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Mertesacker Wants Arsenal To Win For The Fans

Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker, who helped the club reach the final of the FA Cup by scoring the equaliser in the semi-final, says that he wants the players to go out and win the trophy for the fans. A victory will finally ended the trophy drought which has been in the minds of long-suffering Arsenal fans. The club has not won a major trophy since the FA Cup victory in 2005. Even though there have been numerous occasions when they have come close, it has largely been a decade to forget for the club.

The FA Cup final this year is more crucial than in previous years since it would also determine the future of several players and also the manager. It is believed that Arsene Wenger is delaying the signing of a new contract in order to see the outcome of the final. A poor result could bring an end to his time in the club. Mertesacker scored in the 1-1 draw with Wigan, in which Arsenal went on to win the semi-final on penalties. He says that the fans deserve success for staying with the club even during the troubled times.

Mertesacker has gone on to become one of the important players for the club after becoming an Arsenal player in 2011.
“I had a hard first season but they encouraged me so I have to give them credit. Especially in my first season they always covered me and always backed me up and gave me that bit of confidence you need as a player. (Winning the cup) would mean a lot, that would be a big step for our team. We went through a lot of difficulties. We were top of the league, then we dropped points and then came back to fourth position. We want to keep our run now,” said Mertesacker.

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WENGER CONFIDENT

Arsene Wenger has once again expressed his confidence that the title still remains within the reach of Arsenal even after dropping four points in the last two matches. A thumping 6-0 defeat against Chelsea was followed by a 2-2 draw with Swansea.

As Arsenal prepare to face title rivals Manchester city this weekend, Arsene Wenger has been talking about being in the title race. A defeat will surely end any hopes of a title, but Wenger has recalled that there are still several matches left in the campaign and that Arsenal have enough opportunities to close the gap.

Astonishingly, bookmakers have made Arsenal last 100/1 to win the title this campaign after the latest round of matches. Wenger has won several titles with Arsenal in the past, but there have been several doubts raised about him in recent years. He has not led the club to the major title since 2005. His contract expires at the end of the campaign, with rumours suggesting that he may not actually renew it if Arsenal do not win a trophy this campaign. Despite their failings in the Premier league over the last few weeks, the club still remain in the hunt for the FA Cup.

They will take on Wigan in the semifinals of the competition.

“There is no other priority other than coming first. That is still our target. Champions keep going when everybody else would give up. We have an opportunity to show that we have that mentality. If people say Everton can catch us then we can catch the teams above us. We have not given up, believe me. It’s our attitude tomorrow which will show that. We play at the Emirates where we show big strengths and we want to show that again,” said Wenger ahead of the match.

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ARSENAL FALL BEHIND

Arsenal fell 4 points behind table leaders Chelsea after a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Stoke City, which is a result that meant they have only one win against Stoke in the last eight meetings at the Britannia stadium.

This defeat has also allowed Liverpool to overtake the gunners in the table, while Arsenal could potentially fall to fourth place with Manchester City win the two matches in hand. Despite this disastrous result, which has been termed as a major setback for the club by Arsene Wenger, midfielder Jack Wilshere says that he remains confident of winning the first league title since 2004.
Arsenal would have been extremely worried not just about the result, but also about the performance. They were extremely poor against Stoke for the entire 90 minutes. Even more disappointing for the gunners was their inability to create at least one shot on target in the second half. They were able to keep the ball as usual, but without creating any chances. This match was viewed as the precursor to the upcoming tough run of fixtures, which will see Arsenal take on the likes of Bayern Munich, Tottenham, Manchester City, and Chelsea.

Wilshere said after the match that the players knew that this would be a tough match, but they simply did not create enough to claim a win.
“We have to be prepared for it. We know what to expect when we come here, it’s going to be a tough game, we have to fight and win second balls and then we have to take the opportunities when they come. We didn’t do that today. We had a few chances in the first half and we didn’t take them, and you’re going to get punished here. We weren’t at our best. Sometimes in these type of games you don’t have to be,” said Wilshere.

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TITLE RACE HOTS UP

This is turning out into one of the intriguing title races in the Premier league after several years, as there are three different teams fighting for the title. Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal all head into the final 14 matches with a chance of the title, while teams as low as fifth can also think about the title.

