South African Defender Siyanda Xulu Sets For Arsenal Transfer

South African defender Siyanda Xulu might get his greatest chance to play for English giant Arsenal, closing in an offer of a contract in this week. Earlier, he was lined up for a trial match at the Emirates Stadium.
The potent 18-year-old is in a great demand because of its strength and skill. He is regarded as the top African player of the next generation. He might get a permanent position in Arsenal if he impresses manager Arsene Wenger in the coming matches.
Xulu played for Mamelodi Sundowns’ and regarded a respected defender. As a defender he scored three goals in 22 appearances.
He is ready for trial at London Colney next week.
Alex Shakoane, Sundowns spokesperson praised the young defender and said the club was expecting an offer from the Premier League soon.
‘It is satisfying for us that the young man is being acknowledged and pursued by such esteemed teams,’ he said.
‘If Arsenal are happy with him, talks will open between us.’
It is also believed that if Wenger select the young South African then he will surely bring him to show gradually. The first appearance might be in 2011 season at the earliest.
However, Xulu will be an additional option for the Gunners in an emergency where there is growing concern about the weakness of centre-back as the veterans William Gallas, Sol Campbell and Mikael Silvestre are unavailable during the summer.

Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger Wants Lukasz Fabianski To 'Grab The Chance' To 'Show How Good He Is' Against Partizan Belgrade

Frenchman has faith in goalkeeper.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is confident reserve goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski can step into the shoes of the injured Manuel Almunia as the Gunners prepare for the trip to Serbia to face Partizan Belgrade in the Champions League.

The opportunity for Fabianski comes after Almunia injured his elbow in Saturday’s defeat to West Bromwich Albion, and the Pole will be looking to put past mistakes behind him and take his chance.

"For Fabianski, it is another big chance - but you want a goalkeeper or any player to grab the chance when you get it," Wenger told reporters.

"As a manager you can give a chance to a player who is good enough and I believe in his talent. He gets another opportunity to show how good he is. I want him to show how good he is.
"There is only one way to show confidence in a player and that is to put him on the pitch and give him his chance."

The trip to Belgrade will be a tough one for the Gunners who haven’t won away in the competition since last September, and Partizan will be hoping to keep that run going with a home victory.

The Serbians, though, have something of a chequered history of crowd trouble and were thrown out of the 2007-08 Uefa Cup for clashes in a qualifying tie against Zrinjski Mostar - while in September last year, a Toulouse fan died in hospital after being injured following violence in a bar ahead of the two sides' Europa League tie.

The Serbian champions have issued a plea for calm to their fans on their website, declaring that: "This is our chance to wipe out ugly traces of the recent past and we shouldn't miss this opportunity."

However, despite Arsenal’s poor away form and the undoubted hostile atmosphere, Wenger is confident the game can pass without incident.

"We are always inside the stadium, so I do not know what is happening outside, I leave that to Uefa and to the Serbian authorities. I am sure they will do that very well," he continued.

"Serbia is a traditional football country, which has produced many fantastic players.

"They know sport, they know football and I believe it will be very passionate because they are very passionate football people."

And the Gunners boss knows that his side will face a tough task if they are to earn all three points at Stadion FK Partizan.

"What I expect is for Partizan to play a highly passionate game and to try to catch us on the break," he added.

"They have the traditional strengths of Serbian teams - they are intelligent, with a good technique and in the final third, if you give them room they are always dangerous.

"I believe the collective drive that they have going forward could be dangerous for us."

Partizan Belgrade V Arsenal - Match report

   1 Partizan Belgrade      -                 3 Arsenal

Arsenal took a giant stride towards the Knockout Stages of the Champions League with a 3-1 win at Partizan Belgrade on Tuesday night.

After a sticky start, Arsène Wenger’s side seemed to have taken control when Jack Wilshere provided a wonderful assist for Andrey Arshavin to score in the 15th minute. However they were pegged back just after the half-hour when Denilson handled in the area and Cleo slotted home from the spot.

Arsenal should have regained the lead 10 minutes after the restart when Marouane Chamakh was hauled down by Marko Jovanovic. The defender was dismissed but Arshavin saw his penalty saved by Vladimir Stojkovic.

However, 19 minutes from time, Chamakh pounced to nod home after his own header had come back off the bar. And in the 83rd minute, Sebastien Squillaci grabbed his first Arsenal goal by steering a home a header from Samir Nasri’s cross.


The finale may have been much more nervy had Lukasz Fabianski not turned aside Cleo’s late penalty.
However, in truth, this was an Arsenal victory with something to spare.
A game of three penalties leaves Arsenal with six points out of six in Group H. They are tied with Shakhtar at the top. Braga and Partizan have yet to get off the mark
With Chelsea in mind, Wenger shuffled his side this evening. As a result the Gunners were not 100 per cent fluent or watertight but, in a difficult atmosphere, they did more than enough to deserve the victory.

If they do the same in similar circumstances at Stamford Bridge, then Arsenal’s season will be right back on track.

Before kick-off, Wenger made a whopping six changes from the side that had lost to West Brom on Saturday. 



The headline alteration saw Fabianski take the gloves from the injured Manuel Almunia (elbow). Elsewhere, Kieran Gibbs replaced Gael Clichy on the left of the defence and Johan Djourou came in for Laurent Koscielny in the middle. It was the Swiss defender’s first Champions League appearance since he started against Manchester United at Emirates Stadium in the Semi-Final second leg on May 10, 2009.

Wilshere and Denilson were brought into central midfield while captain Tomas Rosicky was on the right.  Nasri and Emmanuel Eboue dropped to the bench but Abou Diaby was out with a recurrence of the ankle injury he first collected against Bolton on September 11 but had tweaked against West Brom at the weekend.

