Samir Nasri: Arsenal Don't Need A New Midfielder, We Have Arshavin
The Gunners' French star believes injuries, rather than poor squad composition, have derailed their season...
Since Gilberto Silva, Lassana Diarra and Mathieu Flamini left Arsenal last year, there has been a notable gap in Arsene Wenger's midfield which none of his young guns have been able to adequately fill.
But while pundits and punters screamed for the Gunners to buy a new Patrick Vieira in January, they instead splashed out on the attack-minded Andrey Arshavin.
Samir Nasri, though, reckons Wenger has got it right.
"I don抰 think it is a central midfielder that Arsenal have been lacking. What we have really been missing is the injured players and when they come back you抣l see a different face to this Arsenal team," the French playmaker said in The Independent.
"I played against Arshavin when he was at Zenit St. Petersburg and I was at Marseilles, he抯 an excellent player. He will give us that little bit more penetration and incisiveness which the team have been lacking recently."
Twenty-five games into the Premier League campaign, the Londoners sit in fifth spot: five points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, seven back of Aston Villa and now 15 adrift of leaders Manchester United.
While the Ashburton Grove club's record against the bigger clubs this term is more than decent, they have stumbled all too regularly against lower-table opposition.
Nasri continued, "Arsenal like to play football so when we play against a skilful team who also like to come out and play it is easier to play because there is more space to exploit.
"When Manchester United came to the Emirates we had the opportunity to play well ourselves. When we are at home to teams who come here and keep things tight we have found things more difficult."
Wenger akui Arsenal tak mampu bersaing rebut gelaran EPL
LONDON: Arsene Wenger mengakui buat pertama kali bahawa Arsenal tidak mempunyai sebarang peluang memenangi mahkota kejuaraan Liga Perdana Inggeris (EPL), musim ini - sebaliknya pengurus itu melabel pendahulu, Manchester United sebagai pilihan juara.
Arsenal menghuni tangga kelima - 12 mata di belakang juara bertahan itu, jurang yang akan melebarkan kepada 15 andai United menang kelebihan satu perlawanan menentang Fulham (awal pagi tadi). Kemenangan itu juga turut akan membawa skuad Alex Ferguson itu lima mata mengatasi kelab tangga kedua Liverpool.
Jika ia satu realiti di Old Trafford, Wenger pasti akan berasa dia meminta sesuatu yang mustahil daripada pasukannya untuk cuba mengejar United dan memenangi kejuaraan liga pertama sejak 2004.
Semua lima pasukan teratas akan mempunyai baki 13 perlawanan untuk bermain selepas itu dengan Arsenal masih perlu berkunjung ke United, memberikan mereka peluang tipis untuk mengurangkan jurang mata itu.
Wenger melihat United sebagai berada dalam prestasi yang cukup hebat hinggakan kemenangan Arsenal di Old Trafford tidak akan menyekat anak buah Ferguson dalam menuju kejuaraan EPL ketiganya berturut-turut.
Apapun, kunjungan skuad Wenger ke Old Trafford adalah pada minggu terakhir musim ini, apabila kemenangan mungkin sudah terlalu lewat untuk membawa apa-apa perubahan dengan jurulatih berbangsa Perancis itu tidak nampak United akan kalah empat perlawanan untuk memberi Arsenal peluang meraih kejuaraan.
“Kami berjanji pada diri untuk memberi segala-galanya sehingga hari terakhir musim,” kata Wenger. “Pada ketika ini United kelihatan sukar dikejar.
“Keputusan United cukup konsisten. Mereka menang 1-0, tetapi anda selalu mengharapkan ketika perlawanan mereka akan tercicir mata, atau menggugurkan lebih daripada dua mata. Tetapi ia tidak berlaku kerana mereka sentiasa dapat mencari jalan memenangi perlawanan.
“Ini bermakna jika mereka menang kelebihan satu perlawanan, mereka akan mempunyai 15 mata di hadapan kami. Ia juga bermakna mereka perlu kalah lima perlawanan (untuk membolehkan kami mengejar mereka. Jika mereka kalah satu, masih ada kelebihan empat perlawanan.” - Agensi
Two footballers were charged in connection with the nightclub brawl which saw Steven Gerrard accused of assault.
Accrington Stanley goalkeeper Ian Dunbavin, 28, and the club's midfielder, Robert Grant, 18, were both charged with affray, Merseyside Police said.
A third man, Paul McGrattan, 31, was also charged today with affray and assaulting a police officer.
Liverpool and England player Gerrard, 28, remains on bail after appearing in court charged with assault and affray last month.
He was arrested in the early hours of December 29 after a disturbance at the Lounge Bar nightclub in Southport, Merseyside.
Company director Marcus McGee, 34, from Churchtown, Southport, required hospital treatment after receiving facial injuries in the incident.
Gerrard, a father of two who is married to model Alex Curran, 26, was at the bar with friends to celebrate Liverpool's 5-1 win over Newcastle United earlier that day.
Gerrard's solicitor indicated at his first court appearance that he would plead not guilty to the charges against him.
He is due to before North Sefton Magistrates again on March 20.
A spokeswoman for Merseyside Police said Dunbavin, of Guildford Road, Southport, Grant, of Enstone Avenue, Litherland, Merseyside, and McGrattan, of Linden Drive, Huyton, Merseyside, will appear at North Sefton magistrates next Monday.
Two men, a 33-year-old from Huyton and an 18-year-old from Roby, Merseyside, remain on bail pending further inquiries.
Post time 19-2-2009 12:26 PM
