Moscow Preview/Djourou at 25/Arsene & Fergie
31 comments November 1st, 2006
After a 1-0 defeat in Moscow, Arsenal should have more than enough motivation for victory tonight. Firstly, to avenge a poor performance and a wrongly disallowed goal, and secondly because quite simply we need the three points if we want to see off Porto and qualify from the group.
If Justin Hoyte passes a late fitness test, I’d imagine we’ll see the same side that faced Everton. If so, that would be about 4 consecutive games with the same starting eleven, which can only be a good thing. Whatever the outcome, I’ll be talking about the game with arseblogger in the third arseblog arsecast. Don’t forget to download it on Friday.
Ahead of the game, Arsene has been talking to France Football about his relationship with red-faced Scot, Alex Ferguson:
“I am happy he has decided to go on. I am happy because I know against who I have to fight. I know I will face a Manchester United team difficult to defeat. IÂ will miss our rivalry if he would leave. I don’t believe there is another rivalry comparable to ours in English football. Our mental duels keep me awake. His only weakness is to believe he has no weakness. Football is dear to his heart.”
Classy stuff, and he even goes as far as to dispell some of the supposed animosity between the pair:
“When we meet sometimes in an airport or Uefa meetings we don’t fight! Those meetings are even funny. When there is no match, we have exciting talks about football. There is no bitterness in our relationship. I don’t know the man, but I respect the coach.”
Now that Vieira and Keane have left Arsenal and Man U respectively, Wenger and Fergie are key to everything that makes that club rivalry so exciting. Long may it continue.
After Kolo Toure revealed that he actually signed his contract in the summer, Johan Djourou has made a similiar admission, revealing he penned a new six-year deal. Come the end of that contract, he will still only be 25. It’s frightening how good some of our youngsters could be.
One who has so far failed to fulfill his potential is Jeremie Aliadiere, and now it seems the Frenchman wants out. He says he expected more opportunities, but with Henry, Adebayor, van Persie, Baptista and Walcott all seemingly ahead of him, I don’t know what gave him that impression. Maybe Arsene, but probably not. The man is, after all, a realist, and must know that Jeremie’s next injury is surely only a matter of time.
Still, if he comes off the bench to nick the winner tonight, all will be forgiven. There should be a report on here sometime after midnight. Till then.
