Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is optimistic about their title challenge coming up to the final furlong in the Premier League.Arsenal have been eliminated from three competitions this season, losing in the final of the Carling Cup to Birmingham, the Champions League last-16 to Barcelona and a sixth-round FA Cup tie to Manchester United.
But the Gunners have gone on a 12-game unbeaten run in the Premier League and Wenger believes wins will determine the title.
“Our target is to continue our unbeaten run and to win a game, because we haven’t beaten Sunderland, we haven’t beaten West Brom so it’s important for us,” he said.
“Of course it’s good for us to be on an unbeaten run but what will make the difference at the end of the season is three points.”
Wenger was also looking forward to having a less congested fixture list.
“It can be helpful for us, for three months we played every three days. December, January and February we played nine games per month, so in the end it was too much because we lost important players for key games. We now have a week to recover for key games,” he said.
Wenger will be boosted by the returns of captain Cesc Fabregas, Theo Walcott, Abou Diaby, Alex Song and Robin Van Persie for the Blackburn clash this weekend and the final run in.
“We are in the final sprint for the championship so you want all your players available,” he said.
“I think what will decide our season now is our performances until the end of the season and therefore you want of course your key players.”
Arsenal will be without long-term injury victims Wojciech Szczesny, Lukasz Fabianski, Johan Djourou, Thomas Vermaelen and midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong who are all out for the rest of the season.
Manchester United took a giant step forward in their pursuit of a record 19th league title. Wayne Rooney was the hero with an inspired hat-trick and the United forward more than answered his critics with his timely treble. The title is very much in their hands and you would be a brave man to bet against them achieving it.
At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of Manchester United blogs that includes a defence of United flop; any truth behind Fergie’s transfer talk, while the alternate way to spend United’s £100m warchest.
We also look at the best Manchester United articles around the web this week.
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An alternative way to spend Man United’s £100m war chest
A £25m luxury Sir Alex Ferguson could do without?
Has Sir Alex Ferguson really been hung out to dry?
Any truth behind Fergie’s transfer talk?
In DEFENCE of Manchester United ‘flop’
Fergie thinks it’s nonsense, but do the fans agree?
Unlikely hero could hold the key to Manchester United’s success
A genuine cause for concern for Manchester United?
Does transfer link suggest youngster’s time is up at Old Trafford?
A transfer made in heaven for Manchester United?
Old Trafford, WHL or Anfield – where represents the best move?
Leave Old Trafford? Believe it when I see it!
*Best of Web *
Welbeck’s dilemma – United Rant
The importance of Sir Alex’s activity this summer can’t be understated- The Busby Way
Wesley Sneijder At United? Thanks But No Thanks – Red Flag Flying High
Has Ferguson Gone To The Dark Side Of Football? –The United Religion
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INTERVIEW: Oliver Holt On Eating His Words, Nani Criticism, Fergie Press Conferences and Modric – RoM
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Click on image below to see a gallery of Christian’s good lady
The Football Association will meet on Monday to discuss the ugly scenes after the FA Cup semi-final between Manchester United and Manchester City on Saturday.Players had to be separated at the final whistle after City striker Mario Balotelli taunted United supporters by thrusting the badge on his shirt in their direction to celebrate his side’s 1-0 win.
Incensed United duo Rio Ferdinand and Anderson had to be pulled away from Balotelli, who also winked at Ferdinand as the players left the field.
The FA will examine footage of the bust-up but they are unlikely to take any action.
Ferdinand used his Twitter account to attack Balotelli, saying: “If u score a goal+give a bit to opposing fans I kind of accept that but at the final whistle go to your own fans+enjoy it not opposing fans.”
Goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar refused to become embroiled in the row over Balotelli’s conduct, saying: “He misunderstood which side of the stadium he needed to go to thank the supporters.”
“Maybe in Italy they do things differently. I prefer to talk about football. It is much more important than this kind of thing.”
Balotelli has been at the centre of several controversies during his career but City boss Roberto Mancini claimed he did not see the incident.
“I want to wait because every time, ‘It’s Balotelli’s fault’.”
When events were described to him, Mancini joked: “We can put him in jail?
“Next week, we can put him in jail for this. I am sorry that people will talk about what happened after the match. Nothing big happened.”
City’s first team coach David Platt echoed the views of Mancini and put the reaction of the players at the full-time whistle down to the release they would have felt at reaching the showpiece final.
“The scenes at the end were just a release of tension,” he said.
“We knew we were up against it, we believe we are a good side but we knew we were up against a side who have been there before and they have a mentality to win big football matches.”
