Arsene Wenger has stressed to his players that they should not fear meeting Barcelona in the Champions League.
The Gunners booked their spot in the last 16 with a 3-1 victory over Partizan Belgrade on Wednesday night, with Robin van Persie, Theo Walcott and Samir Nasri on target to ensure Arsenal's progression.
However, Arsenal qualified for the next round in second place as Shakhtar Donetsk secured a 2-0 victory over Braga on Wednesday and the Gunners now face the possibility of a tricky last 16 showdown.
Spanish giants Barcelona are the current favourites to take the Champions League title and Arsenal could be handed the task of facing Pep Guardiola's men in the next round, with Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Schalke the other possible opponents for the Gunners.
Despite the fact either Barcelona or Real Madrid could lie in wait for Arsenal Wenger remains optimistic about his side's chances in the competition.
"Let's be realistic, Barcelona are the super favourite at the moment," Wenger said,"but we take what we get and if it is Barcelona, it is Barcelona.
"It depends whether you have your best players available, whether we have a good level of confidence then.
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The on/off transfer of Steve Sidwell has taken another twist with the news that Wolves are looking likely to clinch the player’s signature.
Wolves were the club originally linked with the player before Avram Grant hijacked the move. Sidwell had passed a medical at West Ham before Christmas, but the move has since collapsed and now Wolves look set to complete the deal that they failed with in December.
It was reported that Sidwell was at Molineux for Wolves’ win against Chelsea last night, but that rumour has been neither confirmed nor denied by Mick McCarthy.
About the chance of a possible move, McCarthy said: “I haven’t spoken to him so there’s nothing much I can say,”
“A fee had been agreed with the clubs beforehand.
“And as I’d said before, his family were closer to West Ham and I had no gripe with that at all.
“But if he’s available and we can agree a fee and terms I would take him in a heartbeat.
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“If that’s the case then I would love to sign him.”
It is also thought that Sidwell is keen to reunite with Wolves’ former Reading players Kevin Doyle, Stephen Hunt and Marcus Hahnemann. The only potential stumbling block in the deal is Sidwell’s £45,000 a-week wages which would exceed Wolves’ tight wage structure.
Manchester United look favourites to win the Premier League in 2011 after climbing to the top of the table with games in hand and having gone the first half of the season unbeaten. Without a doubt it has been a superb turnaround from Sir Alex Ferguson and his men. Many wrote them off after their form in the first few weeks of the season and even more so after Wayne Rooney’s transfer request in October. However, there is something not quite right with this Manchester United squad. They are a team that have continued to go through the motions this seasons, and if they were to win the Premier League, could they ever be classed as a top side?
That is what this article is all about. The way the Premier League has gone this season, there is no reason why Manchester United could not win the league, but would that be because Arsenal or Chelsea have thrown it away at some point? If we look back three years, at what Manchester United had, and what they have now; the strike force consisted of the world’s best player, Carlos Tevez and Wayne Rooney. Manchester United had a fit Rio Ferdinand at the heart of the defence and Edwin van der Sar, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes were three years younger. The squad has changed considerably in terms of players leaving, but has the quality come through the Old Trafford gates? In terms of promising youngsters it has, but Manchester United didn’t lose promising youngsters. They lost world class players.
In terms of whether this Manchester United side would be the most average side to win the Premier League, I have to lean on the side that it would be. You can’t compare sides from 1995 to now. That is unfair and there is simply no measurement to be accurate. The best way to examine such is to look at the squads of the time. When Blackburn won the Premier League title, Liverpool and Manchester United didn’t have the quality that was on show at Ewood Park. Blackburn had the best players that season, boasting Alan Shearer, Chris Sutton, Tim Flowers and Colin Hendry. All four players would have got into the starting line ups of Liverpool and Manchester United at the time. If we move onto this season, things are much the same. Manchester United do not have the best squad in the Premier League and how many of Manchester United’s players would Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester City take above what they have? A fit, on fire Wayne Rooney and Nemanja Vidic I expect.
There is no divine right that Manchester United should have the best squad or win the Premier League. Over the years clubs have caught them up, and that is only good for the Premier League. The point is this. If this Manchester United side, a side that hasn’t hit anything like a hot spell so far this season, wins the Premier League then Arsenal and Chelsea will only have themselves to blame. Manchester United have experience on their side, but Arsene Wenger and Carlo Ancelotti boast the better players. A midfield three of Anderson, Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher or Frank Lampard, John Obi Mikel and Michael Essien. I know what trio I would pick.
One thing that should not be taken away from this Manchester United side is their resolve. They have fought back from a lot already this season and they have a spirit that Manchester United fans expect from their players. They have gone unbeaten, and what a fantastic achievement that has been especially this season. People said it about the Arsenal invincible team. They hadn’t played well in the first half, but were unbeaten. Manchester United could kick on in the second half of the season and win the Premier League at a canter.
