Arsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta could be 'out for a while'
Arsenal captain Mikel Arteta could be "out for a while" as Arsene Wenger's injury concerns deepened following the
2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund.
The 32-year-old Spanish midfielder suffered a calf
problem in the second half of the win which clinched their place in the
knockout stages.
Goalscorer Yaya Sanogo also came off with a hamstring injury.
"It's difficult to take on the chin at the moment. You go in to many games and need everyone available," said Wenger.
That double blow follows the one last weekend when
England midfielder Jack Wilshere and goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny came
off
against Manchester United.
Wenger said that Wilshere, 22,
will see a specialist
on Thursday, who will decide whether he needs an operation.
Other key players sidelined include winger Theo Walcott, full-back Mathieu Debuchy and midfielder Mesut Ozil.
Yaya Sanogo scored four goals in pre-season but had yet to hit the mark in a competitive match
Victory over the Bundesliga runners-up secured Arsenal
their place in the knockout stage for the 12th successive season, and in
the second stage of the competition for the 15th consecutive occasion.
Wenger was
recently criticised
by major club shareholder Alisher Usmanov. When asked whether the
Gunners' consistency was taken for granted, the French manager said: "I
don't try anymore to think what people think. What is important is that
we are united.
"This team has a top-quality attitude and we have shown
after the disappointment on Saturday that we were united in the game,
determined and committed."
Wenger's side had lost the previous two matches coming
into the match at the Emirates Stadium, including the 2-1 defeat at home
by United.
"We were more under pressure because on Saturday we
played well but maybe we were victims of our generous attitude going
forward," he said. "Here we had a bit more urgency to defend, especially
when we were 1-0 up."
Wenger also praised 21-year-old Sanogo for scoring his
first competitive goal for the club: "He's a young boy but he has
presence, character and he's naturally committed. He has a natural,
aggressive attitude up front that is vital and very important."culled from bbc
With Arteta back in the squad, he should be able to resume captain duties. Considering the fact that arsenal are yet to loose a premiership game with him charge, Wenger would be overly excited with his prompt recovery. Below are pictures of arsenal squad during an afternoon training session for the match against Manchester city this Saturday.
Arsène Wenger has hailed new signing Danny Welbeck - and says he can become an even better player at Arsenal.
“Danny Welbeck is an ideal signing for us because he can play through the middle,
which I think is his best position, but as well on the flanks.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says he would not have signed striker
Danny Welbeck on transfer deadline day had he been in the country.
The 23-year-old left boyhood club Manchester United in
a £16m switch to the Gunners
while Wenger was away in Rome for a charity game.
Wenger said: "If I'd stayed at home he wouldn't be here now."
But now that Danny is here he can become a better player, the performance against Switzerland underlined Welbeck's quality and he is
confident the 23-year-old can make an immediate impact at the club.
Wenger said “His qualities are his team attitude and his pace as well. As you could
see with England, his goalscoring too. When you analyse his game you
think he has the qualities to play through the middle. He was at Man United, where he had many big stars, and he is a
player who is very versatile so he had to make room sometimes for
players to play through the middle. But if you analyse in an objective
way his qualities, I think he has the perfect style to play through the
middle. He can make himself a better player [here] because I can help him.
He's a young boy, he's not 24 yet and let's not forget that some players
who arrived here at the age of 23 made huge careers here so I hope we
can contribute and help him.”
Wenger is yet to decide if Danny would start against Manchester city on Saturday. Below are pictures of Welbeck in training.
Giroud broke his tibia in Arsenal’s 2-2 draw against Everton in
August and Arsène Wenger has confirmed the France striker will miss three or
four months of football.
Koscielny believes his team-mate can play an
important part in the Gunners’ Premier League title challenge this season.
“Olivier is an important player for us,” the centre back said “He’s very strong during the game and he’s scored a lot of
goals.
It is important for us that Olivier keeps this mentality and comes back stronger for us Laurent Koscielny
“He will want to show everyone that he can be a very good player and a
good striker in the Premier League and in Europe. It is important for
us that Olivier keeps this mentality and comes back stronger for us.
“We have a lot of players in the forward positions now so we have a solution. We played with Alexis, Yaya Sanogo and Lukas Podolski, so we have a solution and now we need to be a unit and to prepare the same way to win the game.
