Watch Goals: Blackpool 1 - 3 Arsenal

After Manchester United's influential Nani orchestrated an easy yet uninspired win and won three points against Fulham on Saturday, Arsenal's game against Blackpool was even more crucial in their race for the title. The Gunners fended off Blackpool's good start, helped by their loud and vibrant home support, cheering at every attack, and, against the run of play, Arsenal were able to carve open the Blackpool defence twice in quick succession to silence Bloomfield Road.

Blackpool were not in the giving up mood however. The second half saw the home crowd have much more to cheer about, with plenty of chances created, mostly in the first 20 minuted or so of the half. About 7 minutes into the second half, Taylor-Fletcher had forced the Tangerines back into the game with a good finish to beat the returning Jens Lehmann who was playing due to the late injury to Almunia in the warm up. Reports that Lehmann injured the Spaniard himself are unconfirmed. 

The German keeper could have been sent off in the lead up to the goal, bringing down an onrushing DJ Campbell to prevent him from scoring. Lee Mason had played the advantage previously when Wilshere brought down a Blackpool player, and he played it again which prevented Lehmann's dream return turning into a nightmare.

For about 10 or 15 minutes after the goal, Blackpool looked dangerous, but as Arsenal began to weather the storm, there looked like there would be only one result. And despite Blackpool's worthy efforts to get the equaliser, the game was killed off by a van Persie goal thanks to Theo Walcott's break in the 76th minute.

The Manchester United optimists and the Arsenal pessimists believe that the title race is already over, with a now seven point gap too much to overcome. But with a game in hand and a big game between the two sides to come, it may not be that simple.

Season Over for Vermaelen But Djourou Has a Chance

Arsenal's increasingly disheartened manager Arsene Wenger confirmed some more bad news today in relation to  Thomas Vermaelen. Wenger said at his pre match press conference:

“For Thomas Vermaelen the season is over."

“In fairness he has not played since September, I never expected him to be fit before the end of the season. He is not out on the field yet and it is impossible [for him to play] after six months without competition. I am confident he will have a full recovery but for this season we cannot rely on him.”

Considering how long Arsenal have had to cope without the Belgian centre back this season after he suffered an Achilles injury on international duty, the news won't be as big a blow.

Wenger also set the record straight about Johan Djourou's injury. The Swiss defender dislocated his shoulder in Arsenals FA Cup loss to Manchester United and was immediately ruled out for the rest of the season. However, under closer inspection by he Swiss FA, it has emerged that Djourou has a chance of playing his part in the final run of games but will be out for six weeks. Wenger said:

“Johan Djourou is out for at least six weeks. There’s a little chance [he will play again this season], he has an arthroscopy on Monday and we will know more about the damage in his shoulder. We hope we will have good news but no matter what happens he will be out for six weeks.”

The International break next week will be a good time for players to recover from injuries they have picked up during the recent tough run of closely arranged fixtures, with Cesc Fabregas hoping to benefit. The Spaniard will be missing for the week end game, but Wenger hopes he will have recovered by the time the International games are over. Walcott holds little chance of recovery any time soon and will certainly miss England's games in the week:

“Cesc Fabregas is out for the game on Saturday. He should be back after the international break, maybe, he has a chance, but he is not available for the weekend. Walcott is not available for the weekend and he has no chance [for the international break]. He is not available for England.”

Nasri: Arsenal are "stronger" & "more macho"

Samir Nasri is full of confidence as his side prepare for an intense, hostile, and in the context of Arsenal's season, huge game at the Nou Camp next Tuesday. He believes that Arsenal have largely improved since being toppled at the stadium filled with close to 100,000 fiercely competitive Catalans, loyally cheering their stars and being rewarded royally last season with a 4 - 1 win.

The Frenchman was speaking at the Adidas launch of the official match ball for the UEFA Champions League final Wembley 2011 in which Nasri of course hopes to be a part of. He said:

"Barcelona seemed much better last year because we've become more macho, both physically and psychologically."

"Some of the players are much better this year than before - Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere, myself. We've all stepped up and become stronger and more macho.