The Stadion FK Partizan was the expected pot-boiler pre-game. The home fans took their seats early and sang very, very loudly. 
A number of partial power failures gave the prelude a sense of unease. But the game started in dim light then it gradually got much brighter.

The same could be said of Arsenal’s first half-hour. 
The visitors were under the cosh in the opening stages. In the eighth minute, Cleo broke clear on the left with Squillaci in pursuit. The Brazilian-born striker reached the corner of the six-yard area but dallied enough for the Frenchman to catch-up. Cleo tried to feed a ball back into the path of Nemanja Tomic but Denilson scuffed it away from his feet at the vital moment.

A minute later Pierre Boya stretched a toe onto the ball as Squillaci tried to shepherd a header back to Fabianski. Fortunately the keeper recovered.

In the 12th minute Cleo profited on a slip by Djourou and fired wastefully over the bar.
The Arsenal goal was receiving much more attention so Arshavin’s opener was somewhat of a surprise. But its quality was exquisite. 


The Russian collected the ball in midfield and found Wilshere before racing into the area. The Englishman was surrounded and seemed to have lost control. However he backheeled the ball back into the path of Arshavin, who drilled it low past Vladimir Stojkovic.

The goal quelled Partizan’s early appetite for attack and suddenly Arsenal were on top.
Wilshere and Arshavin nearly combined for a second in the 24th minute but the Russian was denied by a fine save from Stojkovic.


In fact only the former Wigan keeper stopped Arsenal killing the game by the half-hour. Two minutes later he rushed out to deny Rosicky after Arshavin had prodded him through.


The Russian then clipped a shot over Stojkovic only for defender Jovanovic to hook the ball to safety.
Having been caught cold in the opening minutes, Arsenal suddenly seemed to be strolling.

And then they tripped up.

In the 33rd minute, the visitors half-cleared their lines and the ball fell to Radosav Petrovic on the left. His tossed a cross to the edge of the area and Denilson was adjudged to have handled. Cleo sent Fabianski the wrong way from the spot and, quite unexpectedly, a game that Arsenal seemed to be killing off was alive again.

Having got back on level terms, Partizan tried to press home their advantage. The visitors had been knocked off their stride by the equaliser but were happy enough to see off the half so they could regroup.

To be honest, Arsenal were still working their way back into the game when they were given the perfect opportunity to regain the lead in the 55th minute. Arshavin sent Chamakh clear through the middle and he was hauled down by Jovanovic just inside the area.
The referee pointed to the spot and then gave a red card to the Partizan centre back.

Having seen Rosicky miss at Sunderland and with Nasri, who had converted twice at Tottenham, on the bench, Arshavin stepped up.

His effort had power but was straight at Stojkovic. The keeper saved with his legs.
It was another blow to Arsenal but they still had that numerical advantage and set about making it pay.

In the 67th minute, Wilshere wriggled clear from his marker and darted into the area. Only a perfectly-timed challenge from Mladan Krstajic stopped him going through on the keeper.
A couple of minutes later, Arshavin’s bobbling shot was plucked out of the air.

It seemed that Arsenal had found some fluency again – and they proved it in the 71st minute. Rosicky sent over a hanging cross from the right to Chamakh at the far post. The Moroccan planted his first header against the bar and reacted first to nod home the rebound.

It was a traditional English centre-forward’s goal. Albeit from a player of African descent who was raised in France.

With seven minutes left, Squillaci popped up at the near post to nod in a corner from substitute Samir Nasri. That seemed to be that.

However seconds later, Gibbs clipped Ivan Stevanovic on the right of the area and referee Wolfgang Stark awarded another spot-kick.

Cleo stepped up once more but this time Fabianski flung himself to his right to turn the ball around the post.

In injury time, the Pole made an even better stop from Ivica Iliev.

A satisfying night for Arsenal and a solid boost of confidence before Sunday’s massive match at Stamford Bridge.

Wenger : They Are New England Generation

Arsene Wenger has backed promising midfielder Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott and Emmanuel Frimpong to feature for England at Euro 2012 - but called for patience from the Arsenal youngster ahead of what could be a breakthrough season.

Wilshere, 18, and Gunners winger Theo Walcott - a controversial omission from the ill-fated World Cup squad - are both expected to feature in the forthcoming European Championship qualifying campaign as Fabio Capello looks to rebuild a squad for the future following the Three Lions' abject display in South Africa.

Wilshere, already an Under-21 international, started both games against AC Milan and Celtic in the Emirates Cup, producing a man-of-the-match performance against the Bhoys on Sunday when Arsenal won 3-2 to secure the pre-season trophy in front of their own fans. Wenger believes Wilshere - who was loaned to Bolton last season - can cut the grade at the very highest level, but urged against expecting too much too soon.

"Theo Walcott was at the World Cup at 17 years of age; he had not played one game in the Premier League, and it didn't kill him,'' said the Gunners boss. "In 2012, Jack will be 20, so why not? You cannot rule it out, but it is down to performances. I believe Jack is stronger than last year, physically, and the few months he played at Bolton has given him something. He will be used at the club, of course.''

But Wenger warned: "The problems at that age is to be patient; you don't have patience. If you look at the number of good players we have in midfield, nobody can guarantee a position to anybody.''

Another of Arsenal's youngsters to impress was Emmanuel Frimpong, the Ghanaian-born 18-year-old who has represented England at Under-16 level, having moved to London when he was nine.

"He's a bit less of a dribbler, but he's a fighter and a winner,'' said Wenger. "Here you have a boy who can choose between England and Ghana. So if I was in your place, I would have no hesitation, and invite him to play very quickly for England.''

Walcott, who looks fresh following an unexpected extended summer break took just three minutes to open up the Celtic defence, crossing for Carlos Vela to knock the ball in at the far post.

