United injuries:
Gary Nevile

Chelsea injuries:
Andriy Shevchenko
Michael Ballack
Ricardo Carvalho

Carvalho and Neville cancel each other out in my opinion, so Chelsea were hit much harder.

O'Shea on the bench, compared with Diarra for Chelsea. I have no idea how they won.

Robben and Cashley Cole weren't at 100%.

Yep.

Ferreira - Essien - Terry - Bridge.

That's definetly not Chelsea best back 4. No Carvalho or Terry, Ferreira's been indifferent this season and Essien's done a decent job considering he shouldn't be there.

A note on Henry:
He's just given an interview on Arsenal TV on how they can win the league this season, so I can't say he's hinting an exit here...

He's going this summer I'm sure of it.

Yeah ... Well, he needs new motivation and the EPL, next year, will be between the fools, Chelsea and United. Arsenal don't stand a chance of winning it. Plus, he is only getting older, Barca is a good choice for him

Will Barcelona trade Eto'o or Ronaldinho for... a 30 yo Henry?
I mean... trade because IF Un-ree arrives one of them must be sold.

I hope this is true if this means... 10R-Milan.

It's possible that Henry is Barca's backup plan if Ronaldinho will be sold to Milan eventually

It makes sense... both play on the left... in the attack.

Now it's Sport, Catalonian newspaper who says: "Max suspense in Arsenal: They've 60M euros for Summer transfers!"

Where does that number comes from?

Wenger given £40m fund to strengthen Arsenal squad

Arsène Wenger will be given considerable funds to strengthen Arsenal’s squad this summer and boost the club’s challenge in the Barclays Premiership. Keith Edelman, the managing director, told shareholders on Thursday that a “significant sum” would be made available to the manager for new players in an attempt to improve on their disappointing fourth-place finish this season.

Arsenal have the facility to spend £40 million on players over the course of next season as a result of a loan from Barclays, but such an outlay is unlikely. Wenger is adamant that he needs only one or two more players of “super quality” and is concentrating his efforts on signing Franck Ribéry, the winger, from Marseilles.

Thierry Henry predicted better things for Arsenal next season after a second successive campaign without silverware. The forward said he had experienced slumps with the club before and knew that fortunes can quickly change.

“I’d be lying if I said we have been successful – we haven’t been successful for two years,” Henry said. “My first season at Arsenal [in 1999-2000] was not a successful one and the second one was the same. Then we went on to win the Double in 2002 so you never know what can happen.

“If everybody is fit and fresh I don’t even think about not winning the title [next season]. I think we’re as good as Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool.

“I can understand losing the title race by a single goal but to be so far behind is hard to take.” Arsenal finished the season 21 points behind United.

“We’ve been here before and we’ve come out on top before. What comes around goes around,” Henry said. “Manchester United have won the Premiership this year but who would have said that they wouldn’t win it for three years in a row?”

Arsenal have struggled to settle in the Emirates Stadium after leaving Highbury last season. Although they lost only one game at home, they won 12, three fewer than United. Henry admitted that the move had proved more problematic than he expected, with Arsenal’s lack of history at their new ground robbing the club of some of its fear factor.

“I spoke to the boss about it and he raised a great point that when teams come to the Emirates they have no history of getting hammered,” Henry said. “They come fresh and have no history of losing a game.”

Henry said that Arsenal’s lack of width had hampered their season. “It’s a paradox. The Highbury pitch was smaller but we were finding more space,” he said. “Now nobody wants to stay on the wing to stretch a team and that makes a great difference.”

Times

Arsenal have a huge debt and go for a 60M-euros loan?
OK...

Well, an hostile takeover from Kroenke is what I see for their future. Then we'll see.

Arsenal have a habit of making the worst transfer deals on the planet.

Pires to Villarreal: Pires gaurenteed them at least 10 goals a season, as soon as he won't so did their chance of a title challenge.

Vieira to Juventus: Arsenal won a trophy in Vieira's last 4 seasons at Arsenal.. Since he left? Nothing.

Swapping Gallas for Ashley Cole: Chelsea wanted £10m for Gallas. Arsenal refused to let Cole go for less than £20m. Arsenal agreed in a swap? I don't understand the maths behind that one.

Swapping of Reyes and Baptista for a season: Admittidly Reyes hasn't had a superb season, but Baptista is downright awful.

I think Henry will go relatively cheap, since they don't know how to make a good transfer involving a big name player. Plus the lack of success at the club and relatively no hope of winning a major trophy, Henry will not settle for that.

As much as Arsenal fans would hate to say it, is 4th place really what you've been aiming for the last few years?