Players have stepped up and driven the team forward. We can compete with everyone now. We approached the game differently this time because last year we were a little bit scared of Barcelona."

"It was the first time we had played against a team like that. They were fantastic and played amazing football. We were really surprised at how good they were. This year we've said, 'listen, they are the best team in the world, if we beat them it will be fantastic.

If we lose, it will be normal because they are the best team in the world'. We went in without pressure and played our game. We showed everyone we can beat them."

Arsenal came back from a goal down in an incredible show of fight as they restored pride in front of their fan at the Emirates. It showed the improvement that Nasri spoke of for all to see. They had recovered from an early blow - not allowing it to knock them out, but helping it to spurn them on to turn the tables on the Spanish Champions. A late comeback showed the persistence and fighting spirit that has been said to have been lacking in recent seasons.

Arsenal need this kind of fight and resilience to survive on the 8th March, especially if they go down to a goal early on. Nasri said:

"We came back in the first leg because physically they dropped. This is because the Spanish league is not the same as the Premier League. In England there is an intensity that isn't there in Spain.

"It was good for us because in the last couple of years everyone has questioned our mental strength."

"We showed in the match that we have that mental strength. It was special for us because we proved to ourselves that we can beat big teams. We felt fitter in the first leg and last year as well. We were losing 2-0 but came back 2-2.

"This year for 70 minutes they were great, they had the ball and were playing. But they made some changes, were less dangerous and we put more pressure on them and became more aggressive.

"Barcelona are like Brazil. They don't like it when you put pressure on them and attack them. They want to play their game. If you put pressure on them, they're not the same team."

Arsenal have already lost a cup final already at the hands of Birmingham - an unlucky loss that will hve dented their confidence in a game they were expected to win. From what Nasri said here, it seems like he believes Arsenal have everything to play for, and will simply go for it - go for the win, and allow being the underdogs rather than favourites to work in their advantage.

One thing is for sure, it will be an excellent game.

Fabregas & Walcott Out - And Arsenal want Bojan Krkic

Despite the injuries, there is good news. Arsenal apparently want Bojan Krkic of Barcelona [Full Story].

That seems unlikely; especially as Barcelona have only recently called Arsenal "immoral" in their capture of a Barca academy player. I wouldn't think Barcelona would be too keen on dealing with Arsenal after that.

Anyway...
Fabregas and Walcott will miss the Carling Cup final through injury, and Walcott is likely to miss the Barcelona clash on the 8th March. This must be unbelievably frustrating for Fabregas especially, seeing as his main aim as captain was to lift a trophy, and now Arenal's best chance of doing so has come about he is going to be nothing more than a Wembley spectator.

Wenger said of Walcott who suffered an ankle injury against Stoke:

"Walcott will be out for two to three weeks with an ankle problem.

"I would say today it is very unlikely he will be fit for the second leg of the Barcelona game.

"I imagine the worst so maybe I will be surprised in a positive way but I just give you my gut feeling at the moment."

And of Fabregas:

"You cannot play football when you're injured. He's sad and disappointed but it could have been worse the injury - it's a very small one. We have many targets in front of us so it is important he is not out for longer."

Asked how long he would be absent, Wenger replied:

"One or two games maybe."

I think it isn't so bad that Fabregas will miss the next few games. The injury isn't at all serious, so he will just be rolled up in cotton wool and rested until the Barcelona game. It may work out well. No disrespect to Birmingham, but even without Fabregas and Walcott, Arsenal are comfortably the better side and should win comfortably.

The Walcott injury on the other hand isn't so good. His pace will be missed against Barcelona, but Arsenal should cope - although Wenger hasn't completely ruled him out of it, and still hold the hope that he will be pleasantly surprised.

Fabregas & Walcott Injuries [Pics] & Reaction

So Arsenal claimed victory against a physical Stoke side to move within a point of Manchester United at the peak of the Premier League. But the three points came at a price. Two of Arsenal's talismanic players in Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott went off the pitch injured, with the latter having to be stretchered off.

