the hour suggested PSG might have something left. But William Gallas snuffed out the danger. Shortly afterwards Bendtner latched on to Clichy’s ball through, outpaced Camara but could only steer his shot past the far post. 
 
The Dane would make amends midway through the second half. PSG defender Sammy Traore deflected a low cross past his own post with Bendtner breathing down his neck. Denilson swung over the corner and the 19-year-old met the ball with a towering downward header. It hit Traore and rebounded for Bendtner to stab home from close range. He celebrated Shearer-like with one arm raised. It was the perfect way to announce his return from a successful year on loan at Birmingham.
 
Almost immediately, Almunia made a fine low save from Pauleta at the far post. After a sluggish start both sides seemed determined to put on a show in the latter stages.
 
Therefore it was no surprise when Frau reached the byline with 10 minutes left and crossed low for Luyindula to convert at the near post.
 
Arsenal should have restored their two-goal advantage seven minutes before the end when Hleb was brought down in the area. However Bendtner’s penalty was weak and Mickael Landreau saved easily.

Arsenal Triumph In Amsterdam

Arsenal have won the Amsterdam Tournament, their second piece of silverware of the pre-season. They came out 1-0 winners against Ajax in a feisty affair between the two.

There was no doubting the passion of both sides in what was a pre-season friendly, but as professionals, winning matters.

There were plenty of changes in the Arsenal line-up, ten to be exact, but new signing Eduardo was left on the bench, so Robin Van Persie had the honour of leading the attack, with Hleb playing the supporting role that the departed Freddie Ljungberg made his own on many occasions.

It was Van Persie who won it for the Gunners, but not before flirting with a red card for much of the game. A direct run from full-back Gael Clichy opened up the Dutch side, as Van Persie sneaked around the corner unmarked to finish from close range.

With Atletico Madrid beating Lazio 3-1 earlier in the evening, both sides came into the match knowing that they needed to score to stand any chance of lifting the trophy at the final whistle.

But for much of the game, despite chances for either side the scores remained level. As expected, most of the football was played on the ground, with plenty of passing and movement.

However the game lacked the rhythm that both sides have become synonymous with, but they only have themselves to blame. With passion running high there was no love lost between both sets of players, Arsenal and Ajax guilty of some over-aggressive challenges throughout the 90 minutes.

The referee had tough decisions to make as on several occasions, passions spilt over and fisticuffs were not out of the question. Although courting criticism for not letting the game flow, the referee can be credited for keeping the game 11 versus 11.

For the opening period, Arsenal were dominant. The best chance fell to Kolo Toure after Van Persie floated a free kick in behind the Ajax defence. But Ajax keeper Stekelenburg showed his class with a fine reaction save from close range as Toure’s header looked to be going in.

Arsenal looked to be having the most joy down the right flank, with Eboue and Sagna looking comfortable. In the absence of a second striker it was up to Van Persie to lead the line, and during the first half held the ball up well, but a breakthrough was not forthcoming.  

Ajax were being outplayed and were forced into an early substitution, Rommedahl came on and began to make a difference.

Towards the end of the first half, Ajax began to play, Maduro having a shot from distance that dipped at the last minute, but Lehmann watched the ball clear his bar. The Arsenal keeper was forced into action minutes later, getting a fist down to a powerful Sneijder free-kick.

The second half began in the same vein as the first, plenty of confrontations, plenty of free kicks but no goals. Neither team looked capable of landing the knock-out punch, despite plenty of around-the-box passing.

Sneijder again unleashed a devilish shot from a free kick after the hour mark, but this time the ball missed the angle by a few inches.

Arsenal began to edge it towards the end though, with the impressive Stekelenburg the only thing stopping the visitors winning by more than the single goal. Van Persie was the first to test him after losing his marker in the area, the Dutchman picked his spot but the sprawling dive of the Ajax keeper kept it out.

Eduardo was the next to test his mettle, getting ahead of the defence to latch on to a long ball, but Stekelenburg was off his line quickly to clear the danger.

Arsenal finally won it with a minute to go. Clichy got hold of the ball well into his own half and in an instant was on the edge of the Ajax area having beaten two defenders. His tireless efforts released Van Persie who was lurking at close range and the star of the show clinically applied the finish.

Van Persie left the field on a stretcher moments later, a worrying prospect for Arsenal, but he was back on the pitch a few minutes after that to collect his winner’s medal.

Arsenal win the game, and the tournament, but only by the skin of their teeth. They came up against tough opposition in Ajax, a test that will serve them well in the impending season.

William Gallas has predicted the post-Thierry Henry era at Arsenal being just as exciting and more physical.

Gallas believes the club have shown a toughness in pre-season following the departure of their talisman to Barcelona and expects Arsene Wenger's new-look side to challenge in the top four of the Barclays Premier League again just when rivals Tottenham look to gatecrash into the Champions League places.

The Gunners were characterised as a team who passed their way to glory when Henry led their attack, but Gallas also feels there is a physical dimension to their game.

