| Chelsea were on the ropes, says Wenger • 'We dominated this game,' the Arsenal manager said• Ray Wilkins praises Chelsea's fighting spiritThe sense of dĂ©jĂ vu in this latest Arsenal defeat by Chelsea extended all the way to the frustrated and, some might say, one-eyed analysis of Arsène Wenger. As the Arsenal manager digested a fifth consecutive reverse in all competitions at the hands of his cross-town rivals and yet another body blow from Didier Drogba, he painted a picture of a match that his team had dominated only to throw away.Wenger used phrases like "one-way traffic in the second-half" and Chelsea being "on the ropes for long periods" as he reflected on how, in his view, the only difference between the teams had been Chelsea's clinical edge in front of goal. Arsenal missed two chances in the first minute – the second, an absolute sitter from Laurent Koscielny – and a couple more in the second period while Wenger complained that there had been a foul in the build-up to Drogba's superb opening goal."We dominated this game, quite surprisingly in my opinion," Wenger said. "[It was] surprisingly easy but we go home with zero points. I feel sorry for my team. They had an outstanding attitude with an outstanding display. We made a demonstration that you can play well and lose."The game should have been over before we started it. We had the first two chances in the first minute – I don't know how we managed to miss a header from six yards [through Koscielny]. At this level you can get punished. You have to be more clinical. We were unfortunate before the first goal as there was a foul on [Alex] Song from Ramires. It was 100% a foul."I can only give credit to my team for doing marvellously well but you want to be rewarded. The collective team quality is there but we have to transfer that into points. We have to analyse why we were not clinical. You could see that Chelsea finished with cramps and were on the ground a lot because they had to run a lot."Within the last 10 or 15 minutes it was Chelsea counter-attacking but we missed too many chances. We live in a realistic world and, if you don't take your chances, you don't win games."Chelsea's victory was built on collective strength and ruthlessness but it was underscored by emotion. Carlo Ancelotti lost his father, Giuseppe, last Thursday and attended the funeral yesterday. When Drogba had finished celebrating his goal, he ran over to the dug-out to throw a handshake at his manager. Ray Wilkins, Ancelotti's assistant, admitted that the bereavement had made the team's preparations difficult but he praised the players for doing what they had to do."The performance was not always pretty to look at," Wilkins said, "but it was effective. We didn't play the type of football we wanted to but you can't always do that. You have to fight and scrap and we have that quality."Then, when we do get into the final third, we have the quality to finish teams off. Carlo would like to thank everybody that has sent their best wishes, especially the League Managers Association, and he got a very, very nice text as well from Sir Alex Ferguson."Chelsea created a host of chances – Arsenal's Lukasz Fabianski was the busier goalkeeper – and they could revel in, among other things, an excellent performance from Ramires, another screaming free-kick from Alex and, of course, Drogba's continued tormenting of Wenger's team. The Ivorian has now scored 13 goals in 13 unbeaten games against Arsenal."I don't know how to explain it," Drogba said. "Maybe it's just a question of being in the right place at the right time. I have scored a goal like that before in the Champions League group stages but this one was much better. It made it 1-0 and meant that we could play a bit better. Everybody knows what happened to Carlo and I just went over to see him."Chelsea go into the international break four points clear at the top of the table and, although Wenger claimed that they "can drop points", the confidence at Stamford Bridge is burgeoning. They were joined in their dressing-room celebrations afterwards by seven NBA stars, including Kobe Bryant of the LA Lakers. "If we keep our house in order, we'll take a lot of beating," Wilkins said.Wilkins reported that Alex had been forced off with a "little nick" to his thigh while Mikel John Obi had merely cramped up. Wenger said that Abou Diaby, who came off with 20 minutes remaining, had suffered an ankle injury and could miss France's game against Romania on Friday. "Diaby has a bad ankle and looks to be a doubt for the French national team," he said.Arsène WengerArsenalChelseaDavid Hytnerguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Stoke City forward Jon Walters celebrates scoring winner against Blackburn Rovers Stoke City 1 Blackburn Rovers 0 telegraph.co.uk |
