[Jok3r]

Arsenal will miss flamini a lot...gilberto looks out of touch..& arsene hasn't done him any favours...

maybe this might make him go for gattuso...
wenger will be expected to pull another young rabbit out of his hat...he surprises me every year...

Have a look at this[please do tell me if i should stop posting articles ]
ESPNsoccernet - England - Wenger: Emirates swallowed up '04 transfer kitty

he is still does not look like buying much this season...which in my opinion he should...arsenal faded out towards the end of the season...they just didnt have experience in depth...whereas united & chelsea can almost put up 2 frontline midfields when competing in 2 competetions...

The gap between the top 4 & rest in the EPL is slowly closing up...& every other year the 4th placed team gets a scare from another team...
Arsenal might be in for a mighty rude shock if someone like fabregas suddenly gets injured & out for 2-3 months...

He cant go on saying how proud he is of his team, & how good a brand of football they play...trophies count...plain & simple...
& somehow arsenal dont look like winning the EPL next season based on this squad when United , liverpool & chelsea look all set to make additions to theirs...

Comments?

[alagati]

Originally Posted by Jok3r

Arsenal will miss flamini a lot...gilberto looks out of touch..& arsene hasn't done him any favours...

maybe this might make him go for gattuso...
wenger will be expected to pull another young rabbit out of his hat...he surprises me every year...

Have a look at this[please do tell me if i should stop posting articles ]
ESPNsoccernet - England - Wenger: Emirates swallowed up '04 transfer kitty

he is still does not look like buying much this season...which in my opinion he should...arsenal faded out towards the end of the season...they just didnt have experience in depth...whereas united & chelsea can almost put up 2 frontline midfields when competing in 2 competetions...

The gap between the top 4 & rest in the EPL is slowly closing up...& every other year the 4th placed team gets a scare from another team...
Arsenal might be in for a might rude shock if someone like fabregas suddenly gets injured & out for 2-3 months...

He cant go on saying how proud he is of his team, & how good a brand of football they play...trophies count...plain & simple...
& somehow arsenal dont look like winning the EPL next season based on this squad when United , liverpool & chelsea look all set to make additions to theirs...

Comments?

Hmm..doesnt look like Arsene's gonna spend more...maybe some cheap stuff from Africa/France as Arsene is an expert at that....dont think nxt season shall be that bleak..remember Van Persie got injured just at the wrong time....he was in spectacular touch when he got injured..!

And who can forget the horror tackle on Eduardo ( cudnt eat anything that day..n thanks to mumbai mirror..the next day too..!!) Arsenal were 6 mins away frm the Champs league semis...n it was only a Gallas howler that denied them a shot at the Premier league..!!

Arsenal need to find a holding mid big time...as they havent yet found a sub for Viera...also need cover at centre defence...senderos has been found shoddy this season...with most of the midfield leaving, hleb, flamini n co....it shall be tough for Wenger to replace them....

Start of every season, pundits write off Arsenal ( stupid stupid shebby singh ), and they prove us all wrong..!!!

[sumitrocks]

Originally Posted by Jok3r

He cant go on saying how proud he is of his team, & how good a brand of football they play...trophies count...plain & simple...
& somehow arsenal dont look like winning the EPL next season based on this squad when United , liverpool & chelsea look all set to make additions

I guess one reason why the title race became a showdown between Chelsea and United this season was because they had such awesome bench strength. Arsenal had a good playing XI, in the beginning, with a couple of good players coming off the bench, but long-term injuries to Eduardo and Rosicky, as well as countless short-term ones, killed them.

Liverpool were undone by the rotation policy. It is a great concept, I agree. But then, if you're resting Torres, and replacing him with a striker who's not even half as good (Voronin), you can't expect to win silverware. Of course, no top-notch striker would want to start on the bench, but still, folks like Voronin? :confused: Total waste!!

And as far as 'beautiful' football is concerned, I think United play good, attacking football. Chelsea are dubbed 'boring' but if you call any of their recent displays 'boring', I'd like to question your footballing knowledge! Arsenal play beautiful football, no denying that, but that doesn't exempt them from the requirements of winning.

I agree with Himanshu totally. With the current team, Mr. Wenger probably can't do much next season. I'd like to see the top 6 teams fight a close battle for the top 4 slots, next seasn.

[Jok3r]

Originally Posted by alagati

dont think nxt season shall be that bleak..remember Van Persie got injured just at the wrong time....he was in spectacular touch when he got injured..!

yeah...ask about injuries to barca...etoo & messi's injuries have cost them 2 seasons..& shifted the balance of power completely without madrid having to do hardly anything...

that is why you maintain a bench...cause if someone like drogba gets injured you atleast have anelka (as you know shevchenko is going to do nothing)...which is why united brought tevez even though saha was in great touch...
touches dnt matter if all you're touching is the bench..

Originally Posted by alagati

Start of every season, pundits write off Arsenal ( stupid stupid shebby singh ), and they prove us all wrong..!!!

Shebby Singh was right...wasnt he (though i agree with the stupid part )
They didnt prove anyone wrong...their list of achievements this season are still described by nil, nada , zip & zilch...

I do hope they actually prove everyone wrong next year though...i was hoping they win this year...cause they were playing great football...* I always spontaneously support the underdog,,,but dsnt look like happening...