"He is highly determined,'' said Wenger. "Theo is sharp physically, he has worked very hard and he is ready to start the season.''

Wenger - The team had no electricity

Arsène Wenger admits his team suffered a 'power cut' at Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

Arsenal went into the game against West Bromwich Albion on the back of a magnificent win at Tottenham in midweek and with high hopes of cutting Chelsea's lead at the top of the Premier League to one point after the champions lost at Manchester City.

But Wenger's side were a pale shadow of their usual selves and Albion took full advantage, scoring three times in 23 second-half minutes to build what proved to be an unassailable lead, despite a late brace from Samir Nasri.

Wenger was left to ponder the reasons for one of the most listless performances of his 14-year tenure and promised to make changes for Tuesday's Champions League trip to Partizan Belgrade.

"What is the most frustrating is that there was no electricity there," said the manager.

"We had lost a generator and then it becomes difficult to play football. I knew after the first five minutes, you saw that it was all flat. It is unusual for us because we are usually a team that has energy. We were just not there. I can't remember the last time [we were like that]. It was mysterious what happened.

"West Brom played very well but it is the usual defending we get when we play. We made really basic errors defensively if you analyse any of the goals. I just feel that from back to forward we were flat and poor.

"It won't stay on my mind too long," he added. "We never forget it but we play on Tuesday night so of course we have to analyse what happened. I don't know yet [how many changes I will make for the Partizan game but there will be some changes, that is for sure."

Wenger - Almunia not the only one at fault

Manuel Almunia does not deserve to take all the blame for Arsenal's shock defeat to West Brom, according to Arsène Wenger.

The Arsenal goalkeeper made a fine start to Saturday's game, pushing aside a sharp effort from Peter Odemwingie before saving a penalty from Chris Brunt after Odemwingie's pace had caught out the Spaniard.

But it all went wrong after the break. Almunia could not be faulted for West Brom's opener but allowed Gonzalo Jara's shot to spill from his grasp before getting caught out of position as Jerome Thomas converted Albion's third in a 3-2 win.

The media reaction has been unforgiving but Wenger called for some perspective when he spoke to reporters after the match.

"For what happened, everybody will criticise Almunia but if we are 0-0 at half time it is because of Almunia," said Wenger.

"Overall I believe that, defensively, everybody made individual mistakes.

"I think mentally we were never in the game at the requested level. We did go until the end but we had no sharpness and you have to analyse why we had no sharpness."

Arsenal to face Newcastle in Carling Cup

Arsenal will face Newcastle United in the Fourth Round of the Carling Cup.
The draw for the last 16 took place on Saturday lunchtime.
The tie will take place at St. James' Park during the week commencing October 25.

Arsenal 2-3 West Bromwich Albion: Stun Gunners In Shock Victory

West Brom secure famous victory despite late Arsenal surge

Arsenal suffered a shock defeat at the hands of West Bromwich Albion this afternoon, losing 3-2 at the Emirates Stadium. The Baggies missed a first half penalty, but this didn’t stop Peter Odemwingie, Gonzalo Jara and Jerome Thomas putting the Gunners to the sword in the second half. Samir Nasri managed to grab two consolation goals, but couldn’t inspire his side to recover.
Arsenal were sluggish in the opening stages, this was encapsulated with 10 minutes played as Samir Nasri had the chance to test Scott Carson with a free-kick 20 yards from the West Brom goal. His shot was poor and went straight into the wall, the ball spilled out to the right flank where Bacary Sagna lashed a wayward shot high and wide of the crossbar.

The Gunners began to find their stride a few minutes later with a flowing attacking move down the left. The ball was played into Andrey Arshavin who quickly slipped it inside for Emmanuel Eboue who was on the edge of the penalty. The Ivorian hit the ball first time but his shot was lacklustre and bobbled past the left-hand post.

Minutes later and Arsenal had rattled the woodwork. Eboue drifted into a position wide on the right flank and whipped a cross into the back post area. Arshavin stuck a foot in ahead of his marker and diverted the ball onto Carson’s right-hand post with the ‘keeper scrambling across his line. It came back out to the Russian winger and he stabbed it goalwards but could only find the post again before West Brom managed to smuggle the ball out for a corner.

The hosts came close again with 25 minutes on the clock. Arshavin fed the ball to Nasri who, turning towards goal, saw space open up for a shot. The Frenchman unleashed a right-footed shot from 25 yards and it rippled the side-netting as it zipped just wide of the left-hand post, momentarily deceiving some Arsenal fans into thinking he had broken the deadlock.

West Brom responded with a rasping drive from Odemwingie. The Nigerian took on Abou Diaby in the left-hand side of the Arsenal box before cutting inside onto his left foot and hammering the ball towards Manuel Almunia’s bottom left-hand corner. The Spaniard was equal to the effort, producing a strong save low to his left to deny West Brom an opening goal.

The Baggies had a penalty in the 37th minute after they broke rapidly down the right flank. Odemwingie made a run in behind the Arsenal defence and raced into the penalty area. Almunia charged off his line to meet the striker and Odemwingie poked the ball past just before the two collided to win a clear penalty. Chris Brunt stepped up to take the spot kick and sent it low to Almunia’s right, but the Spaniard managed to get a strong hand to the strike and was up quickly to pounce on the loose ball to prevent Arsenal conceding.

Arsenal nearly opened the scoring in first half stoppage time. Sagna showed fleet footwork before being brought down beside the corner flag on the right. Arshavin took the resulting free-kick and floated it into the near post area where Sagna directed a glancing header towards the Albion goal. Fortunately for Carson it was straight at him, and he managed to tip the ball over the crossbar.