See what Arsene Wenger had to say about the injuries below:

Wenger on Fabregas injury:

"Fabregas has a hamstring problem. We will assess that tomorrow. It is impossible to see how serious it is. We will know Thursday."

"It is of course a concern that he (Fabregas) is injured but it happens unfortunately. He was very upset. I am as well. But it is not his fault or mine. It is part of sport.

"It's strange when it happens early in the game but we have to face it. We did the job after that in a very professional way."

Wenger on Walcott Injury:

"Theo Walcott has an ankle sprain and he is out. For how long, I don't know, but he is definitely out of Sunday.

Games for Arsenal are coming in thick and fast, and injuries are the last thing that Wenger would have wanted, especially to their captain Fabregas and sometimes game changing winger Walcott. The three points will however soften the blow as the days count down towards the Carling Cup final on Sunday against Birmingham.

Wenger praised his sides performance against a defensive Stoke side:

"We did the job after the injury in a very professional way against a Stoke team who defended very well. They were very compact but we were intelligent, calm, patient and overall I believe we were resilient."

Stoke have been criticized for the way they play sometimes - using Rory Delap's long throw, not playing on the ground and being too physical - Wenger even once said they played with "rugby" tactics. But he had no complaints after Wednesday's game:

"No. I have no issue with the long throws and I do not have issue with any other aspect of their game. It is a team you know you have to prepare mentally for before the game because you will not take the points if you do not do it.

"Nobody likes to play against Stoke because they have a very special way to play the game, but I have to say tonight for me they defended in a very intelligent way. When we found some space they quickly cut it off and we could not take advantage."

Wenger on Twitter

In 2010, it was found that the number of Twitter users increases by 300,000 a day and a massive 55 million tweets are tweeted every day. A number of Arsenal players have contributed to those massive figures too, with Jack Wilshere only last week criticizing a referee decision after the Gunner's draw at Newcastle.

At the moment, Cesc Fabregas, Denilson, Jack Wilshere, Johan Djourou, Wojciech Szczesny, and Sebastien Squillaci are among those big name Arsenal players who pour their thoughts onto the social networking site. So naturally, it is of interest to their manager, Arsene Wenger to know what the Internet phenomenon is all about to keep his players in check - making sure that they don't deliver any controversial messages and get themselves into trouble.

The Arsenal manager had this to say about Twitter:

"I don't believe you can stop the players using it because everyone has the freedom to press his point.”

“You want it to be intelligent in a good way, in a positive way. The players can get closer to the fans and that is one of the positive aspects of it.

“But let the referee do his job and let us make sure that we are 100 per cent right with our attitude and behaviour.”

“We do not want to get involved in referee's decisions, we want to take care of our attitude and behaviour.

“No matter what kind of decisions we had on Saturday we could have won the game and that is what we want to take care of.”

So it seems that Wenger won't be dusting off his keyboard any time soon to sign up for Twitter, and will leave the informing of fans up to his players - just as long as they don't insult the referees. Someone the Arsenal manager doesn't need to worry about is Theo Walcott, who expressed his confusion at the concept:

"I don't tweet myself, I really don't have a clue what it's all about. It doesn't really interest me."

Managerless Ipswich Beat Arsenal - and it was no Fluke

A couple of points above the relegation places in the Championship, without a manager, and off the back of a humiliating 7 - 0 thrashing at the hands of Chelsea, Arsenal's Carling cup semi-final first leg against Ipswich looked as if it would be a breeze. It was anything but that however, as Ipswich were able to control a lot of the game, make more chances and even win the game through a Tamas Priskin goal in the 78th minute.

Arsenal were not able to cut through Ipswich as they would have liked, and what Arsenal fans would have expected, as predictions ranged from a comfortable 2 - 0 to a 4 or 5 nil thrashing. Walcott had a couple of good chances, but the keeper Fulop stood up strong to save. Fabregas had a clear chance late on, but his view was obscured as the cross came in by a jumping defender, and he wasn't able to connect as he would have liked, and instead of scoring a tap in, the ball was scuffed/headed wide. It wasn't Arsenals night, and although putting out a strong team including 11 first team starters, perhaps excluding Denilson, they could not get that goal that they may have been able to build on.