The away form mixed with the qualities of both their squad and squads around them suggest that won’t happen. If Manchester United win the Premier League they will deserve it, but the clubs fighting with them will see it as a massive opportunity missed come May.
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Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri believes his side, and not fierce rivals Inter Milan, should have advanced to the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia.
The Azzurri had several chances to score during the match but eventually bowed out at the quarter-final stage after a heartbreaking 5-4 penalty shootout loss on Wednesday.
“All one needs to do is look at the amount of shots on goal by Napoli to see how wrong this result is,” Mazzarri said.
“I also have some serious doubts over some of the refereeing decisions. There was a handball against [Hugo] Campagnaro which wasn’t awarded. As for the offside goal, it was offside, but only by a few millimetres.”
“These are situations that a coach cannot control, therefore it is useless to speak about them. I am disappointed how the match went, but not with my players. I have nothing to tell them off for, but we did deserve to win.”
Inter boss Leonardo admitted his team had struggled at times but was thrilled to set up a last-four clash against either Juventus or Roma.
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“I am very satisfied with the performance of my team, on several occasions they coped with being on the back foot. I think our win on penalties is highly deserved,” he said.
“I saw a very even game. At certain points Napoli tried to win the game as they were playing at home. It’s true, at one point we were struggling in the middle of the field but I didn’t see a big difference between the sides.”
Lazio coach Edy Reja was left to rue a single costly mistake after his side drew 1-1 at home to Chievo on Sunday.
The hosts led through Hernanes’ goal in the 45th minute at the Stadio Olimpico but despite enjoying the bulk of the possession they failed to find a second goal.
Bostjan Cesar made them pay with an equaliser from one of Chievo’s few chances in the 64th minute.
“Chievo did well to press the ball for the entire 90 minutes and this made it difficult to create numerous goal-scoring chances,” Reja said.
“My side did everything they could to search for victory and unfortunately we conceded on a corner. We need to work harder to avoid these momentary lapses in concentration.”
“They only had one chance on goal and scored and when this is the case it is always hard to stomach the result.”
Lazio, who have drawn twice and lost twice in their last five games, are now seven points off the lead in Serie A, leading to unrest among the club’s expectant supporters.
But despite failing to secure the win, Reja is confident his team are beginning to move in the right direction.
“I thought we deserved victory this afternoon but this is football,” Reja said.
“We are improving in terms of intensity and level of performance and this is important at this stage of the season.”
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Chievo boss Stefano Pioli praised his players for gaining a hard-fought draw at the home of one of the title challengers.
“Lazio forced us to defend, but we managed to hold on tight,” Pioli said.
“In terms of spirit of sacrifice and quality, my players deserved the point.”
Aston Villa have entered a race with Bordeaux to sign Le Havre’s defensive midfielder Gueida Fofana, after having watched their £1million swoop for the youngster in January collapse – according to a report in the Daily Mail.
The 19-year-old travelled to Birmingham in December last year, however the player’s wage demands quickly spoiled a potential deal with Gerard Houllier’s side.
The Villa boss explained his frustration in not acquiring the French youngster, and remains speculative of any future deal.
‘The Fofana deal is not done and I doubt it will be done,” said the former Liverpool boss.
‘For the moment, an agreement has not been reached. He’s got potential. He’s a 19-year-old player, very mature, with a strong personality,’ he said.
Fofana has scored two goals and made close to 50 league appearances with Le Havre, a club which saw him emerge through the youth ranks and into the senior squad in August 2009.
He has also played his way through the French youth squads, featuring on numerous occasions at U-16, U-17, U-18, U-19 and U-20 level.
The Frenchman signed a new three-year-deal with Le Havre on 28 January 2011, following the collapsed deal with Aston Villa.