The second half began with West Brom forcing a corner after a slick passage of play from the visitors. James Morrison skipped skilfully past his marker before releasing Jerome Thomas on the left wing but Sagna managed to block his attempted cross and the Baggies wasted the corner.

Sagna couldn’t do anything to stop Thomas as West Brom opened the scoring with their next attack. Nicky Shorey slid the ball to Thomas on the left flank and the Englishman jinked past the French fullback before hitting a low cross into the centre for an unmarked Odemwingie who slotted home neatly into the far corner.

Shell shocked | Arsene Wenger looks on as his side suffer second half capitulation

West Brom weren’t content with a one goal lead and continued to push forward. They were rewarded minutes later with an improbable second goal at the Emirates. Brunt played Jara into space on the right wing with a lovely back-heel pass that caught Alex Song sleeping. Jara drove into the penalty area and hammered the ball goalwards where it bounced off Almunia and into the bottom right-hand corner. It looked like a goalkeeping error from the Spaniard and left Arsenal two goals behind.

Arsene Wenger responded immediately to the setback, hooking Diaby and Eboue and throwing on Tomas Rosicky and Jack Wilshere.

The onslaught from Arsenal was relentless and the crowd were roaring for a penalty as Nasri skipped inside the penalty area and looked to be bundled over as he looked to get a shot off from close range. Referee Michael Oliver waved away protests as West Brom looked to break on the Gunners before an excellent challenge from Sebastien Squillaci put a stop to the counter.

Arsenal’s next attack came down the left flank, with Arshavin sending a teasing ball into the front post area. Marouane Chamakh looked to get onto the end of it and went sliding in as Carson came to collect. The Moroccan made contact with the ‘keeper and was duly booked by the referee for the challenge.

The Gunners came forward again with Song slotting Nasri into the left-hand side of the box before Nasri chipped a cross into the centre. Song charged onto the end of it but couldn’t make full contact with his header and it flicked off an Albion defender and went safely wide of the target.

With 65 minutes played Wenger made his final substitution and it was an aggressive move, bringing off centre-back Laurent Koscielny in favour of Mexican striker Carlos Vela.

Arsenal were stunned when in the 73rd minute West Brom extended their lead further. Thomas played the ball along the edge of the box for Brunt, whose first touch was heavy but took him into the right-hand side of the area. Almunia came rushing off his line but Brunt cleverly cut the ball back inside for Thomas, who lashed the ball into the back of the net.

The Gunners grabbed a lifeline when Nasri scored a sublime individual goal. Having skipped past a couple of players on the edge of the box moments earlier before rattling the crossbar, his weaving run into the West Brom box resulted in a sweeter reward. As he navigated a packed penalty area and smashed the ball into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal: 3-1 to West Brom.

The goal failed to rouse the Gunners and they struggled to create many more attempts on goal. Chamakh mustered a header that Carson saved easily in regular time before Nasri found an opening in additional time. Arshavin slipped the French midfielder into the penalty area and Nasri accepted the invitation, smashing the ball past Carson and into the West Brom goal.

The Gunners had five minutes to save a point and the crowd urged them forward with every passing second. Arsenal were piling forward, throwing the ball into the box at every opportunity. Rosicky had a chance deep into stoppage time but couldn’t convert, sending the ball the crossbar and ensuring West Brom secured their first victory on Arsenal home soil in 27 years.

Gibbs' foot injury is only short-term

INJURY NEWS

The Club is happy to confirm that following last night’s Carling Cup Third Round match at Tottenham Hotspur, a scan to Kieran Gibbs’ foot has shown there is no fracture.
Kieran has suffered severe bruising to his left foot and will hopefully only be missing from first-team action for the short term.

Man of the Match against Tottenham - Wilshere

Throughout the 2010/11 season we're giving you the chance to choose your Arsenal Man of the Match.

Arsène Wenger's side faced Tottenham Hotspur at the White Hart Lane in the Carling Cup on Tuesday. The game finished 4-1 and after the match we asked fans to vote for their star performer.
They voted in their thousands on Arsenal.com and selected Jack Wilshere as their Man of the Match. The midfielder performed admirably in his first North London derby and received 45 per cent of the fans' votes in our poll.
Samir Nasri finished second with 30 per cent and Laurent Koscielny was third with 8 per cent of the vote.
Scroll down for the poll results:

Arsenal.com Online Poll

Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal: choose your Man of the Match

• Lukasz Fabianski 0%
• Emmanuel Eboue 1%
• Laurent Koscielny 8%
• Johan Djourou 0%
• Kieran Gibbs 2%
• Denilson 1%
• Jack Wilshere 45%
• Samir Nasri 30%
• Tomas Rosicky 1%
• Henri Lansbury 2%
• Carlos Vela 1%
• Andrey Arshavin 4%
• Gael Clichy 0%
• Marouane Chamakh 4%

Voting has finished on this poll

Tottenham 1-4 Arsenal (AET): Extra-Time Samir Nasri And Andrey Arshavin Goals Knock Spurs Out

Gunners secure fourth round spot at local rivals' expense.

Arsenal knocked Tottenham out of the League Cup at White Hart Lane courtesy of extra-time goals by Samir Nasri and Andrey Arshavin after earlier strikes by Henri Lansbury and Robbie Keane had ensured honours were even after 90 minutes.

Both sides made major changes to their starting line-ups for their third round tie with Spurs making 10 changes, and handing debuts to goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa, Steven Caulker and Sandro. The visitors, meanwhile, made eight changes with Lukasz Fabianski, Henri Lansbury and Carlos Vela all given rare starts.

The Gunners looked to have the slightly stronger team on paper and so it proved in a one-sided first half that Arsene Wenger’s side dominated and managed to take a deserved, yet narrow, lead with them into the break.