Platt also praised the maturity shown by former Inter Milan striker Balotelli during the game.
“His performance on the pitch showed a great deal more maturity, the scenes at the final whistle should not have happened but let’s not let that mar what was a great day for us,” he said.
“He is only young and he can’t stay out of the headlines and a lot is said about that. Perhaps he shouldn’t have done what he did in terms of going over to the Man United fans and it isn’t a case of defending him, it was something and nothing at the final whistle.”
With league leaders Lille in action in the Coupe de France on Saturday, Marseille can put the pressure on when they visit Lorient on Sunday.And the club’s top scorer, Loic Remy, is looking forward to turning up the heat on Lille – who have not won a Ligue 1 title since 1954 – with a win, although he is not looking forward to playing on Lorient’s synthetic surface at their Stade du Moustoir.
“We have the advantage of playing first,” said Remy, who has scored 12 goals in the league this season.
“On Sunday, we have to make sure we win. We know that if we win this weekend, we will move within a point having played a game more.”
“It’s always too difficult to play on the synthetic pitch. With Nice, I played at Lorient at the start of the season – it is very fast, it’s not pleasant.”
Lille play host to Sochaux in Ligue 1 on Wednesday, the same night that Paris Saint Germain visit Bordeaux.
Rennes can close the gap on fourth-placed Paris Saint Germain – who play Lille in the Cup final – to just two points if they can win at Saint Etienne on Sunday, as the race for a Europa League berth heats up.
At the foot of the table, Lens will be resigned to life in Ligue 2 should they not emerge victorious from their clash with 17th-placed Monaco, while Nancy could escape the bottom three with a win at home against Nice.
Caen are still battling to avoid the drop – outside the bottom three by just two points – and they welcome Montpellier, while Toulouse visit the already relegated Arles.
With three games remaining, third-placed Lyon trail Marseille by six points, and they face a clash against Brest on Monday.
Lovech took another step towards clinching the Bulgarian A-League after a 4-1 win over Montana on Wednesday.Lyuboslav Penev’s team maintained their five point lead at the top and were untroubled by their 11th-placed opponents.
A brace from Brazilian attacker Doka Madureira had Lovech 2-0 up after half an hour and when defender Alexandre Barthe made it three early in the second half, the points were sealed.
Forward Georgi Ivanov pulled a goal back for Montana, but full-back Petar Zanev responded five minutes later to make it 4-1.
Lovech would have wrapped up the title if not for Levski Sofia’s 3-0 derby win over Slavia Sofia.
A brace from midfielder Hristo Yovov, either side of a Vladimir Gadzhev strike, kept Levski’s hopes of winning the title alive with two games to go.
In the relegation battle, none of the bottom three were able to record a win.
Rakovski, who sit in the relegation play-off spot, managed a 2-2 draw at home to Minyor Pernik.
Aleksandar Branekov and Atanas Ivanov had given them a 2-0 lead after an hour, before conceding twice to settle for a point.
Fares Brahimi struck first on 67 minutes and Tomislav Pavlov hit a 92nd-minute equaliser for Pernik.
Akademik Sofia lost their sixth-straight game after a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Lokomotiv Plovdiv.
Zdravko Lazarov opened the scoring for Plovdiv from the penalty spot, before Asparuh Vasilev equalised for Akademik.
But Sergio Organista scored an own goal to hand Lokomotiv three points and leave his team in second-last.
Bottom-placed Sliven’s struggles continued as they suffered a 2-0 loss against Lokomotiv Sofia, following goals from Marco Dafchev and Vladislav Romanov.
In other games, Georgi Iliev and Rumen Nikolov struck in the first quarter of an hour as Cherno More beat Kaliakra 2-0.
Beroe struck twice in the first half through Simeon Mechev and Vladislav Zlatinov in their 2-0 win at Chernomorets Burgas.
CSKA Sofia ensured their Europa League place after playing out an entertaining 2-2 draw with Pirin Blagoevgrad.
Rumen Trifonov and Apostol Popov struck for CSKA, but Dimitar Iliev and Ivan Tsvetkov were also on the scoresheet as the teams shared the spoils.
Leonardo wants Inter Milan to carry momentum into the Coppa Italia final with a win against Catania in the last match of the Serie A season.Inter have already surrendered their championship title to cross-city rivals Milan, but did at least manage European Cup qualification by claiming second place.
While they have nothing to play for in the league, Inter can retain the Coppa Italia trophy if they beat Palermo on May 29.
And Leonardo wants his players to go into the final at the Stadio Olimpico on the back of a last-day home victory over visitors Catania.