Spurs are only getting better every year, and Arsenal are getting worse. Soon enough they'll be the Kings of North London and Henry will not be there to see it, no doubt.

It was a loan-swap. I dunno if Reyes will be back to L'Arsenul but Baptista is not staying in London for sure.

Gallas plus cash for Cole

Was it? I heard it was a straight swap. I may be mistaken.

That was actually a good deal. Gallas is better, more experienced than Cole (who I don't rate so high) and he can cover three different positions perfectly!

Just replace this with the selling of Overmars and you got your list straight.

Forgot about Overmars, no idea why they sold him.

About Gallas, I think I must have been on a bit of an anti-Arsenal rant because I really do rate him. If they got Gallas + Cash for Ashley Cole then it is a good deal. My bad.

Arsenal needs to change the way there club views players. They should be buying players in there prime and buying a few young players and then hopefully with a smart coach they can compete for trophies. Arsenal isn't santos, there job is not to raise young players that rarely are loyal to the club.

You've got it. South American clubs basically survive on bringing in yougsters, turning them great and selling them to Europe for a fortune.

That's not what Arsenal should be doing.

Selling Vieira and Pires when they did was a mistake, should have kept them for a few more years, they were still playing superb football.

What you seem to forget is that Wenger managed to keep Vieira on Higbury far longer than anyone expected. Vieira have always wanted to win the CL so he left for some of the biggest CL-challengers in Europe.
The problem with Babtista is that he's uncosistent.
When you score 4 goals against Liverpool on Anfield, bags a brace against Tottenham and generally create chances in every game, I don't see how your'e an awful player.

Viera and Pires were injury prone; the amount of cash Wenger got for Viera, he sold him in a hearts beat

They don't need Viera, he left in one season, the next Arsenal was in the CL final.

But Arsenal do need to buy some experience, Gilberto and Henry don't cut it

Yes, Vieira did leave to try and win the CL, but that proves my point.. Arsenal aren't going places, even your captain knew that.

About Baptista, I do think he's awful. One of Villa's youth products, Luke Moore. Bagged a goal at Stamford Bridge, was the first guy to score against Chelsea that season (9th game I believe) and then went and got a hat-trick a few days later. I don't consider him amazing, plus look at who Moore has feeding him the ball compared to Baptista?

RVP is Arsenal's top goal-scorer in all competitions this season, with 13. That's considering he spent half the season injured.. I think that says alot about Baptista and Adebayour. Maybe it's a bit overboard saying he's 'awful'. Just not ality.



Whether Pires is injury prone or not 84 goals in 6 season is good for any midfielder, I doubt even Kaka will come up with that sort of record. He averaged 14 goals a season. I don't think I'm going over-the-top when I say he's one of the best players the Premiership has ever had, and clearly one of the most gifted players I've ever seen.

I remember a goal he scored against us at Villa park, beat our last defender, and hit a superb lob over Schmeichel. EVERYBODY in the Holte End stood up and aplauded it, a splendid goal.

Definetly one of my favourite players of all-time.

Aren't going places?
We were in the CL final last year, and name a team that can win a CL final against Barca with 10 men and their first-choice keeper out.

I think that for now, wel'l have to see what players Wenger buy and how next season unfold. If it's as bad as this one, Wenger will leave, Fabregas with him and the club will be in serious sh*t.
But I still believe we can make a push for the title next season.
We HAVE to go for all four trophies.

I don't really think you are going places. Monaco made a CL Final a few years back, there are one off instances where a team will make a final. A good time, like Chelsea, Liverpool, and Milan are always there.

I mean no disrespect to Arsenal by this, they have a great history, with a superb recent history. I just think you need to spend big in the summer. And use players like Rosicky more often, he's brilliant!

Actually Kaka can out score him (He is the top scorer in the CL), he is our golden boy. He is a super star.

Now abour Pires; he is one of my favorites. I like how he plays, but he is old. I mean we talk about Clarence being old, Pires is O-L-D. He can't do what he used to. What u are talking about .. Schmeichel, then he definitely should retiere.

Pires, once apon a time was amazing, today he is average w/ experience being to his advantage. He just isn't the player he used to be.

I don't think Pires has gotten much worse. The only thing you really lose with old age is your ability to play consistantly and pace.

Pace has never really been part of his game, obviously he can't keep up the same tempo for a whole game. But he had a superb debut to beat Barca, which makes him a king in my books.

Yeah, but with all the midfielders that wenger's got. Where does Pires stand ?!

Fabregas, Rosicky, Hleb, Baptista(Reyes) .. I dont know if I'm forgetting anyone, but Wenger is about building a new team. So he has to get rid of his old players in order to do that.