The theme was set after just five minutes when Carlos Vela thumped a shot over the bar from range. Five minutes later and Arsenal might have had a penalty after a clumsy challenge by Benoit Assou-Ekotto sent Lansbury to the ground in the box but referee Lee Probert ignored the visitors’ claims.

However, Arsenal did not have to wait long to take the lead and with a quarter of an hour gone a flowing move sliced Tottenham apart and led to Lansbury opening the scoring.

The danger came down the Gunners’ left and after Gibbs had found Rosicky, he teed up the overlapping Wilshere to send in a delicious low cross for Lansbury to slide in past a static defense and poke home from close range.

With their lead established the visitors continued to dominate possession, yet without creating many clear-cut chances. However, they might have added a second five minute before the break when another sublime Wilshere pass found Gibbs clean through on goal. The left-back only had Pletikosa to beat but was denied by the offside flag, a decision television replays showed to be incorrect.

In contrast Spurs offered little aside from wayward shots from range from David Bentley and Roman Pavlyuchenko and in truth Harry Redknapp’s men must have been delighted to head into the break just one goal down.

Hooray Henri | Lansbury celebrates opening the scoring

Perhaps unsurprisingly Tottenham made changes at the break sending on Aaron Lennon and Robbie Keane with Jake Livermore and Giovani Dos Santos the men to make way and the changes proved to be inspired as within four minutes of the restart Spurs were level. A pass by Naughton found Keane in the box, who appeared to be offside, but play continued and the substitute sent a low finish past Fabianski who got hands to the ball but couldn’t stop it rolling past him and into the net.

Suddenly the home side were on top but Arsenal gradually began to find their way back and as the game opened up chances came for both sides with Pavlyuchenko firing a chance over the bar before Eboue, on the break, did likewise at the other end.

With an hour on the clock Arsenal went even closer after a gorgeous ball into the box by Rosicky beat Bassong and found Vela but the Mexican could only head wide from close range. Back came Spurs with Keane finding Lennon racing into the box but just as the winger shaped to shoot in came Koscielny with a superb sliding tackle to deny the Englishman. Seconds later, the action switched to the other end again with Wilshere denied by a block by Bassong.

With 20 minutes to go, Arsenal made a double change with Marouane Chamakh and Andrey Arshavin replacing Tomas Rosicky and Carlos Vela yet it was Spurs who were to go closest in the closing stages.

With less than 10 minutes to go a David Bentley free-kick whipped into the box found Keane who touched the ball onto the post from a matter of yards much to the anguish of the White Hart Lane faithful.

And so onto extra-time and within 30 seconds of the restart Arsenal were awarded a penalty after Bassong tangled with Nasri. Up stepped the Frenchman to convert the kick and put the Gunners back into the lead.

Incredibly only minutes later Arsenal were awarded another penalty after Caulker tugged at Chamakh and sent the striker to the ground, leaving the referee no option but to point to the spot. Again it was Nasri, and again the Frenchman made no mistake sending his kick this time to the left of Pletikosa to all but seal the win.

Ye there was still time for the visitors to exact further punishment and exact they did when a quick free kick by Wilshere found Arshavin who fired an unstoppable shot across goal to add some gloss to the scoreline and send the Gunners into the fourth round.

Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger Frustrated With Officials After Darren Bent’s Injury Time Goal For Sunderland

Gunners chief upset with amount of added time.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was disappointed with the amount of time added on by match officials at the end of the Gunners' 1-1 draw with Sunderland.

Darren Bent snatched a late equaliser for the hosts in the 95th minute, when only 94 has been signalled as the alotted added on time.

Wenger was left to dispute the decision that cost his side a valuable three points after the game.

“It was outside the four minutes,” he told ESPN. “I know the referee can give more and it’s a minimum of four minutes but during the four minutes nothing happened to justify the extension of time so you always want it to keep to four but what can I do about that?

“We battled very hard in the second half, even with ten men we were the better team. In the first half we had difficulties to get going after Wednesday night [the 6-0 Champions League victory over Braga] but in the second half we found the second gear.

“Even with 10 men we were always dominating the game so it’s frustrating but on the other hand there is a lot of positives in this game for my team that I would like to keep.”

Arsenal had a chance to go 2-0 up when his side were awarded a penalty and the Arsenal boss revealed that Samir Nasri was in line to take the spot kick ahead of Tomas Rosicky, but was philosophical on the miss.

Wenger explained: “No, on the list was [Samir] Nasri. [The order] was [Cesc] Fabregas of course, Nasri, [Andrey] Arshavin.

“But Nasri, because he was fouled maybe, gave the ball to [Tomas] Rosicky – I don’t know – but you have to accept that with a penalty you can miss, you can score. Unfortunately for us we did miss.”

Alex Song was sent off in the second half for a second bookable offense after a challenge on Steed Malbranque - a decision Wenger was also less than happy with.

“I thought the first yellow card was very harsh,” said Wenger. “He then makes an obstruction and [the referee] can give him a second yellow – what can we say?”

“We adapted quite well, we kept the ball well after that and with 10 men we were always comfortable."

Asked if Sunderland deserved credit for their battling style, the Arsenal boss explained that he felt his side dealt well with the challenge.

“We expected that,” he said. “In the central defense and on the long balls we dealt very well with it and had an outstanding game in the central defense and our goalkeeper.

“We’re really mastering well and the back four did well so they gave us a hard time, it’s true.

“But overall three days after the Champions League game we adapted well.”

Wenger was unable to shed any light on how serious the injury that forced Cesc Fabregas out of action was, though he will be hopeful the Spain international is available again immediately.

Bruce: Sunderland Rewarded For Excellent Performance Against Arsenal

 

Black Cats boss delighted with point earned against Gunners.