The Fiver | Wounded Ferg, and Mangled by Flying Heffalumps | Barry Glendenning and Paul Doyle Click here to have the Fiver sent to your inbox every weekday at 5pm(ish), or if your usual copy has stopped arrivingWAYNING ON FERGIE'S PARADEOver the past couple of decades covering Manchester United press conferences, English football writers must have thought they'd sat before every Lord Ferg there is to see: Angry Ferg, Belligerent Ferg, Cagey Ferg, Indignant Ferg, Caustic Ferg, Morose Ferg, Good Humoured Leaning Back With His Hands Behind His Head Ferg, eh ... Mike Phelan and an Empty Chair. But after 263 years in the job, the Manchester United manager today surprised hacks by reaching deep into his repertoire and unveiling a brand new, slightly worrying version: Wounded Wistful Sympathy-garnering Ferg.Although the press conference was staged ahead of Manchester United's Big Cup match against Bursaspor, talk of Fergie's plans to contain Turkish striker Sercan Yildirim was mysteriously conspicuous by its absence. Instead, the assembled hacks sat in slack-jawed astonishment as their occasional nemesis appeared to deliver what seemed like a suspiciously honest, full and frank statement about the current tsunami of nonsensical speculation surrounding the future of Tabloid Wayne.Announcing that his out-of-form striker's Mr 15% had told Man Utd chief exec David Gill that Wayne was not interested in signing another contract with United, Wounded Ferg looked genuinely hurt as he revealed the "terribly disappointing news" that the tabloidese prefix "wantaway" could now legitimately go before his player's name every day for the next three-and-a-half months had left him "shocked" then added that he'd "had a meeting with [Rooney] and he intimated in his own way that he wanted away".Looking more morose the further down his list of scribbled "facts" he read, Ferg said that he "hadn't had an argument with Wayne Rooney" but was "disappointed" that the player had told reporters he wasn't injured "because we sent him for a scan and he needed treatment." An increasingly crestfallen Ferg then insisted "the door is still open for Wayne" if he changed his mind, failing to add if the door in question was the same one that was still open behind him in order to facilitate a quick getaway without having to answer any questions."I can't answer any question about why he's doing it – I can speculate, I can offer opinions but it won't matter a dicky bird," he moaned, moments before his exit. "We're as bemused as anyone can be because we can't quite understand why he might want to leave." With Fergie having delivered a soliloquy Olivier himself would be proud of, the ball now firmly in Rooney's court and speculation rampant about his next move, the Fiver can think of a several million reasons why the player might want to leave a cash-knacked club that can't afford to pay him the massive signing-on fee and ÂŁ300,000-per-week wages he could conceivably command elsewhere. But it would be crass to suggest his actions are money-motivated at this difficult time.QUOTE OF THE DAY"We have a saying in Spanish, which is: 'White liquid in a bottle has to be milk' ... You will know who is to blame [for the Liverpool saga]. White liquid in a bottle. If I see John the milkman in the Wirral, where I was living, with this bottle, I'd say, 'It's milk, sure'" – Rafa BenĂtez finally finds the mastermind behind Liverpool's woes: John the milkman.CESC WAIT?The visit of Crozilian striker Eduardo to the Emirates Stadium tonight for Shakhtar Donetsk's Big Cup tryst with Arsenal will trigger poignant memories for all fans of the most popular club in Islington after Koko, Underworld and the Quaff and Spew. While it is perhaps inevitable that the occasion will cause Arsene Wenger's consciousnessto be invaded by memories of precious limbs being mangled by flying heffalumps, it could be important for the future of at least one young Catalan that Arsenal's manager bears in mind the fact that oafish players are not the only sources of injury. Managers with clumsy timing can also do damage.Wenger goofed last December when, by his own admission, he took a risk and thrust Cesc Fabregas back into the fray against Aston Villa. As it turned out, the midfielder suffered a recurrence of his hamstring injury and missed the next three weeks. Arsenal dropped points against Everton, the only half-decent side that they faced during that period.Now, with Fabregas back in the squad having again missed several weeks with hamstring-twang, Wenger finds himself in a similar position to the one he did last December – should he or shouldn't he play an on-the-back Fabregas? "It will be whether I take a gamble or not, because Cesc has been out for a long time," explained Wenger. Given that Arsenal are already pretty much guaranteed to progress in Big Cup and that on Saturday they clash with Manchester City, who represent the next biggest threat to Arsenal's title aspiration after Chelsea, Arsenal's keepers and Arsenal's centre-backs, it might be construed as reckless to start with Fabregas tonight. Indeed, even if Fabregas were fully match-fit, it might make more sense to keep Jack Wilshere in the starting line-up, if only because his tackling will surely frighten Eduardo and co.