The 29-year-old said: "The squad has matured, we have changed, we know we have to fight and to be compact to defend very well.

"I don't think a team can beat us by being more physical than us this season. I think we can give a good answer.

"There are teams that just want to play the long ball and you have to be ready. You have to be physical and to fight and I think we will be physical enough to cope with that this time."

With Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin van Persie showing promise and Eduardo da Silva arriving at the Emirates Stadium, Gallas is certain that Arsenal will remain an attacking force without Henry.

"We know we can score at any time because we have the quality up front," he added.

"I am very confident that the players we have will fill the gap.

"I think this season will be different and it won't just be about Chelsea and Manchester United.

"There are other clubs like Arsenal who will also be challenging and no-one can say who is definitely going to win the title."

Gallas also feels Adebayor, Van Persie and Wenger's other youngsters have shown they are capable of competing at the top level after reaching the Carling Cup last season.

"They are not kids anymore, they are young players and they really want to win a trophy this season," he added. "They don't want to say they are still young kids, when I train with them I don't see young kids, I see players who are ready to fight."

On a personal level, Gallas is desperate to improve on his first season at Arsenal by helping them compete at the top of the Premier League.

"I think the Premier League will be very exciting," he said.

"Last season was a case of adaptation for me. It was not easy because a lot of things happened in my life. Now it is a new season."

Copyright (c) 2007 Press Association

Arsenal vs. Blackburn Rovers Preview

Blackburn Rovers return to Premier League action after Thursday's trip to Finland to take on MyPa in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Cup.

On the domestic front, Rovers got off to a winning start last weekend as goals from Matt Derbyshire and Roque Santa Cruz sealed a 2-1 win at Middlesbrough.

BENNI MCCARTHY

However, the victory came at a price as last season's leading scorer Benni McCarthy was injured in an aerial collision and missed the European tie with concussion.

Manager Mark Hughes will leave his decision on whether to recall the South Africa international against Arsenal until the last minute, but should McCarthy be omitted then Santa Cruz will start his first league game following his £3.5million move from Bayern Munich.

Hughes' only other major injury concern surrounds midfielder Steven Reid who remains doubtful with a hamstring strain.

Meanwhile, Arsenal prepare to face Blackburn Rovers having also been in European action in midweek.

The Gunners followed up their opening day 2-1 victory over Fulham last Sunday with a 2-0 win over Sparta Prague in a Champions League third round qualifier.

The result in the Czech Republic - which came courtesy of goals from Cesc Fabregas and Alex Hleb - virtually assures the Gunners of qualification for the group stages of the competition.

On the domestic front, Arsene Wenger will once again rely on Robin van Persie to lead the attack on his own as Emmanuel Adebayor (groin) and Eduardo da Silva (ankle) are not yet ready to make their first appearances of the season.

 

Attacking midfielder Hleb has played just off the Dutchman in both of Arsenal's opening games and responded with goalscoring performances to help counter the summer loss of former captain Thierry Henry.

Elsewhere, midfielders Abou Diaby and Denilson (both ankle) are rated extremely doubtful after being omitted in midweek, while Gilberto Silva will not be included after being given an extended break following Brazil's Copa America exploits.

Arsenal vs. Manchester City Preview

Unbeaten Arsenal host a Manchester City side with a 100 per cent start to the new season in a clash of two managerial heavyweights at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsene Wenger and Sven-Goran Eriksson will lock horns for the first time in their managerial careers on Saturday with three Premier League points and early season bragging rights up for grabs.

JENS LEHMANN

Wenger will be glad to return to home soil after accusing Blackburn Rovers of having a "desire for violence" after last Sunday's 1-1 draw at Ewood Park.

The Frenchman was angered by some of Rovers' play, but unlike previous seasons when the Gunners have crumbled under the pressure of a more physical approach, they secured a point - and should possibly have claimed all three after Jens Lehmann's error handed David Dunn and unlikely equaliser.

Lehmann looked more composed during Germany's friendly with England on Wednesday, but Wenger's patience must be wearing thin with his veteran goalkeeper after a similar howler against Fulham on the opening day of the new season.

Elsewhere, William Gallas will be replaced at the heart of the defence by Phillipe Senderos after picking up a groin injury against Blackburn that will sideline the newly-installed captain for three weeks.

Emmanuel Eboue is expected to shake off an ankle knock to return at right-back, but Emmanuel Adebayor (groin) and Tomas Rosicky (hamstring) are rated doubtful.

Manchester City arrive in the capital still on a high following their 1-0 derby success over Manchester United last weekend.

City rode their luck at times during a one-sided match at Eastlands but claimed the points after Geovanni's deflected 31st minute winner.

Three successive Premier League victories have left the Citizens sitting pretty at the top of the table and led to Eriksson - much-maligned during his time as England boss - being proclaimed as a managerial genius.

Emile Mpenza looks set to deputise for the Bulgaria international, while Kasper Schmeichel will continue in goal in place of broken thumb victim Andreas Isaksson.

Referee: Christopher Foy