Had Wenger adopted the Milan philosophy, u would have Pires on the first team

Doesn't matter if he scores one or two goals, he was out for more than 4 months for Villareal, which says everything TBH

Yes, I know what you're saying. Making your debut with only 2 months of this season left isn't a great start.

Wengers prefered line-up in midfield seems to be:

Ljungberg -- Fabregas -- Silva -- Hleb. With Baptista and Adebayour up front with Henry/RVP injuries.

He's as good as Lgungberg is nowadays and definetly better than Hleb. I think Rosicky is better than Pires but Wenger doesn't seem to like him.

I see why he and Vieira were sold. They are clearly past their best and Wenger wants a young team that can grow together (If they improve alot, too. Just think where they could be in 5 years time).

Well in 5 years time, they would have adapted and grown together alright. They would be up to the task of competiting on 2 or 3 fronts a season. But the thing is, there are teams that are well equipt season in - season out. Like Chelsea, who are building a team for today and when tomorrow comes they would have modified that team for tomorrow, and on and on ...

This mentality of building a young team for the future .. I don't see the point in it .. Again maybe because I am obsessed with Milan's philosophy ?!

Still, I have got to admit, when ARsenal turn it on, they play beutiful football.

I agree with the way they play. It's kinda like us.. Just without the goals.

And agree even more so on the 'building the team for the future'. After all, that's what youth/reserve leagues are for, Wenger seems to have missed the point of them I think.

Yeah, he has his own reasonings

Hope to see Arsenal buying more experience in this transfer session, I think if Wenger buys one more youth player, Arsenal will be relegated

Hopefully.

Biggest news from the Premiership today.

^^^

Wow, so United are stupid enough to spend the ammount of cash these guys want for someone as mediocre as Hargreaves!!!


If that was true he wouldn't have gone to Inter

He went to Juve originally.

He only went to Inter because it was so clear that they were going to win the Scudetto after Juve were relegated and we lost points.

Rosicky has been struggling with a hamstring, so thats the reason he doesn't play much.

I'm guessing the Gooners are your first choice team?

Don't even start with him Ash, he's a lost cause

Haha I had to check through his posts to make sure he even liked Milan

I think the question shouldn't be are Arsenal your first team?

More like.. 'Why the heck do you support Arsenal at all!?'

I thought I had made this clear...
Arsenal are my first choice team by far. And they will always be.
But out of the other clubs in the world, I have a huge respect for Milan.
Their history, their players, their coaches...their very soul.



@Kurtsimonw, do you want a serious answer to that?

'Why the heck do you support Milan at all!?' The same principle

At least Man United have kept English talent alive, now looks like 6 players in their ideal starting 11, plus a few back-up.

You want english talent?
Walcott, Hoyte, Randall and Connolly are all english, right?
And we had Ashley Cole too, but suddenly he found out 55 000 pounds a week wasn't enough...

Who the hell are Randall and Connolly?????

Walcott has done nothing whatsoever to justify himself being a talent yet.

Chelsea: John Terry, Frank Lampard, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Joe Cole, Ashley Cole, Wayne Bridge.

United: Wayne Rooney, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, Michael Carrick, Wes Brown, Rio Ferdinand, Alan Smith.

Liverpool: Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Peter Crouch, Jermaine Pennant, Robbie Fowler.

Arsenal: Theo Walcott, Justin Hoyte, Matthew Connely, Mark Randall.

Spurs: Jermain Defoe, Aaron Lennon, Michael Dawson, Paul Robinson, Ledley King.

Villa: Gareth Barry, Ashley Young, Liam Ridgewell, Gary Cahill, Gavin McCann, Gabbi Agbonlahor, Luke Moore, Craig Gardner.

I think when you play 'Spot the English talent, Arsenal are way back on the list. Of the 4 I found to be English in your squad, they've made a handful of appearances. Everybody else I mentioned is a regular first team player.

Can add Hargreaves to the list for United! Exactly although Arsenal players have them in the squad they are hardly what you would call first-teamers!

If you saw the Carling Cup final and still say Walcott is not a talent...

Just how much english talent is there on the market these days anyway...

Just because he had one good game doesn't mean anything.

He still had Fabregas giving him the ball. Of course he's going to get opportunities to score.

Gabbi Agbonlahor has proved he's a top player for Villa, he finished top scorer. AND most importantly, he's scored againt United, Chelsea and Liverpool this season, so he's proved himself against the best REGULARLY.

Theo has an awful scoring record, even at Southampton 4 goals in 20 matches is not much to be desired really.

6 goals in 55 games now thats a scoring record to be proud of as an attacker