Ipswich worked very hard throughout, chasing lost causes, pressurising the Arsenal players in all areas of the pitch, defending resiliently and eventually getting the winning goal. All of the players had great games, and all worked hard, but Connor Wickham, the young Ipswich striker whom I have not seen play much before looked particularly impressive. He is certainly a big prospect, and will be attracting, if not already, Premier League teams. Its quite amazing that he is only 17 years-old.

Ian McParland stood in as manager as Paul Jewell watched on in apparent delight to see his future team playing with such passion and commitment to the cause. Beating Arsenal is a tough feat, but anything can happen in the cup, as Ipswich have proved.

Arsenal are still favourites to progress to the final by winning the second leg at the Emirates, but now the Arsenal players know, the Ipswich side should not be underestimated. With Paul Jewell being the manager by the time the fixture is played, and probably a more stable team in place, Ipswich will not simply role over and let Arsenal win. They should rise to the occasion and prove that this show of quality was no fluke.

What Would Alexis Sanchez Bring to Manchester United?

Alexis Sanchez has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United, either in January or the summer, so there must be something special about the 21 year-old which has reportedly caught Sir Alex Ferguson's eye.

After watching him in action, it is clear to see that he is a tricky player on the wing. He has plenty of flicks and tricks up his sleeve, and at times can embarrass the opposing defenders. His explosive pace is also an element of his game which stands him out from the crowd, and with his small, 5 foot 6 frame, he is able to combine both his trickery and pace to run defenders ragged.

Players who have frightening pace and can also deliver an accurate cross are somewhat hard to come by nowadays. Walcott and Lennon are England's finest culprits at times, and I'm sure there are plenty more like them, but Sanchez has the raw ability to do both. His versatility is impressive, as he can work effectively on both wings as well as up front on his own - although his goalscoring has been called into question due to only 9 goals in 77 appearances for current club Udinese.

With Nani and Sanchez in the team, United would be in a great position when it comes to deliveries into the box and general creativity. However, they do also both have a tendency to go to ground and hold their legs in apparent agony - at times to easily - which is unfortunate, as diving is of course cheating, but the amount of free-kicks awarded to United would also be increased, therefore increasing set pieces and the chance of  goal. Antonio Valencia will be returning soon, so Ferguson would have competition for wide places - which should only be a healthy thing for a big club like United.

He is also a hard worker. He can track back on those wings as well as attack - making some good tackles and then sending his own team on the counter. He would be a useful player who would add depth to any team, but when you are nicknamed "the Wonder Boy", are named as one of the 50 most exciting players in world football, and are attracting interest from some of the best managers in the world, you must be pretty special.

The Chilean certainly has a good future ahead of him, but whether it will be at Manchester United after a £15 million move, we will have to wait and see.

Wenger: Evra Lacking in Respect after Arsenal "Crisis" Comments

The build up and tough talk before big games like the Arsenal - United clash on Monday are always fiesty. There are always the outspoken players, passionate about their own club and slightly disrespectful to the opposition club in attempt to fuel the fire and tension that will be carried into the game. Patrice Evra is the bearer of this burden this time, and he has faced a cool back lash from Arsene Wenger.

Evra stated that Arsenal were in crisis due to the lack of trophies in the past few years, whilst claiming that Arsenal have no chance of winning the league, he also suggested that Arsenal are simply a "training centre" for youngsters.

Wenger is a footballing manager. He likes to play and watch good football, and he also likes to win - but on the pitch in a war of footballing skills, not a war of words. Wenger dismissed Evra's comments:

"He gave you some good stuff to make it all hot before the game. We are guided by the way we want to play football and not by the statements of anybody who plays against us. Personally, I believe if you are a big player you always respect your opponent and that is what we try to do."

"We want to focus on the way we want to play and ignore any provocation before a game. We are motivated by the desire to win the game and by the quality of the football we want to play."