“When you are injured for three, four or five months, the most
difficult thing is to keep motivated and be happy enough to come back.
Some days you could just say I don’t want to come back - I can’t arrive
this week. We need to be with him.
“He knows all of the players are with him, and we are behind him to
help him to come back quickly, stronger, because we need to play with
him to score a lot of goals. I think he will be very important for us in
the last six months of the season.
“For a striker we talk a lot about his goals, but when you watch
Olivier during a game you can see his job, which is not just offensively
but also defensively because he can come back for free-kicks to help
us.
“When we play the long ball, he can keep the ball and he’s strong so
the defenders can’t touch the ball. He’s very, very important for us.
Now we need to do without him and I hope there is a player who can
replace him and do the job well."
Theo Walcott believes Danny Welbeck will thrive at Arsenal - and has urged him to be more selfish in front of goal.
The 23-year-old does not have a prolific goalscoring record, partly
because he has played wide as well as centrally, but he struck twice on
Tuesday as England beat Switzerland.
Walcott says Welbeck has all the ingredients to succeed at Emirates Stadium and will prove to be a major asset for the club.
He’s unselfish at times, which isn’t a bad thing but I think he’ll get more goals if he’s more selfish
Walcott on Welbeck
“I’ve worked with Danny for England and we link up very well,”
Walcott told Arsenal Player. “He’s another English guy and we’ve got a
good English core now.
“He’s going to be better for us than he was at Man United,
definitely. He’ll get more opportunities and he’s got a point to prove. I
know he’s worked hard and he’s still very young, and I think the boss
will enjoy working with him. The fans definitely will - he’s very
exciting and he’s very strong.
“One thing I would tell him to do is be a little more selfish because
he’s unselfish at times, which isn’t a bad thing but I think he’ll get
more goals if he’s more selfish. I’m sure he’ll do well for us.”
Walcott is also convinced that Welbeck’s personality will help him make an instant impact in the dressing room.
“He’s a very good guy and a very hard worker,” he said. “Off the
pitch he’s very relaxed and likes to get involved in anything. He’s just
a very well-spoken young man and he’s always eager to improve and spend
time with people.
“He fits perfectly into Arsenal, which is such a big family club where everyone’s together. He’ll fit straight in here.”
Please feel free to drop your comments below
culled from arsenal fc
Thursday, April 10, 2014
FA Cup semi-finals
Ahead of Arsenal's FA Cup semi-final against Wigan at
Wembley, we take a look at Arsenal's record in the last four of this
famous competition.
Arsenal will equal the record for appearances in the FA Cup semi-final this weekend, appearing in the fixture for the 27th time.
The Gunners will tie Manchester United's record when they take on
Wigan on Saturday, and are looking for their 18th appearance in the FA
Cup final, which would also equal United's record for final appearances.
Seven of our previous semi-finals needed at least one replay, so the
overall record in the last four of the FA Cup is P35, W17, D9, L9, F44,
A32.
This will be Arsenal's 12th Wembley appearance under Arsène Wenger
The first time Arsenal reached this stage was 1906, when the
semi-final was actually the fifth round of the competition (it's
currently the seventh round). Woolwich Arsenal lost 2-0 to Newcastle
that year, and the following season lost 3-1 to Sheffield Wednesday at
the same stage.
It was another 20 years until Arsenal next made it as far, and this
time they triumphed, 2-1 over Southampton, to book their first FA Cup
final date.
Between 1930 and 1972 Arsenal won every FA Cup semi-final they played
- seven in all - and won the cup four times during that spell.
The semi-finals are usually close affairs. The two teams have only
been separated by more than one goal once in the past 10 matches.
Arsenal's biggest win in a semi-final is 3-0, recorded three times,
including the last time the Gunners won at this stage - against
Blackburn Rovers at the Millennium Stadium in 2005. Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-final
Most FA Cup semi-final appearances (not inc replays)Most FA Cup semi-final wins
This will be Arsenal's fourth FA Cup semi-final at Wembley,
having won one of the previous three. The last three were all against
London sides - Tottenham (1991 and 1993) and Chelsea (2009).
