Morning all. Did you put your clocks back?
Mugsmashers later, as we know, and we’ve more or less previewed all there is to be previewed so we’ll go through the Sunday papers and see what’s what.
The Observer’s big interview this week is with Emmanuel Adebayor. Interesting stuff. Despite no goals in the last 5 or 6 games the big man does have a tendency to get on the scoresheet in big games. Hopefully he can end his mini-drought today.
The Telegraph features Gael Clichy but do we really need to hear that story about how he ‘died’ for 20 seconds when he was a kid every time he’s interviewed? It’s funny to note he puts Jens Lehmann’s penalty save against Villarreal as one of the definining moments in his career, having been caught out by arch diver Jose Maria in that game. He says:
I am saying to myself, ‘please Jens, do something for me, you have to make it. Come on, come on, come on Jens’. Then, finally, he dives and he has made a great save. You never know what the reaction of the people around you might have been, me coming back after six months out and giving away a place in the final. So, you can see that sometimes it is a bit like destiny and Jens was part of it.
Speaking of Jens he’s still not happy, as you might expect, and has continued his questioning of Arsene Wenger, saying:
I made two mistakes at the beginning of the season, but I saw Manuel Almunia making mistakes as well, so sometimes you don’t know what the thoughts of the coach are.
I don’t know what games Jens was watching but I haven’t seen Almunia come close to making the kinds of errors he did at the start of the season. We got away with the Fulham one but the goal against Blackburn cost us two points in the league. He goes on to reveal being unhappy with certain parts of the conversation he had with Wenger but claims not be frustrated and that he views this situation as a challenge. Can you imagine what he’d be like if he was in a bad mood then? Doesn’t bear thinking about.
The Mail has an interesting piece on AW’s decision to go with youth and takes look at how our scouting network functions and how some of the young players have ended up at the club. The Times also runs with a piece on ‘the kids’.
Jermaine Pennant, out of today’s game against Liverpool, claims Arsene Wenger has something against English players. Obviously Arsene Wenger is a racist and a bigot and xenophobic and that’s why Pennant didn’t make it at Arsenal. It had nothing to do with his own problems, turning up late for training, drink driving, consistent breaches of discipline or anything else. Pennant is the perfect example of the modern English footballer who thinks he’s far more important than he actually is and is totally unwilling to accept any responsibility for his own behaviour. Get fucked, Pennant.
Liam Brady explains his position regarding the vacant Ireland manager’s job:
I most certainly won’t be applying for the job and, second, I didn’t speak with Wenger about the job as I’m totally committed to my role as Arsenal’s Youth Development director and Academy manager.
And that’s what’s in the papers. As for today we’ve just got to go out and play our football. We need to be strong defensively because Liverpool do have players who can hurt us. I think it’ll be Torres and Crouch up front so that’s a combination of pace and lanky bloke which will test Toure and Gallas. Up top Theo can run the legs off Caragher and Hyppia while Mascherano will try to do to Cesc what we need Flamini to do to Alonso.
Should be a good one, fingers crossed for a result. More tomorrow. Come on you reeeeeeeeeds.