“Tomorrow’s game must be faced with the right concentration, as we want to keep improving ahead of the Coppa Italia Final against Palermo,” Leonardo said ahead of Sunday’s match.
“Good performances lead to others, so we want to win.”
Inter will be without Esteban Cambiasso after the defensive midfielder suffered a thigh injury on Saturday.
Depending on the severity of the problem, he could be in doubt for Argentina’s Copa America campaign starting in July.
“Cambiasso had a problem in training today and we need to evaluate how serious it is,” Leonardo said.
“Julio Cesar has a back injury and cannot play.”
“(Wesley) Sneijder hasn’t recovered totally yet, while Maicon is suspended for the Coppa Italia and so we need to see players who can take part next week.”
Leonardo’s future at Inter remains uncertain after they failed to win the Scudetto for the first time since 2006.
The team also suffered an embarrassing 7-3 aggregate defeat at the hands of Schalke that ended their defence of the Champions League.
“I am just a coach,” Leonardo said.
“I feel in sync with the club, but President Massimo Moratti and his directors make the decisions. If I can contribute, then I am here.”
Leonardo also hailed the influence of his Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto’o who has scored 21 goals this season.
“Well, Eto’o has been extraordinary if we consider what he’s done over the recent years and not only the league wins, the Champions League wins and the goal he scored in the final, but also considering what he’s done this season,” he said.
“The numbers are clear – they confirm him as undoubtedly one of the best players in the world.”
“At the moment he is in better shape and he has been greatly rewarded this season.”
“Consider the number of goals he scored, but also the different ways he played, because that’s another important quality he has: he plays in any role and works hard and sometimes that isn’t so easy.”
The top four over the last few seasons has come under intense pressure from the ‘lesser’ teams; firstly there was Aston Villa attempting to ruin the party, then eventually Tottenham Hotspur ousted Liverpool and got a taste of Champions League football and this season the Lilywhites missed out to Manchester City. Already, speculation has begun on who will be next season’s top four, especially as Arsenal appear to be getting weaker with each season that passes. This season, I think the Gunners became the first team ever to finish fourth in a two horse race! Liverpool’s new found resurgence saw them very nearly break back into the top four, after a horrendous beginning to this season under Roy Hodgson. Everything is in place at Anfield for a very successful 2011/12 season, starting with reclaiming their Champions League berth from Arsenal, and this is why (in this humble writer’s opinion).
Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri want to leave, and both players are exceptional talents, with Nasri taking the Spaniard’s mantle as Arsenal’s main star whilst the Spaniard sent flirty text messages to Pique from the treatment room. Both players’ decisions to openly state that they would happily leave Arsenal shows how little faith they have in the Gunners ability to challenge for the major honours; losing two influential players will rock Arsenal and no wonder kid signing from France can help fill the void or maintain their Champions League status. Phil Jones, Jordan Henderson and, erm, Carl Jenkinson: not hard to work out who Arsenal signed is it? As Liverpool continue splashing the cash despite spending nearly £60 million on two signings in January, Arsene Wenger maintains his usual transfer policy despite all his promises that Arsenal will spend big in the transfer market. With very little happening at the Emirates and everything happening on Merseyside, Liverpool are very much a team preparing for Champions League qualification next season. Belief is a huge part of achieving success in football and no matter what Liverpool and their fans have always believed, their club can achieve greatness and reclaim the glory days of the ’80s. Nothing has changed this season, and next season the belief will no doubt get stronger. It’s a different story over in North London; with players clearly displaying lack of belief on the pitch, the fans are quite rightly loathing their team’s performances and now many are questioning Arsene Wenger, Le Professeur, himself. Arsenal are a team heading for turmoil if they aren’t careful; missing out on Champions League football could be the least of their worries. Arsenal shareholder Stan Kroenke has recently improved his stake in the club and has announced he intends to invest in the club, yet the Gunners’ board over the past few seasons has yet to show any signs of following this kind of ethos, and the fans will of course be reluctant to naïvely swallow this up. Liverpool’s owners Fenway Sports Group, on the other hand, have already invested heavily in the squad and the club set-up. But this is not all about financial investment, the American group has had great success with their innovation in sports management and was recently named one of the top 10 most innovative companies in sports by Fast Company, a renowned American journalism group.
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Let me know if you think I’m a Spurs fan, a Liverpool sycophant or just an honest Arsenal fan at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Daniel-T-Blazer/185495024836102
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Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has maintained that he will spend the club owner’s money sensibly and not break the bank chasing transfer targets.
