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Nasr09  
Division 1 Rookie
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Joined: 26 May 2005
Posts: 1300
157184 ODpoints
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Arsenal vs Newcastle Utd
| Quote: |  Dear Arsenal supporter,
Saturday’s draw with Newcastle was a bit of a repetition of what we have seen until now this season.
Out of seven Premiership games at Emirates Stadium we have been 1-0 down four times. You cannot afford that. Also, you just cannot drop as many points as we do at home. We have shown until now we can win the big games, but you also have to win at home against the teams who will not fight for the championship. There have been a few times now that we did not - and that only gives hope to the teams who come here.
On Saturday we gave Newcastle too much to hold on to. We did well in the second half but we need that focus in every game that we play.
We just make it difficult for ourselves and, as a team, we have to learn very quickly. We have to be patient and not make a mistake defensively.
I still feel there is a lot of potential in this team. It will come out because they have a good spirit and a good mentality. They want to do well, but have to learn some important ingredients in the game that make the team successful at the top level - and at the moment we cannot master that.
I was asked after Saturday’s game if we can still win the title. I feel it is certainly not impossible. We just have to fight to win the next game and see where that takes us. If players want to play regularly for Arsenal and they give up when we are still in November, there is just no point in any of us being here. The other teams can slip up as well.
One of the biggest disappointments on Saturday was the injury suffered by Robin van Persie. He jarred his foot in the process of shooting at the end of the first half and did not come out for the second half.
I must say that his foot does not look good. We will have to wait to consider the results of the X-ray but it looks like he will be out of the game with Hamburg on Tuesday night.
Thanks for your support.  |
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| Wed Nov 22, 2006 1:20 pm |
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Nasr09
Division 1 Rookie
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Joined: 26 May 2005
Posts: 1300
157184 ODpoints
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Arsenal vs Bolton
| Quote: | Dear Arsenal supporter,
We lost at the Reebok Stadium on Saturday but quite frankly I wonder how we didn't get something from the game. I am sad for my players because they gave a lot and played well. However we did not control the decisive moments in the game, specifically the first goal.
In football you have to be realistic. You can't go to Bolton and allow them free movement on corners, but that is what happened with Faye's early goal. After that it was difficult for us because - once again - we were chasing the game.
It's a pity because we were full of energy after coming back to beat Hamburg on Tuesday night. On Saturday we hit the woodwork three times but in the end we came back with nothing. It's frustrating because in my opinion it was our best chance to take points off Bolton in the past five years.
We were under pressure for much of the game on Saturday because they scored first. Then we gave Nicolas Anelka too much freedom for his first goal and I think his second one was just offside.
Having said that, it's difficult to fault the effort of my players. It is a learning process for them, it shows that you can play good football and still lose 3-1.
People have asked me whether we are out of the title race and I know that Saturday's game was important in that respect. It was a good opportunity for us to close the gap on the top two - especially after Manchester United and Chelsea drew 1-1 at Old Trafford.
It's too early to say what kind of impact that missed opportunity will have on us but losing at Bolton was certainly a big blow.
There are certainly positive signs though. In every game we show fantastic potential and yet too often we do not get what we should get. That is down to experience and the learning process but at the same time I feel this side has great quality and I feel there is a lot to come from them.
It's important to be positive with them when they do not get rewarded because the results will eventually come.
Thanks for your support.
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| Wed Nov 29, 2006 6:03 am |
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Nasr09
Division 1 Rookie
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Joined: 26 May 2005
Posts: 1300
157184 ODpoints
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| Quote: | Dear Arsenal supporter,
I knew that Saturday's North London derby was a vital game for us. It was important for us to respond to the defeats at Bolton and Fulham and show some character. We did exactly that.
My team received a lot of criticism after those two away games but we showed a great team spirit against Tottenham. The attitude was great and for me that was even more impressive than the 3-0 win. I must concede that the turning points went for us too, which has not always been the case recently.
We were determined to beat Tottenham and we showed that for 90 minutes even when we were three up. We have had a number of good performances since the beginning of the season and on Saturday we added what brings success - that kind of determined and resilient attitude.
It was vital for us to win because our backs were against the wall and we have a very important game against Porto in the Champions League on Wednesday. If we had lost at home to Tottenham it would have been the worst possible preparation for that match.
Thierry Henry is suspended for the Porto game and as you know he missed the North London derby because of injury. I don't know when he will return at the moment. I want to sit down with him and talk about where we go when he has recovered.
The January transfer window opens soon but I can confirm that we will not sign anybody. We will go on until the end of the season with the players we have.
Against Tottenham we had Eboue, 21, Fabregas, 19, Djourou, 19, Clichy, 21, Adebayor, 22, and Van Persie, 23 - these players have the quality, they have to fight as a team and they will get results.