Patrice Evra isn't inexperienced when it come to controversy. He was after all involved in the disgrace of a French side at the World Cup who proved an absolute shambles in which he was the captain. The Frenchman will have to stay out of trouble on Monday though as the two big clubs take to the stage in the battle for first place - he could be up against the speedy Theo Walcott and the (very) in form Samir Nasri. If anything, he should be afraid... very afraid.

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Arsenal the Latest Club to be Linked to Benzema

Karim Benzema has hardly set La Liga on fire since his £35 million 2009 move to Real Madrid. Players like Ronaldo and Higuain have been the main starters up front for the Spanish club, and the Frenchman has naturally been linked to a move away from the Bernabau as his frustration by lack of games has caused him to turn his head in search of new options.

Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson have been well known admirers of Benzema, but lost out in the summer 2009 race for his signature. It was also rumoured that Ferguon was preparing to swap Berbatov with Benzema. Unlikely as it was at the time, it is now even more unlikely after Berbatov almost made history with 5 goals in one game against Blackburn on Saturday.

Tottenham too have recently been linked to him. Since their soar to success in the Champions League, Tottenhams options for players has been broadly widened as they now have the attraction of European football. Yet despite manager Harry Redknapp stating that he liked the player, he said:

"certainly we haven’t made any enquires at all for him".

Aston Villa under their new French manager Gerard Houlier - the manager who has already brought one Frenchman back to the Premier League in Robert Pires is now reportedly interested in bringing in Benzema.

Meanwhile, Houllier's former club Liverpool, in need of a striker to partner Torres have been advised by Jamie Redknapp to snap up the former Lyon striker. His opinion may not mean much, in fact it means next to nothing in terms of Liverpool football club, but he said:

“Liverpool need a striker and they should look no further than Karim Benzema.

“The new Anfield owners have their first challenge: sign him.” 

Arsenal are now said to be prepared to smash their record transfer fee to buy Benzema for £25 million. Persistent injuries to important attackers such as Robin Van persie and Theo Walcott among others, as well as Nicklas Bendter's similar situation to Benzema - in his lack of game time, has apparently caused Wenger to feel the need to build on his attacking options.

Benzema is obviously doing something right to have all of these clubs after him. They are not just any old club either, these are some of the top Premier League clubs. But does the fact that a man who cannot get into a top Spanish team, but could get into any one of five top English teams simply exaggerate the fact that the Spanish League's quality is higher than the English? Maybe, but there is no arguing that the Barclays Premier League is still the most exciting in the world.

Henderson, Carroll and Jay Bothroyd are In England Squad

Fabio Capello announced his England Squad for the friendly against France. The names included a lot of young talent which the Italian coach will be hoping to create a different kind of team with a different dimension to it which will be the England of the future.

Squad:

Goalkeepers:
Ben Foster, Robert Green, Joe Hart

Defenders:
Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Kieran Gibbs, Phil Jagielka, Joleon Lescott, Micah Richards, Chris Smalling, John Terry

Midfelders:
Gareth Barry, Steven Gerrard, Jordan Henderson, Adam Johnson, James Milner, Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere, Ashley Young

Strikers:
Gabriel Agbonlahor, Jay Bothroyd, Andy Carroll, Peter Crouch.

Arsenal 0 - 1 Newcastle - Carroll Steals the Win

A beautifully floated free-kick from Joey Barton just before half time prompted Fabianski to stagger out of his six yard box, wave his arms about, and allow the monster of Andy Carroll to power the flying ball into the back of an empty Arsenal net. It was that simple.

But the hard bit was yet to come for Newcastle. They had to resist the Arsenal attack, break up the play, and just get it out of their area. They did it brilliantly, with every single player working so hard for the team to keep out the Arsenal force. Tiote and Barton controlled the midfield - breaking down any attacks and running and running until the final minutes to win a valuable three point for the Magpies.