The Merseyside club have had a busy summer so far, with the additions of Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam expected to be complemented by Roma goalkeeper Doni in the near future. Despite this, the Scotsman has told Anfield fans not to expect the side to land all the players they are linked with in the transfer window.
“We won’t get everyone we are after this summer but other clubs won’t always get who they have enquired about,” the 60-year-old told Sky Sports.
“That’s just the way it is. We’ve done some business already and we’ll continue to do what we are doing in a responsible manner. The owners know what they are doing and we have had great support from them. They know not to bankrupt the club and are running Liverpool in the right way.
“John (Henry) and Tom (Werner) will give us whatever they can afford. We have to use that responsibly,” he concluded.
The Reds are hot on the heels of Aston Villa winger Stewart Downing, but are believed to have been put off by the Birmingham outfit’s £20 million valuation of the England international.
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The saddest sight of the month had to be that of Owen Hargreaves trying to prove his fitness by posting videos of his training sessions on the internet. It was proof of what most footballers know – that the greatest asset they can possess is not pace, vision, skill or intelligence, but luck. You can have all of those other attributes but if you’re unlucky with injuries, they are worthless. Every time any footballer goes on to the pitch, he is rolling a dice and risking an injury which can cost him his career.
Hargreaves was at the peak of his powers when he joined Manchester United in 2007. Aged 26, he’d been England’s outstanding player at the 2006 World Cup and was one of the best holding midfield players in the world. Yet within months, a knee injury had wrecked his United and England careers.We would all love to see Hargreaves find a decent club and prove himself again as a first-team player, but the odds have to be against it and the best years of his career have been lost.
I was lucky with injuries on the whole – until it came to the 1966 World Cup. Seven months before the tournament, on Bonfire Night 1965, I started feeling ill and thought I had flu. The next day my mate came over with a couple of pints of medicinal Guinnesses, but this was the worst thing for me because I was soon diagnosed with hepatitis, meaning my liver was in a bad way. I was actually only out for six weeks or so, the longest lay-off of my professional career, but I experienced after effects all season and, in truth, I don’t think I was ever the same player again.
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Then, after the final group game of the World Cup against France, I came into the dressing room and found my left sock was full of blood and my shin badly gashed. I don’t know how the injury occurred. I didn’t even feel it happen, but I’ve still got the scar. I was ruled out of the quarter-final and semi-final, and then I missed the final, too. But despite such a huge blow, I have to say I was lucky compared to Hargreaves and many others.
Ken Shellito, who joined Chelsea the same day as me, had just made his England debut as an excellent attacking right-back when he suffered a serious knee injury that meant he ended up as a one-cap wonder. Brian Clough was only capped twice when his playing days were ended at the age of 27. His knee injury would not have been career-ending with the advances in medical science of a few decades later. But back in my playing days it was not rare at all for players to be finished at an early age.
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John Lyall and Malcolm Allison were two others I knew whose playing days were over by their early 20s – Big Mal contracted TB and had to have a lung removed. Going back a few more years, Derek Dooley, a centre-forward as strong as an ox, had to have an infected leg amputated at the age of 24. And, in more recent times, Steve Coppell, Kevin Beattie and Manchester City’s Paul Lake were among those who were cut off in their prime.
And these are only the ones we know about, because they had already made names for themselves or went on to be successful managers and coaches. There are hundreds who fall by the wayside because of injury, kids who could have been world-beaters but never got to play professionally. Kids who had it all, except for the phone number of Lady Luck.
It looks like the long-running Cesc Fabregas transfer saga may about to be coming to an end, with the Spaniard finally set to sign for Barcelona, and Samir Nasri could be following his out of the Arsenal exit door in two deals that could bring in £55m for the Gunners.
Elsewhere, Tottenham are lining up a swoop for Spanish striker Llorente, but are thought to have had a bid for Lassana Diarra rejected. Chelsea’s Fernando Torres is a doubt for the Premier League season opener at the weekend, and Newcastle’s controversial midfielder Joey Barton could be on his way to Russia.
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£55m double exit for Arsenal – Guardian
Tottenham swoop for Llorente – Telegraph
Barton on his way to Russia? – Daily Mail
Torres a doubt for season opener – Telegraph
Everton’s Barkley tipped for big future – Guardian
Tottenham’s £15m bid rejected – Daily Mail
Man City line up move for Cerci – The Sun
Bolton prepared to stump up £4m for Ngog – Mirror
Bruce ready to make Tottenham midfielder his 11th signing – The Sun
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Neville: Arsenal fans should lay off Wenger – Mirror
Villa legend on why it will be a struggle this season – Independent