Sunderland Manager Steve Bruce was delighted to see fortune favour his side as they snatched a 1-1 draw against Arsenal at the Stadium of Light.

The Gunners led through a bizarre Cesc Fabregas goal in the first half, but Darren Bent struck in the 95th minute for the hosts to level the scores.

Opposite number Arsene Wenger was left disappointed with officials, but Bruce was relieved to see a bit of luck go the way of his club.

“It’s nice that it’s on the other foot,” explained Bruce to ESPN. “We’ve had it happen to us repeatedly over the last 15 minutes [in previous games] so it’s jolly nice for it to happen to us for a change, it’s the second time in a couple of weeks.”

The Sunderland manager felt his star striker got his reward for an excellent performance.

He added: “Well you just want one of those chances to fall to Darren Bent. He earned his goal today because his work rate and his effort for the team were terrific. It’s not easy when you’re up [front] on your own but he did it fantastically well.”

Asked if he could credit his tactics for the result, Bruce chose to highlight the team effort required to put his ideas into practice.

He continued: “The players did that, of course you can set them up – and we’ve worked extremely hard to be what we were [difficult to beat].

“They’ve got a fluke of a goal, let’s be honest and the first half performance was excellent so we’ve got our reward for a really good team performance."

Pick Your Arsenal Team To Play Sunderland

Should Wenger pick the team that secured a 6-0 victory in the Champions League?

Arsenal have put their stamp on the league so far with a number of impressive wins and will look to continue their successful run with an away victory against Sunderland.

Despite a cautious performance against Liverpool in their opening fixture away to Anfield, Arsene Wenger’s men have secured imposing wins against Blackpool in which they fired six past the Seasiders and a comfortable win against Bolton in which they scored four goals to gain three points.

The Gunners are yet to lose a game this season and after a 6-0 romping over Braga in the Champions League the London club will be confident of getting a result at the Stadium of Light, however, the last fixture resulted in a loss for Arsenal after Darren Bent scored the winner for Sunderland.

Arsenal boss Wenger suffered no injuries to his team during midweek so he is able to pick from an unchanged squad, however Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott still remain out with ankle injuries.

Jack Wilshere and Samir Nasri are likely to be in the starting line-up for the Gunners and Wenger may also call upon the likes of Kieron Gibbs, Emmanuel Eboue and Rosicky.



Here is the available squad:

Goalkeepers: Manuel Almunia, Lukasz Fabianski, Vito Manonne.

Defenders:  Bacary Sagna, Laurent Koscielny, Emmanuel Eboue, Sebasten Squillaci, Gael Clichy, Kieran Gibbs, Johan Djourou, Thomas Vermaelen.

Midfielders:  Cesc Fabregas, Alex Song, Jack Wilshere, Tomas Rosicky, Denilson, Henri Lansbury.

Forwards:  Samir Nasri, Marouane Chamakh, Andriy Arshavin, Carlos Vela.

Goal.com UK’s prediction: Almunia; Sagna, Koscielny, Squillaci, Clichy; Fabregas, Song, Wilshere; Nasri, Chamakh, Arshavin.


4-3-3

GOALKEEPER





Manuel Almunia

RIGHT-BACK	CENTRE BACK	CENTRE BACK	LEFT-BACK
Bacary Sagna	Laurent Koscielny	Sebastien Squillaci	Gael Clichy

RIGHT MIDFIELD	CENTRE MIDFIELD	LEFT MIDFIELD
Alex Song	Cesc Fabregas	Jack Wilshere

RIGHT FORWARD	CENTRE FORWARD	LEFT FORWARD
Samir Nasri	Maroune Chamakh	Andrey Arshavin

Sunderland v Arsenal - Match Preview

While Arsenal's Champions League opener was a straightforward affair, reacting to it may be a different matter.
Arsène Wenger's side have six Group H games before the turn of the year, they follow all but one with an away trip in the Premier League. And two of those fixtures are at Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford.
It would not be overstating the case to suggest that the extent of Arsenal's European jetleg will determine their title credentials in the first half of the season.
Saturday's game is a case in point. Only a stolen 95th-minute equaliser by Cesc Fabregas prevented Arsenal losing a Sunderland two seasons ago. Last term, Darren Bent's latish strike consigned the visitors to a crushing defeat.
Arsenal's last away trip, at a growling, physical Blackburn side, was heralded as a revealing test. The Black Cats don't wear black hats in the same sense. But the circumstances suggest they should be a similar concern.
"Sunderland are a good team and we know that it will be a very important game for us," admitted Wenger. "We know that the transition between Europe and the Premier League will be very important in our season too.

