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Nasr09  
Division 1 Rookie
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Joined: 26 May 2005
Posts: 1299
157141 ODpoints
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Arsenal vs Liverpool
| Quote: |  Dear Arsenal supporter,
We gave a united, determined, disciplined and well-organised performance at Anfield on Saturday.
In the first half we reduced Liverpool to very few chances apart from crosses and, in fact, they didn't create many chances in the entire game.
Every time we came out we scored and that of course made it difficult for them. In the second half we were under pressure and when Liverpool came back to 2-1 I was worried because we had heavy legs and they got a little bit more spark.
They could have come back to 2-2 but Thierry Henry killed the game off with his goal to make it 3-1.
I must say though that Liverpool gave everything and the crowd was absolutely fabulous. You can only admire what the crowd did on Saturday, they played every ball for 90 minutes. They have great support at Anfield.
As for Thierry, he scored a great goal after a great run. He is getting his legs back and that's quite needed for a football player! You know that Thierry can do that and the fact he has worked very hard means he can do it in the last 10 minutes.
I think the break he had has benefited him because to play in a game like the one at Anfield, to fight for every ball and to suffer up front you have to be fresh mentally as well.
Thierry was in the Final of the Champions League and the World Cup and we are not machines you know. Sometimes you have to be refreshed a little bit and he is refreshed now.
Tomas Rosicky also stood out with his two goals. It was playing on his mind that he hadn't scored for a while and he was worried but the first effort he had at Anfield flew into the net.
You could tell it was a big relief for him because scoring the first gave him the confidence to score the second.
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| Wed Jan 17, 2007 1:15 pm |
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Nasr09
Division 1 Rookie
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Joined: 26 May 2005
Posts: 1299
157141 ODpoints
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Arsenal vs Blackburn
| Quote: | Dear Arsenal supporter,
It was a superb victory at Blackburn on Saturday under difficult circumstances. Our performance had a mixture of quality, spirit and solidarity and that was fantastic to watch. It's good to see commitment mixed with class and technique and we showed that at Ewood Park.
Gilberto will miss three matches but to me his red card looked harsh because the first foul was made by Robbie Savage. Gilberto reacted a bit too much because he was kicked again after the referee had blown the whistle. Ideally he should not have reacted at all but there is not a lot we can do about it. We had to accept the decision and we gave the right response. We played 80 minutes with 10 men and still kept going forward every time we could.
I was asked if I would appeal against the sending off but usually appeals don't work when the referee has seen the incident.
Rob Styles was very close to the action and decided to give Savage a yellow for the first foul, which he deserved. He applied the law to the letter, that means a red card for retaliation and a yellow for a bad foul, so he can defend his case. But in the spirit of the game I think both players could have gone.
Thierry Henry sealed the victory with a sensational goal. It had real class with the timing of the pass and the run as well. When you are 1-0 up it only takes one mistake and it is 1-1. You have the crowd against you in the stadium but the second goal definitely killed the game in the heads of the Blackburn supporters.
Saturday's win showed that we have responded to the defeat at Sheffield United on December 30. We played so many games last month, every three days and in the Champions League as well, plus we had 10 players out at Bramall Lane and that was just one or two too many.
Overall though if you look at our run since the end of November we have had some very good results. Now we are chasing the points we lost at Sheffield United because we could have been three points closer.
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| Wed Jan 17, 2007 1:17 pm |
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Nasr09
Division 1 Rookie
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Joined: 26 May 2005
Posts: 1299
157141 ODpoints
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Arsenal vs Man Utd
| Quote: | Dear Arsenal supporter,
Our win against Manchester United on Sunday will open up the title race for everybody. It will open it up for us a little bit less than Liverpool because we are still 12 points behind but you never know. We'll fight and just try to win every game.
I feel with 10 minutes to go United were champions, but you cannot say that after the late goals from Robin van Persie and Thierry Henry. It's good that we were one-nil down at the Emirates and we can still win. It's also good for the interest of the Premiership because everybody still has a chance.
United certainly played well and they scored a great goal through Wayne Rooney, but I think their efforts to kill the game in the closing stages worked against them. They lost a little bit of their game and their momentum.
As for us, I felt we started a little nervously and gave United a lot of respect. It took us time to get into the game really. In the first half I felt that they were a little bit more mature than we were, we gave them too much space.
In the second half, straight away we took over and it was all us. They scored on the break and then it was a test of our character, resilience and togetherness, qualities that are very important for the development of the team. We fought until the end because we really wanted to win.
The equaliser was a great goal because Cesc Fabregas and Tomas Rosicky fought like mad to get the ball. When Tomas put his cross in Robin came from a very, very deep position and scored an unbelievable goal. That is what he can do.
The only downside is that Robin injured himself while scoring and could be out for a while.
Thanks for your support.