[midnite_blues]

Originally Posted by sumitrocks

Liverpool were undone by the rotation policy. It is a great concept, I agree. But then, if you're resting Torres, and replacing him with a striker who's not even half as good (Voronin), you can't expect to win silverware. Of course, no top-notch striker would want to start on the bench, but still, folks like Voronin? :confused: Total waste!!

Totally agree with that point... If you closely observe Utd and Liverpool's starting XI throughout the season, one can notice that even SAF rotates as much as Rafa... the only difference being the ones who came on from the Utd bench were more of the less of the same quality as the ones who were rested...

Its not only that... No matter whatever the policy regarding rotation is, a manager must always retain the spine of the team (key figures in def, mid and attack)...

For eg. Utd's spine would consist of Vidic n Rio in defense, Ronaldo in midfield and Rooney in attack... These players i believe have played most of the matches this season and very rarely get rested until and unless the schedule is too hectic...

In the same way Liverpool's spine has three figures in it - Jamie Carragher in def, Gerrard in mid and Torres in attack... These are the players that Rafa should never try to rotate... unfortunately he has been rotating all of them too... Hence the lack of stability in the team...

I agree with Himanshu totally. With the current team, Mr. Wenger probably can't do much next season. I'd like to see the top 6 teams fight a close battle for the top 4 slots, next season.

Actually the top 6 teams do fight it out for 2/3rds of the season for the Top 4 spots... but its only towards the end of the season when fatigue and injuries set in that these teams falter...

P.S : Whats this shoutbox a.k.a SB thingy on PG??? Haven't noticed it till now...

[alagati]

A bit curious....Nani dint get blasted on this forum yday apart frm a few posts..!!

What he did yday was laughable n despicable..I mean head-butting n then feigning an injury...deserved a double red if there ever was....I was just laffing my ass off at his attempt to con the ref..!!

Diving is one thing, but this was way off limit...interesting to see what FA has to say abt it...!!

Btw is it just a coincidence or is it like its something young portuguese players are taught at their feeder clubs ??!! ( sporting lisbon n co..!!)

[seeds]

More gossips.....

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has authorised a record-breaking £80m move for Barcelona maestro Lionel Messi. (BBC/News of the World)

Henry will be allowed to leave Barcelona and the France striker could return to the Premier League with a move to Chelsea. (Daily Express)

:bigups:

Real Madrid have also made a move to sign Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien and will pay £25m for him. (Mirror)

Everton will pocket £1.5m should Manchester United complete the Premier League and Champions League double courtesy of a lucrative clause in the Wayne Rooney transfer deal between the two clubs nearly four years ago. (News of the World)

Arsene Wenger's transfer kitty has been slashed to £25m, meaning the Arsenal manager will only be able to sign three or four players in the summer. (Mail on Sunday)

Liverpool will offer Cardiff £3m for teenage midfielder Aaron Ramsey but Manchester United are preparing a £10m package for the Wales Under-21 star. (News of the World)

Manchester United assistant boss Carlos Queiroz is being lined up by Portugal to take over from Luis Felipe Scolari as the national coach. (Daily Star)

Manchester United may be without Wayne Rooney in Moscow as the striker is struggling to overcome the hernia injury he suffered in his side's 2-1 defeat at Chelsea. (Various)

Barcelona are planning an audacious £30m bid for Arsenal's Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas. The Catalan club may offer Samuel Eto'o, Deco, Eidur Gudjohnsen or former Gunner Thierry Henry in a part-exchange deal. (Daily Star)

[polpot]

Google-ing allowed.
Get 4 out of 9 to pass.

1. Connect: Stueua Bucharest, Red Star Belgrade, Marseille

2. Who holds the distinction of coaching the maximum number of teams at world cups

3. Connect Renault, London, Sarita

4. Which team is popularly known as The Bhangra Boys

5. Connect: Pompey, Titanic, Theo Walcott.

6. Which club did Boris Becker try out for as a teenager?

7. Connect :Mr Pink's Nazi Party, Frank Lampard, Carpenters

8. Which London team was the highest ranked in the first ever EPL?

Last and the easy one:
9. There is a race for Mascots of England every year. Who has won it for the past 2 years and for what club?

[alagati]

Some update on the Man City saga :

For all people criticizing Erikksen, well...3 more points from 2 games...and that would be Man City's highest points in a season in the premier league...

Point no 2, n which I am very happy abt, He has done the double over SAF n Man Utd...( know this shall entertain lots of groans n moans...but you cant deny it..!!)

Now coming to the transfer news :

Sven has Peter Crouch lined up for the summer and supposedly had a deal for Modric too before he ditched him for Spurs...!!

The interesting part is Thakshin wants Roanldinho for 32 million, but there lies a cavaet there..that Scolari shall replace Sven...guess this has been put up by Ronnie himself, after not being too happy with the treatment meted out to him by Rijkaard..!!!

P.S : Mumbai Indians are rocking....Delhi 2 down..!!!

[rockball]

Milan-Inter Formations
Milan -
Kalac; Bonera, Nesta, Kaladze, Favalli; Gattuso, Pirlo, Ambrosini; Kakà, Seedorf; Inzaghi.
Similar to what I had predicted. Only change Bonera instead of Oddo.

Inter -
Julio Cesar; Maicon, Rivas, Materazzi, Chivu; Vieira, J. Zanetti, Cambiasso; Maniche; Cruz, Crespo.
Very weird lineup. Mancini seems to have lost his mind here. Hope this works out. No Balotelli, Jimenez or Maxwell. For a change he showed that he can rest Stankovic too who is played every week even though he has been terrible.