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| Wed Dec 06, 2006 12:01 pm |
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El Marino
Division 1 MVP
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Joined: 09 Jan 2006
Posts: 2455
109335 ODpoints
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Henry will be out for 4 to 6 weeks |
| Wed Dec 06, 2006 1:12 pm |
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Nasr09
Division 1 Rookie
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Joined: 26 May 2005
Posts: 1300
157184 ODpoints
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Hmmm...yeah i think it good for arsenal...its a chance for gen to prove they not a one man team... |
| Wed Dec 06, 2006 3:48 pm |
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kenneth
Division 1 Novice
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Joined: 13 Jun 2006
Posts: 1775
85556 ODpoints
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Yeah and adebayor is doing great, replacing him |
| Wed Dec 06, 2006 4:26 pm |
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Nasr09
Division 1 Rookie
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Joined: 26 May 2005
Posts: 1300
157184 ODpoints
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Arsenal vs Chelsea
| Quote: | Dear Arsenal supporter,
I felt proud of the boys on Sunday. We have had a lot of physical games recently but we went to Stamford Bridge and played a very good game with a young side with a good spirit. It was a very good football game for the neutral.
After tough games against Tottenham and Porto I thought we'd suffer in the second half against Chelsea. We came back and gave everything but it looked unlikely that Chelsea would give us another chance to score.
When it was 1-1 they could have won it through Essien and Lampard but we could have won it as well because Hleb had a very good chance to score the second goal when he shot over the crossbar.
But overall I am very proud of the team because of the spirit they have shown. They have shown great resilience and quality and that is what is needed at the top level.
I have some regrets as well because I feel there was a foul on Hleb just before the goal. That brought the equaliser but overall the referee had a good game.
Jose Mourinho said we didn't show any ambition but I don't know what he expected. We had an Under-21 defence and I felt that they needed a little bit more protection from the midfield. Overall we created good chances so you can not reproach us for not trying to win the game because we nearly did win it.
I thought Gael Clichy had a dynamic game but it was his third in eight days so he dropped a bit physically in the second half like everybody else. The fatigue factor came in.
Emmanuel Adebayor had a tremendous game. He was on his own many times and won nearly everything in the air. Gilberto was also excellent and at the moment to lose him would be a little bit too much to take.
Don’t forget we had Henry, Gallas, Lauren, Rosicky and Diaby still at home so if you analysed the team and the way it was built for Sunday's game you’ll see it was not a bad game from us.
We have beaten Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham and got a draw at Chelsea but we have slipped up against other teams. That is part of the learning process.
Experience gives you consistency and when you are young it is more difficult to be consistent. It is just as difficult to win at West Ham as it is at Stamford Bridge but you need different strengths for different challenges. We had an Under-21 defence at Chelsea and that was a tremendous pressure.
Thanks for your support.
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| Tue Dec 12, 2006 6:29 am |
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Nasr09
Division 1 Rookie
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Joined: 26 May 2005
Posts: 1300
157184 ODpoints
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Arsenal vs Portsmouth
| Quote: | Dear Arsenal supporter,
We have had some disappointing draws at Emirates Stadium this season but I cannot say the same about Saturday's draw with Portsmouth because I feel the team came out of the game with a lot of credit. We showed a lot of character and a lot of quality.
You can see that the team is taking off but we were punished for going two goals behind. Portsmouth started better than us but we were a bit unlucky to be 2-0 down in fairness. We had the best chances, even if in the first half we didn't find our flow.
After their second goal we gave a great response and created chance after chance. It's the kind of draw you have to accept happening in the season. But of course with the number of points we have already dropped it is much more difficult to take.
Having said that, when you look at the number of games these boys play, it is not surprising that sometimes it takes a few minutes to get going - or even one half to get going sometimes.
Emmanuel Adebayor made a difference when he came on in the second half. I was asked why I didn't bring him on earlier but I'm not completely sure he would have stopped the goals we conceded. We gave them too much room and were not aggressive enough, and that's more than a one-player problem.
I can understand why people would love to have seen Adebayor from the start but it was his fifth game in 12 days. In the second half we would have shown a response, with or without Adebayor. In the end he played 35 minutes and now has a groin problem.
Freddie Ljungberg is the major injury from the Portsmouth game. He went off very early and is out for the Christmas games after damaging his hamstring.
Although we only drew 2-2 I have to say I am a big admirer of my team because they have great character. What they give at the moment is unbelievable because we played Wednesday in Porto, Sunday at Chelsea, Wednesday night in Wigan and then went two down on Saturday.
I've had a few teams in my life and I do not know many teams who would have responded like that.
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| Wed Jan 17, 2007 1:12 pm |
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