Even though Liverpool are fourth in the table, they are just eight points behind the leaders. Considering the amount of points that the top teams have dropped this campaign, it is still feasible that Brendan Rodgers might find himself in the midst of a title fight.

Do Arsenal need Van Persie back?

Reports this week have emerged stating Robin van Persie has become disillusioned with life at Old Trafford and wants to return to Le Grove. The ‘reliable sources’ claim the striker’s agent has met with manager Arsene Wenger to discuss a move back to Arsenal in the summer, with the Gunners boss indicating he would be open to his return.

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Wenger denies Vucinic move

Arsene Wenger has played down talk Arsenal are closing in on signing Juventus striker Mirko Vucinic. While Wenger has made no secret over the fact the club are looking to sign a striker following Theo Walcott’s season-ending injury, although the Gunners boss has denied Vucinic set for an imminent move to the Emirates, despite the Juventus forward being backed by plenty of Betfair fans to be on his way to the Premier League.

Read More “Wenger denies Vucinic move”

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Gunners Emerge in Top Three Tussle

The Premier League title race looks like it could between three teams this season, as Arsenal, Manchester City, and Chelsea all appear to be the main challengers for the English crown.

Of course, Liverpool dropping points against Aston Villa at Anfield over the weekend does not put them out of the race but you can see the Reds slipping up further along the way.

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ARSENAL ON TOP

Arsenal are once more at the top of the Premier League but if they want to continue their fantastic season going on in the same fashion as it is, then new players might need to arrive in order for Wenger to rotate his key players and them breaks avoiding any kind of serious injuries.

It’s not a secret that Arsene Wenger wants to sign a forward that can play alongside Olivier Giroud and give the Frenchman resting time when needed. In the past few days rumors have been emerging claiming that Arsenal wants to make a move for Dimitar Berbatov who is not going through the best of times in Fulham.

The Bulgarian has even stated his desire on making a move away from Fulham which is something for the club as they need all the help they can get if want to steer clear away from the bottom spots of the Premier League but this also opens up the chance for Arsenal to possibly get a player that can solve some of their problems.

Real Madrid’s Alvaro Morata is another option that Wenger is considering as he desires to sign him up on a loan deal and considering that Morata is having more time on the sidelines of Real Madrid than on the actual playing field, it may be a wise choice not only for Morata but for everyone involved in the transaction.

A move to the Premier League will give Morata experience in another league different than La Liga as well as joining a club where he is ensured to have more playing time than what he currently has in Real Madrid and Wenger will give Giroud a new partner who will not only be playing alongside him in the pitch but also a reference man in case Giroud is out injured.

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FERGIE ROUNDS ON CRITICS

Sir Alex Ferguson recently released his autobiography in which he has criticised several of his former players like David Beckham and Roy Keane.

The former Manchester United manager is currently in his retirement, but several former players and pundits have said that Ferguson should not have criticised players who had been integral towards getting him success at United. The controversy created by Ferguson’s autobiography has raised questions about the possibility of other big managers coming out with books of their own.

After managing Arsenal for more than 15 years, Arsene Wenger is definitely considered as one of the big managers around. He will have a lot to say on numerous aspects like his former players and title winning teams. The Frenchman, though, have said that he does not know whether he would write a book or not. Wenger has said that he will definitely not be bringing out a book at this moment, but he has not ruled out the possibility of publishing one in the future. Ferguson has spoken about in the rivalry he shared with Wenger in the book.

The Frenchman has said that he has not yet read the book and cannot comment on the words used by Ferguson to describe him. Swansea manager Michael Laudrup criticised Ferguson for opening up on the aspects that were spoken in the dressing room.

“I say no at the moment – maybe one day I will be inspired. I do not say never. I just do not feel that need at the moment. The past is history and history has to be written. We have a saying in France – it is not just about making history, it is writing history. It is good for Sir Alex to have a legacy of his career. He was a manager of Manchester United for 27 years – hardly an anonymous person,” said Wenger.

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WILSHERE STARTS DEBATE

Jack Wilshere has started a huge debate at international level after saying that only English players should be allowed to represent the England national team. His comments come after Manchester United teenager Adnan Januzaj is reportedly eyed by the England FA to represent England rather than his birth country Belgium.

The 18-year-old is regarded as one of the best youngsters involved football right now. He is capable of representing five member countries including Scotland, Croatia and Albania. England are looking to get him on the national team based on the residency rules.