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| Tue Jan 23, 2007 5:50 am |
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Nasr09
Division 1 Rookie
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Joined: 26 May 2005
Posts: 1299
157141 ODpoints
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Arsenal vs Middlesborough
| Quote: | Dear Arsenal Supporter,
It was a fair result at Middlesbrough on Saturday. We were 1-0 down with 10 men but I feel that we deserved a point in the end. If you look at what Middlesbrough created I feel we were always in control of the game.
We did not create enough ourselves in the first half but in the second half we slowly took over. It is a game we would have won with 11 versus 11. Nonetheless we have shown great character, spirit and resilience again after Philippe Senderos was sent off. I would like to see us 1-0 up and Middlesbrough down to 10 men and come back.
My thoughts on the red card? Well, it was the referee’s decision to give a penalty, what can I do? We have seen many penalties given for that kind of challenge but we have seen just as many not given for that.
I feel the red card was harsh but once the referee has given a penalty what can he do? I don’t think Senderos wanted to make a foul. In the spirit of the game the red card was harsh. People have described his challenge as a 'professional foul' but I don't know what that is supposed to mean. When I am a professional I go for the ball.
I was very upset about Mark Viduka's challenge on Kolo Toure in the first half when he led with his arm. It is getting quite repetitive. It is difficult to accept that, generally speaking, some players don’t play the ball at all. It is now accepted that you can put the elbow into the face of the defender, then back into him and only then go for the ball.
The 1-1 draw leaves us even further adrift of Manchester United. Our title chances are slimmer but we will not give up. We have not lost in 2007 and if we keep that up we will do well in a few competitions. We are in four after all.
At Middlesbrough though we paid a heavy price for the fact we had many injuries and we had a very hard game on Wednesday night against Tottenham.
Thanks for your support.
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| Thu Feb 08, 2007 5:50 am |
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Nasr09
Division 1 Rookie
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Joined: 26 May 2005
Posts: 1299
157141 ODpoints
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Arsenal vs Bolton
| Quote: | Dear Arsenal supporter,
We didn't have the right sharpness and focus to play at our normal pace against Bolton on Sunday. We played at their pace instead and it suited them. Because our focus was not quite sharp enough, our passing was sloppy and we were quite flat.
In the second half it was similar to the Manchester United game. We came out with plenty of resolution but before we could put it into practice we were a goal behind. After that it was all us but when you chase the game you are vulnerable to a mistake at the back.
They had another chance when Almunia did well to stop Nolan but then we dominated and got the equaliser. We have improved a little bit on set pieces, particularly with our heading, and I'm happy that Toure scored because he was a lion throughout the game. He is an inspiration to the other players.
Bolton have given us problems in the past and they did so again. They put the ball where you don't want it to be and every time you bring it down they close you down. They have good players - Anelka, Nolan and Campo - but I'm not concerned about a replay at the Reebok Stadium. Sometimes it's better when you play away from home in the FA Cup.
Our injury problems are getting worse so I will have to see who can play in that game on February 14. At the moment it is important not to lose too many players but we have Van Persie, Hleb and Gallas out and we might have lost Baptista to a groin injury as well. We want our good players to be with us because we have some important games coming up.
I have been asked whether I will buy a player in January to cover all the injuries we have but I don't think we will.
Thanks for your support.
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Sorry this one is a bit late |
| Mon Feb 12, 2007 6:13 am |
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Nasr09
Division 1 Rookie
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Joined: 26 May 2005
Posts: 1299
157141 ODpoints
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Arsenal vs Wigan
| Quote: | Dear Arsenal supporter,
We showed great character and resilience to complete another comeback in the final minutes against Wigan on Sunday.
It was the 11th time we have gone behind at Emirates Stadium this season and we are yet to lose. Of course it is not a conscious decision to put ourselves in that position. I think there are a few reasons why it happens.
Firstly our opponents play well. Everybody comes here and starts very quickly whereas we have difficulty to start. On the other hand the opposition teams usually drop in the last part of the game.
We had a real go at Wigan in the final stages and we showed that when we attack we can be dangerous. We had six strikers on the pitch at the end - Adebayor, Henry, Aliadiere, Rosicky, Baptista and Fabregas – and we had two midfielders at the back. So we were playing with eight players who could bring something going forward.
We were a bit fortunate maybe that Emile Heskey didn't score a second goal just before half time, but Jens Lehmann did touch the ball with his hand.
And maybe Mathieu Flamini was a few inches offside when he put in the ball for the equaliser but we conceded a goal in the Champions League Final that was offside and nobody complained about it.
If you want these decisions completely clear you cannot accuse the referee of being right or wrong. You just need to fight for video assistance. If you don’t have that then you can't start asking that question after every game.
Maybe it's a little bit annoying for Wigan because the decision has gone for us this time but plenty of these decisions have gone against us, don't worry.
Thanks for your support.
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| Tue Feb 13, 2007 5:55 am |
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