ÂŁ66 HAT-TRICK OF FREE BETS WITH BLUE SQUAREClick here to find out more.FIVER LETTERS"Does anyone else have a grudging respect for Lord Ferg after his press conference today? Imagine having to constantly deal with players who think ÂŁ100,000-a-week isn't enough and are always wanting more. If only he was always this honest and humble" - Tom Richardson."Re: Lord Ferg's comments at the Unicef launch event being 'a message to you Rooney', has he also attributed Rooney's poor form to having done 'too much too young'?" – Gary McGuinness."Re: Tim Lovejoy's romantic playlist (yesterday's Fiver). I thought I'd give a female perspective. I'm Waiting For The Man?! Tim hits the spot here: there is nothing, but nothing, more romantic than a junkie. Clearly he's something of a literalist. I'm beginning to suspect Tim has a secret timed 'bedtime' playlist climaxing in the Pixies' Here Comes Your Man" – Louise Wright."Re: Colin Murray misinterpreting a joke cigar at a Man City game (yesterday's Fiver). I have sympathy with Colin here: I thought the City fan was paying homage to Joey Barton" – Rich Wilson."Fifa has an ethics panel (yesterday's Bits and Bobs)? What exactly do they do?" – Joe Gibson.Send your letters to the.boss@guardian.co.uk. And if you've nothing better to do you can also tweet the Fiver now.BITS AND BOBSBlackburn, Chelsea and Aston Villa will play the Hong Kong champions in the Shirt-Selling Cup, sorry, Asia Trophy next year to help prepare for the 2011-12 season. "We look forward to reacquainting ourselves with old friends," the Premier League chief executive, Richard Scudamore, said marking up two-for-one deals on Liverpool away kits. "We also hope that our on- and off-field knowledge will aid Hong Kong's progress as a football nation."Humberside businessman Assem Allam – he's worth ÂŁ150m if you're interested – claims he is in talks with the Hull City owner, Russell Bartlett, regarding the sale of the club "I have been here for 42 years and have built my business in the area," said Egyptian-born Allam. "I think it's time to pay it back – Hull City are important to the area."West Ham striker and Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band extra Freddie Sears is off to Scunthorpe on loan.Leicester City are on the verge of signing the world's loneliest blogger, Darius Vassell.And Cagliari's seventh-century fanbase have landed the club a €25,000 fine after Inter's Samuel Eto'o was subjected to sustained racist abuse last weekend.STILL WANT MORE?Jonathan Wilson knows so much about Russian football that he's writing a 200,000 word PhD thesis on what FC Rostov had for breakfast this morning. So listen up when he explains why Spartak Moscow are within sight of the Big Cup knockout stages.David Lacey has seen more football matches than you've had hot meals, so you may want to read who he thinks are football's greatest ever midfielders.Ha! And you thought Sweden was some kind of socialist paradise! Hooliganism and poor quality on the pitch are blighting the country's football, says Big Paper's Swediest Swede, Marcus Christenson.Andy Hunter has been kind enough to give Roy Hodgson a list of five things he needs to do to avoid the sack.SIGN UP TO THE FIVERWant your very own copy of our free tea-timely(ish) email sent direct to your inbox? Has your regular copy stopped arriving? Click here to sign up.MASOCHISM = PAYING MONEY TO ATTEND LUTON TOWN V FOREST GREEN TONIGHT, VOLUNTARILY ... FOR PLEASUREWayne RooneyManchester UnitedBarry GlendenningPaul Doyleguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Braga v Partizan Belgrade: match preview Read a full match preview of the Champions League Group H match between Braga and Partizan Belgrade at the AXA Stadium on Tuesday Oct 19 2010, kick-off 19.45 BST. telegraph.co.uk |
Fabregas returns from injury Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas returns from injury when the Gunners play Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League. foxsports.com.au |