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Two sides that promised so much and have delivered little this season clash at Goodison on Saturday when Everton play host to Fulham.David Moyes’ Everton side finished in eighth place last season and just missed out on the Europa League play-off spots, with expectations heading into this campaign high for the Merseyside club.But after failing to record a win in their first six league games, Everton did not really get going until October and have been forced to play catch up as a result.In their most recent outing, they drew 1-1 at home against Birmingham on March 9, leaving Moyes’ side sitting in ninth place in the English Premier League on 37 points – well short of fifth-placed Spurs, who have 48 points and would be guaranteed a Europa League berth.Fulham, meanwhile, finished last season as runners-up in the Europa League after a 2-1 loss to Atletico Madrid in the final, though they then lost boss Roy Hodgson to Liverpool and replaced him with Mark Hughes.Supporters were calling for Hughes’ head during the Christmas period after a disastrous run of results left them in the drop zone, but the Londoners have steadied since then to be sitting in 11th place.In their most recent league outing, a 90th-minute penalty from Bobby Zamora helped them claim a 3-2 win over Blackburn on March 5. But with only three points between them and the bottom three, there is no room for complacency at Craven Cottage.Hughes’ squad looks relatively fresh for this time of the season, with only long-term casualties Steve Sidwell and Philippe Senderos guaranteed to miss out.Moyes will be sweating on the fitness of Spanish playmaker Mikel Arteta, who limped off with a hamstring complaint against Birmingham, while Tim Cahill is still bothered by an ankle injury and midfielder Marouane Fellaini is out for the season with an ankle injury of his own.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is adamant the Gunners were robbed of a trip to the Champions League quarter-finals by referee Massimo Busacca.Arsenal fell 3-1 at Barcelona in the second leg of their last-16 tie on Tuesday, crashing out of European competition on the losing side of a 4-3 aggregate.But the Gunners will rue Busacca’s controversial decision to dismiss striker Robin van Persie in the 56th minute, with scores tied 1-1 and Arsenal ahead 3-2 overall.Barcelona, who were dominant before Van Persie’s dismissal, used the man advantage to rack up another two goals through Xavi and Lionel Messi and seal up a trip to the last eight.While conceding Arsenal had been beaten by an excellent side, Wenger was steadfast in his belief that the result would have been different had Van Persie not been dealt with so harshly.”We lost against a good team,” Wenger told Sky Sports.”In the first half we resisted the pressure. I believe that straight away in the second half it would have been very interesting if it had stayed 11 against 11.””But that was not the case and at the end of the day we have many regrets.””We were beaten by a terrific side, certainly the best team in Europe. I am still convinced that in the second half we could have done a lot at 1-1 if it had stayed 11 against 11.””(Busacca) must never have played in games of football of that importance, with people shouting.””Even if he takes the chance, I don’t see why it was a second yellow card. He must never have played football at all to do that.”Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola admitted Van Persie’s dismissal would have been difficult for Arsenal to swallow, but said the Gunners were defeated by a far superior team regardless.”Arsenal are a very good team but they didn’t make three passes in a row,” Guardiola told Sky Sports.”So we created many, many chances. We kept a lot of control and played the perfect game, they defended very, very well but they didn’t pass more than three or four passes.””I can understand Arsenal’s reaction about Robin van Persie, because it’s difficult with 10 against 11.””But we are so, so happy with our performance. I think we deserve to be in the quarter-finals. In the two legs we have been better than them.”
Lazio boss Edy Reja has criticised supporters who mocked his side’s 1-0 win over lowly Cesena on Saturday.Lazio provisionally moved to fourth place and two points from the top three with victory in the Italian capital, though fans who attended the Stadio Olimpico were left unimpressed and jeered the players and coach.Reja believes the Lazio faithful are still stung from last Sunday’s 2-0 loss to Roma – their fifth straight derby defeat – but called on fans and the media to show more respect to his side.”We are coming off five consecutive derby defeats and our fans are disappointed, as we are too, so it wasn’t easy to lift the team’s morale at the start of the week,” Reja said.”Today we proved that we can react to difficulties and I’d say these players deserve nothing but applause.””Certainly they should have more respect from the media and some sections of the crowd.””There should be less criticism, considering these lads are having an extraordinary campaign with 36 points earned on home turf.”Lazio face a crunch game against Napoli on Saturday, and will perhaps have to make do without Francelino Matuzalem after the Brazilian midfielder was caught on camera elbowing Luis Jimenez.
Stoke City manager Tony Pulis has confirmed Thomas Sorensen will play in goal in Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Bolton Wanderers.Asmir Begovic has been Stoke’s first-choice goalkeeper for much of the Premier League season but Sorensen has deputised in cup competitions.
“Thomas has lost his place but has played in the cup and been outstanding in those games,” Pulis said on Thursday.
“Thomas is a top goalkeeper, captain of Denmark and obviously he will want to play every week.”
“Asmir Begovic has come in and done smashing and that is what competition is all about.”
“We want to keep Thomas at the club and we’re currently in talks about his future.”
Pulis insisted Bolton are favourites ahead of the game.
Stoke are only in their third season as a Premier League side and Pulis said that gave Bolton a big advantage.
“To be honest, they have more experience than us in the Premier League – they’re more established than we are,” he said.
“They have more players who have played at Wembley and understand the stadium and the crowd.”
“But it’s a one-off game and you never know what might happen.”
“We will go there and give it our best shot.”
“The main thing is the players enjoy it and put on a good show.”
“It’s going to be a great atmosphere, the city is buzzing.”
This weekend’s league action could see Stoke dragged closer to the relegation zone but Pulis insisted he will not be distracted by that.
“We will just be concentrating on the FA Cup game on Sunday,” he said.
“There are a lot of ifs, buts and maybes you could think about but there is nothing we can do about the league results this weekend.”
“After that, we have a very tough Premier League game away to Aston Villa.”
“I would like to win the FA Cup and stay in the Premier League.”
Long-term injuries to defender Danny Higginbotham and striker Mamady Sidibe aside, Stoke have no fresh injury concerns ahead of the clash.