"In the first group stage, we are away after five out of the six matches.
"The situation is a bit better for international games now because they play on Tuesday so a Wednesday night in Europe to Saturday afternoon is the shortest time you will have [between matches]. And if you play away afterwards it can be a difficult game.
"Ideally you would want a team like Sunderland at home now but we can't choose that. We just have to show we have the strength and ability to focus on the Premier League straight away.
"Everywhere we go we try to win. It could be a good game and we'll be determined. It's important for our season as well that we're capable of going from Champions League to the Premier League. From Wednesday night to Saturday afternoon is short but we can rotate a little bit."
Wenger has no new injury concerns from the midweek demolition of Braga. However the manager has now got target dates for the return of Abou Diaby (ankle) and Thomas Vermaelen (Achilles). Both are pencilled in for the visit of West Brom next weekend.
Theo Walcott (ankle), Robin van Persie (ankle), Nicklas Bendtner (groin) and Aaron Ramsey (leg) complete the injured list.
Sunderland have had a patchy start to the season. The merit gained from a draw against in-form Birmingham and victory over Manchester City have been undermined by an opening day defeat to West Brom and allowing Wigan to peg them back in the final minutes last weekend.
Asamoah Gyan gave the Black Cats the lead that day. The striker was a key character in Ghana's success story during the summer in South Africa. He arrived in the North-East for major money on deadline day.
"I looked at him especially during the World Cup," said Wenger.
"I didn't know him too well. He had spells at Rennes last year where he didn't play and other periods where he was absolutely outstanding.
"When I saw him at the World Cup I found him extremely interesting and a good player but at the time we already had our strikers so I was not looking for him."
If Arsenal had started the season badly, the sympathetic would have sought solace in excuses - injuries for key players, World Cup fatigue for others, overreliance on adapting players.
However none of that has been necessary.
The tone was set on the opening day at Anfield when they were fluent enough in the first half to impress and resourceful enough in the second to claw back an equaliser at the death.
Since then they have won every game. Only Chelsea can claim to be in better form.
"We have a good spirit, attitude and great quality," said Wenger. "The attitude is very important for me because that is what it takes to make results.
‘But we know we need to take care of our team spirit. It is very good at the moment but it is always very fragile.
"Chelsea have maximum points," concluded Wenger. "They are still flying from last year.
"We know we must not give them any ground that is why Saturday is vital for us.
"If we maintain this sort of form on a longer term then I know we can takeover at the top."

Barcelona's Lionel Messi Frustrated By Cesc Fabregas Remaining At Arsenal 'Every Year'

Lionel Messi has spoken of his frustration at Barcelona's continued failure to bring Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas to the Nou Camp.

Fabregas, who starred for the Gunners during their 6-0 thrashing of Braga in the Champions League on Wednesday, was linked with a move to the Catalan giants throughout the summer.

However, Arsenal remained steadfast in their refusal to sell their skipper and Messi appeared frustrated that a deal failed to materialize.

"I don't know. Every year it is the same, it looks like he is joining us and then he stays with Arsenal," Messi told Sky Sports News.

The playmaker, traveling as part of a publicity campaign by sponsors Adidas, was due to make a 10 minute cameo appearance for an amateur side at Hackney Marshes this afternoon, although unexpected crowd levels ruined those plans.

The organizers only revealed the location of Messi's arrival 30 minutes beforehand via social networking sites, after revealing clues to the Argentine's location throughout the day.

Messi, who played in the Champions League victory over Panathinaikos on Tuesday night, is still expected to travel to Brick Lane to give away signed boots to fans.

Cesc Fabregas feels there is still room for Arsenal to improve, despite a bright start to the season.

 The Gunners currently sit second in the Premier League standings, with just two points dropped so far.
Arsene Wenger's side also got off to the best possible start in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, as they swept aside Braga 6-0. The Gunners currently sit second in the Premier League standings, with just two points dropped so far.
That result took the Gunners' scoring tally for the season to 19, suggesting they are capable of challenging on multiple fronts this term.
Club captain Fabregas hopes that proves to be the case, but he has pointed to the lapse in concentration which allowed Bolton to find the target in last weekend's 4-1 win at Emirates Stadium as proof that Arsenal are not yet the finished article.
"We made a mistake at the back towards the end of the first half and were punished - we cannot afford to do that at this level, and it shows there are still things to improve on," said the Spaniard.
"In our defending as a team, we will need to get a little better to be at the top."

Happier

Fabregas, who bagged a brace in the midweek romp over Braga, feels he too is starting to hit top gear following a hectic summer.
Having helped Spain to World Cup glory in South Africa, and with the added distraction of incessant transfer speculation linking him with a move to Barcelona, it was always going to take the 23-year-old time to find his feet.
"After being disappointed with my performance at Blackburn, I felt better on Saturday against Bolton," he said.
"Physically in terms of how I played, I was happier - but I would rather focus on the team, because the performance overall was a good one."

Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey has vowed to return from his injury problems a 'stronger and better player'.

The Wales youngster, who arrived at the Emirates two years ago, has been earmarked to return to action in November following a long injury lay-off.
The 19-year-old suffered fractures to the tibia and fibula of his right leg as a result of a crunching Ryan Shawcross tackle during the Gunners' 3-1 victory at Stoke in February.
But he has pledged to return in top form when he eventually makes his comeback.
"All I have ever wanted to do is be a professional footballer," Ramsey told Arsenal's official website.
"I am doing that now, even though I've had a little blip, and I'm very confident I will come back from this as an even stronger and better player.
"Hopefully I can keep improving and can become a great player for this football club."

Frustration

Ramsey, who was just beginning to establish himself in Arsene Wenger's line-up when he sustained the injury, has admitted his frustration at spending so much time on the sidelines.
"Obviously it has been a very difficult time for me," he added.
"I was just starting to get into the team and was putting in some good performances, and then I had the injury.
"It has been quite tough but I have had the support of my family and friends when I've been down.
"I've had help from the people at the club and I've had lots of messages from the fans which were very nice and reassuring that there is still a place here for me.
"It has been a tough time but there are quite a few people who have had similar injuries and come through it. Hopefully I can do the same."

CL Preview : Team News Arsenal vs Braga

Arsenal


Injuries are again becoming a worrying theme for the Gunners, whose ambitions last season were undermined by a crowded treatment room. Although Belgian centre-back Thomas Vermaelen, who missed Saturday’s Bolton game with an Achilles problem, should be back in contention, substitute Abou Diaby lasted only 13 minutes in that match before being replaced himself after suffering a leg injury.

Forwards Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott have both been ruled out until mid-October with ankle injuries, seriously depleting Wenger’s striking options, but midfielder Samir Nasri, who underwent surgery on a minor knee problem on August 18, is back in action.

Danish international Nicklas Bendtner has not played since the World Cup thanks to a groin injury, while an abdominal strain had kept midfielder Denilson sidelined until his substitute appearance on Saturday.