In
all competitions this will be Arsenal's 12th Wembley appearance under
Arsène Wenger, and their 44th in all. The record is: W20, D3, L20, F61,
A46 - which includes pre-season friendlies and war-time football.
Looking purely at first-class official games, the record is: P35, W14,
D3, L18, F42, A43.
Theo Walcott
is the last player to score at Wembley for Arsenal while the team's
last victory at the national stadium came in September 1999 (before the
stadium was rebuilt) - a 3-1 win over AIK Solna in the Champions League
group stage. Freddie Ljungberg, Davor Suker and Thierry Henry were our
scorers that night. John Lukic (now 53) was an unused sub for the
Gunners.
Of the previous 35 matches Arsenal have played in
the FA Cup semi-finals, only nine (26 per cent) have been played in
London, with Arsenal usually travelling north for these fixtures.
In
all, 14 different venues have been used for our semi-finals, with Villa
Park hosting the largest proportion (34 per cent). Arsenal have a
winning record there (W5 D4 L3), but Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge
have also proved successful grounds for the Gunners, with 100 per cent
records at both.
Old Trafford was the venue the last time Arsenal
met lower-league opposition in the semi-final. Championship side
Sheffield United were beaten 1-0 in 2003, in David Seaman's 1,000th
professional appearance.
Ljungberg scored the winner that day,
but the match is best remembered for a superb save by Seaman from Paul
Peschisolido, which Peter Schmeichel described as "the best save I have
ever seen". Where Arsenal have played their semi-finals
Arsenal at Wembley
P
W
D
L
F
A
FA Cup
17
8
1
8
19
17
League Cup
6
2
0
4
8
11
Charity Shield
6
2
1
3
7
6
Champions League
6
2
1
3
8
9
TOTAL
35
14
3
18
42
43
This will be the Gunners' ninth FA Cup semi-final under
Arsène Wenger (33 per cent of the Club's all-time total) and the Club's
18th cup semi-final in all competitions since the manager arrived in
1996.
Wenger is the only Arsenal manager to lift the FA Cup more than once
Arsenal have progressed from nine of those previous semi-finals, so
this season the Gunners are looking for their 10th cup final appearance
in all competitions under Wenger.
In the FA Cup, Arsenal have
progressed to the final five times out of eight since 1996, and Wenger
has won four of those finals. He's the only Arsenal manager to lift the
FA Cup more than once, and in the modern era, only Sir Alex Ferguson has
won the cup more times (five).
This weekend will be the first
time Arsenal have met Wigan at this stage of the competition, and indeed
it's the first ever FA Cup clash between the sides.
Arsenal's
most frequent FA Cup semi-final opponents (not including replays) are
Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham, with three past encounters
each.
Arsène Wenger will not be preoccupied by his last two
visits to Wembley this Saturday - because he has good memories of the
stadium.
Arsenal have lost both of their games at the home of English football
since it reopened in 2007, going down 2-1 to Chelsea in the 2009 FA Cup
semi-final and by the same scoreline to Birmingham City in the 2011
League Cup final.
But Wenger enjoyed success at Wembley before the old stadium was
demolished in 2003, completing his first league and cup double there
against Newcastle United in 1998. And he hopes to channel that
positivity into his players when they face Wigan Athletic.
We have many players who are 28, 29 and 30 years old - they have experience, they know what is at stake
"We have good memories of Wembley as well [as the defeats] and that is what we want to renew," said Wenger.
"What is important is that the size of the pitch is exactly the same
and I don’t think that the environment plays a big part in that. What is
important is that we turn up and respond well to our disappointing
performance on Sunday [at Everton]. We will be focused to renew the
happy memories." Wojciech Szczesny said earlier this week that Arsenal have matured since that shock defeat to Birmingham and his manager agrees.
"We have many players who are 28, 29 and 30 years old - they have experience, they know what is at stake," said Wenger.
"[I expect] everyone to contribute. We have a lot of experience, and
we are in a semi-final because we have produced great performances.
"We have played great games against Tottenham, Everton, Liverpool.
They are not average teams, we have produced great performances and
that's what we want to do again in the semi-final of the FA Cup."
Copyright 2014 The Arsenal
Football Club plc.