Arsenal had limited chances with a Nasri strike in the first half well saved by Tim Krul in the goal, while a Fabregas free-kick, also in the first half, hit the cross bar. But that was really as close as Arsenal came to scoring. All in all it was a very frustrating home game for Arsenal, who simply couldn't get passed the very well organised defence and midfield of Newcastle.

The strikers too, of Carroll, Ameobi and Ranger worked their socks off. They often didn't have much support in the box and had to come deep to receive the ball as well as moving out wide, but they didn't stop working, and also helped in defence.

Capello sat in the stands, watching the Englishmen on show closely. Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott, Joey Barton, Kevin Nolan and Andy Carroll in particular played well, and with Capello looking for different, new players to break into his squad of national failures, they all have a chance.

Rooney's bad form has been well publicised, and Andy Carroll's good form was clear for the England manager to see today. He could be looking at a place in the England squad, or team in the near future if his form continues.

Theo Walcott shows Improvement in Carling Cup Win

A 4 - 0 win for Arsenal in the Carling Cup against Newcastle saw Theo Walcott score two good goals which required calmness and composure in front of the opposition goalkeeper. The goals also required his blistering pace, as well as the ability to hold his run to stay onside. His goals helped to create a confidence for Arsenal to go on and win the game very comfortably with a young team, as well as giving him the confidence he needs to score similar goals in the future.

A footballing brain is something that Theo Walcott has been criticized for not having. He has been heavily scrutinized by critics who say that he doesn't know what to do with the ball in the final third of the field - an area in which he should be oozing with quality considering the very attacking position he plays. However, against Newcastle, he showed great improvement. They may not have had their first choice defenders in the team, but Walcott waltzed through the Newcastle back line, chasing through balls from his team-mates who know that the England International is willing to run.


The two goals he scored were very clinical. He needed to keep calm and out-wit the out-rushing goalkeeper. He did that, and after picking his spot, made sure the ball rippled the back of the net with a nice dink over the goalkeeper in the first instance, and then powerfully side-footing in the second. His role against Newcastle was a much more central role than what he normally plays, which is probably why he got those one-on-one chances against the goalkeeper. But he showed that he is capable of scoring goals under pressure in that position, and now all he has to do in master crossing the ball.

He has the pace, and now he has the composure, but out on the right wing, when strikers are hungry for a delicious cross into the box, the winger has to deliver. Walcott finds it hard to find the right man with his crosses, which can frustrate the fans as well as the waiting strikers. He must improve. More hours practising on the training ground, persistence and hard work - whatever it takes, because it is this feature of his game (as well as other small factors) that makes him a good player with potential rather than a great player with quality.

Do England miss Beckham?

Against a team like Montenegro, who will sit in their half of the pitch, hold out for a draw and occasionally venture forward, no goals will come for the attacking side if all they try is long balls down the middle.

The way to score - particularly with big strikers, physical strikers or just plain brilliant headers of the ball, is to have an expert at crossing the ball into the box for those attackers to get a touch and win the game. Tuesdays game between England and Montenegro ended goalless, and with very little creativity, spark and skill on the ground, it wasn't hard to see why.

Crossing with Quality: Beckham

One whipped in cross, followed by one lucky touch or brilliant bit of skill could have been the difference, but with no one with a crossing ability good enough to provide for the hungry strikers, England couldn't take advantage of their attackers presence.

When you hear the names Theo Walcott, Aaron Lennon, Ashley Young and Shaun Wright Phillips, you don't immediately associate them with their fantastic ability to pick out a team-mate from forty yards, or provide a delicious cross right onto a team-mates head. No, these players are mainly known for their speed, and in some cases, their fantastic (immensely annoying) ability to find the closest opposition defender when attempting a cross.

Adam Johnson and James Milner are better at crossing, but the consistency to find a man time and time again isn't there. Unlike a certain David Beckham.

Not only could he inspire the players around him to play well, but his crossing ability was - and is - unrivalled. Wherever he was on the pitch, he found a team-mate with apparent ease and cross with accuracy of which no English player I have seen possesses.

England do miss David Beckham, but if they want to succeed, they are going to have to find a player whose quality on the wings is not just consistent, but consistently brilliant.