Meanwhile Aaron Ramsey (broken leg) and Emmanuel Frimpong (cruciate knee ligament damage) are long-term absentees.

Summer signings Marouane Chamakh, Laurent Koscielny and Sebastien Squillaci could all make their first Champions League appearances in an Arsenal shirt.

Possible Starting XI: Almunia; Sagna, Koscielny, Squillaci, Clichy; Rosicky, Song, Fabregas, Wilshere; Chamakh, Arshavin.

Braga

Paciencia will be without Elderson and Leandro Salino, who both serve one-game suspensions on Matchday 1.

Also sidelined is Quim, who ruptured his right Achilles tendon in pre-season training and is expected to be out until the new year.

Mossoro played in a 4-1 friendly victory over Vizela on 1 September, which was his first appearance since he fractured his right leg against Benfica in March.

But Braga have plenty of options, having brought in no fewer than 17 new faces during the summer, including Lima from Belenenses, Artur (Roma), Hugo Viana (Valencia), George Lucas (Santos), Jose Collado (Villarreal), and loan signings Elton (Vasco da Gama), Luis Aguiar (Dinamo Moscow), Felipe (Corinthians) and Leo Fortunato (Cruzeiro).

Possible Starting XI: Felipe; Silvio, Moises, Rodriguez, Miguel Garcia; Vandinho, Luís Aguiar, Alan; Lima, Paulo Cesar, Matheus.

Chamakh revels in 'great start' at Arsenal

Marouane Chamakh could not be happier with his start to life at Arsenal.

The Moroccan striker signed from Bordeaux early in the summer and has taken to the Premier League like the proverbial duck to water, scoring headers against Blackpool and Bolton as well as forcing a point-saving error from Pepe Reina at Liverpool on the opening weekend of the season.

Chamakh continued his scoring streak on Wednesday night with a precise finish in the 6-0 defeat of Braga in the Champions League and looks set to continue up front at Sunderland on Saturday in the absence of Robin van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner.

Speaking to the Official Matchday Programme ahead of the Braga game, Chamakh admitted that his first month in an Arsenal shirt has gone even better than expected.

"For me, this is a great start to my debut season – four league games and three victories, with a group that it’s a pleasure to be part of. Everything’s going very well so far.

"[Last Saturday's opponents] Bolton resembled Blackburn in many ways, I thought. Physically and athletically they were very strong, and they pressured us very well at times. The way they played posed some problems for us.

"You might call it a typical English game, of the kind I expected when I arrived. They often played it long and then battled for the second ball. That happened when they scored their goal with a header, which we were disappointed with - but never mind, we came back with three of our own."

One of those came courtesy of Chamakh's head but, as he proved on Wednesday night, the Moroccan striker is equally adept on the ground.

"It was an excellent cross by Cesc Fabregas to create the chance [against Bolton], and fortunately my heading is a good attribute.

"But it’s not all about the high ball, I’m not afraid of playing with my feet either – we play the ball on the ground, passing it, moving it rapidly, and I like that. But yes, my strong point is with my head and that’s fine.”

History Club

In late 1886, a gaggle of workers from the Woolwich Arsenal Armament Factory decided to form a football team. They called themselves Dial Square as a reference to the sundial atop the entrance to the factory.

On December 11, 1886, Dial Square romped to a 6-0 victory over Eastern Wanderers; the first game in their initial guise. Shortly afterwards the name ‘Royal Arsenal’ was adopted.

A group of players from Nottingham Forest joined the Club and this connection with the future European Cup winners would spawn Arsenal’s famous red shirts. The group approached their former club, who had been formed some 20 years earlier, for spare kit. Forest duly obliged and Arsenal, dipped in red, never looked back.

Arsenal floated between a handful of different pitches in the Plumstead area in their early years. They started life on Plumstead Common but, for their second season, Royal Arsenal rented the nearby Sportsman Ground on Plumstead Marshes. It was here that the Club would enter the London Senior Cup for the first time. Although they were beaten by Barnes in Round Two the wheels were in motion. With increasing support, the Club rented the Manor Ground the following season.

Royal Arsenal’s first FA Cup appearance would take place here in 1889/90. During the same season Arsenal would secure a hat-trick of successes, winning the London Charity Cup, the Kent Senior Cup and the Kent Junior Cup.

The Club were on the move once again the following year, this time to the Invicta Ground, where they would stay for nearly six years.

An overall increase in playing success meant only one thing for the Arsenal – professionalism. This shocked football authorities and the Club were expelled from the London FA and boycotted by many southern clubs. During the same close season, the club changed their name to Woolwich Arsenal.

An increase in rent at the Invicta Ground meant that Arsenal had to move back to their old Manor Ground home, which they purchased outright; this would be the Club’s home until their move to Highbury in 1913. Shortly afterwards, their application to the Football League’s Second Division was successful.

Arsenal’s success was steady throughout the latter part of the 19th century and their league position improved until they achieved promotion to Division One in 1903. Three years later they reached the Semi-Final of the FA Cup two seasons running. However, Plumstead was not the ideal site for Arsenal and with the financial situation worsening and relegation threatening, up stepped Fulham chairman Henry Norris.

Norris recognised the need for a move, ear-marking Highbury as a suitable site. And, after relegation in 1913, the Club moved to its new home. Within two years of the move, ‘Woolwich’ was dropped from their title and the Club became known as ‘Arsenal FC’.

At the end of World War One the First Division was increased by two clubs, of which Arsenal were one. And under the guidance of new manager Leslie Knighton, Arsenal spent the first six seasons of peacetime achieving some moderate success. Chairman Norris wanted more and, in 1925, he advertised for a new manager.
One particular applicant, a Yorkshireman by the name of Herbert Chapman, would change the Club forever.

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