Articles by "Arsenal"
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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed Bayern Munich boss Josep Guardiola wanted to sign for the Gunners during his playing days. The 44-year-old was one of Europe's outstanding defensive midfielders during his time with Barcelona, before leaving the club for Brescia in 2001.
But Wenger says Guardiola was keen on a move to Arsenal, only for the Frenchman to decide against pursuing a deal.

He said: "He wanted to play with me as a coach and he wanted to play for Arsenal.
"I met him at home - he was 30 or 31-years-old back then. I can’t really remember but he then went to Italy. I had players back then like [Patrick] Vieira and [Emmanuel] Petit who were still young.
"He showed great personality when we talked."
Wenger got the upper hand over Guardiola in the first meeting between the sides in this season's Champions League group stage, with the Gunners winning 2-0 at the Emirates.
However, a close contest is expected in the return fixture at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday and the 66-year-old spoke of his respect for his managerial counterpart.
"I admire that his teams play very positively - he has a positive attitude towards football and he’s a great coach."
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Arturo Vidal has issued a warning to Arsenal as Bayern Munich prepare to host them in the Champions League on Wednesday.
The Bavarian side suffered a 2-0 defeat at the Emirates Stadium on matchday three, with Arsene Wenger's men recovering from losses to Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiacos to keep their qualification hopes alive.
However, the Chilean midfielder insists that Bayern will not be so generous to their opponents at Allianz Arena, and says a die Roten victory is the only outcome they are targeting.
"We'll show Arsenal the real Bayern on Wednesday," Vidal told Bild am Sonntag.
"Our confidence is high. This time we'll take our chances and take the three points."
Arsenal enter the tie in excellent form however, having climbed to the top of the Premier League after going unbeaten there since October and won five of their last six matches in all competitions.
A victory for the Gunners would see them draw level with Bayern – who were held to a 0-0 draw by Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga on Friday – on six points with two Group F games remaining
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On-loan Roma goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has indicated that his dream is to return to Arsenal and the end of his loan spell. The Poland international, who joined the Italian side after Petr Cech established himself as the first-choice goalkeeper at the Emirates Stadium, still holds the Gunners close to his heart and revealed that he would relish the chance to return.
Speaking to Sky Italia, the 25-year-old said: "If a year ago someone had told me that I would go to Rome I would have thought it was impossible.
"I saw Arsenal as my whole life and I do not hide that is still my dream [to return].
"For me it is a family, I owe so much to those people that if I were to be given a chance I would play for them [again]."


Szczesny has had a mixed spell in the Italian capital so far, pulling off an important save in the historic win over Juventus but making a costly error in the Champions League defeat to BATE Borisov.
And the Polish goalkeeper has praised the Roma fans for their attitude to him but insisted that he does not have any certainty about his long-term future.
"Here the fans are always were fantastic,:" he continued.
"I do not know what will happen, nine months is a long time in football, things can change from week to week."
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Olivier Giroud has come in for plenty of criticism in the past, but the Frenchman has been at the centre of much of what has gone right for Arsenal thus far this season, scoring six goals and providing a clinical focal point for Arsene Wenger's team. The Frenchman scored the opener as the Gunners thumped Swansea City 3-0 at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday, so Goal has taken a look at the stats that prove Giroud is the deadliest striker in the Premier League

Giroud has the best minute per goal ratio of any Premier League player this season (88).

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He may not have got his name on the scoresheet but Arsenal had Mesut Ozil to thank as they kept pace with Manchester City at the top of the table with victory over Swansea at the Liberty Stadium.The Gunners had struggled to click during a poor first half but just minutes after the break the German international proved key, sending in a corner from which Olivier Giroud opened the scoring.
Ozil, who leads Europe’s assists charts ahead of team-mate Santi Cazorla and Bayern Munich’s Douglas Costa, was not done there though. The 27-year-old then combined beautifully with Alexis Sanchez before finding Joel Campbell who sealed the win with his first Premier League goal.
The win keeps Arsenal level on points with Manuel Pellegrini's men at the top of the Premier League, while Ozil now returns to Germany for the small matter of a Champions League tie against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.

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It was obviously my favourite on a personal level but I'm sticking with it. It wasn't just the fact that it was a big scalp but also the style and how they played and even the neutral must have appreciated how good Arsenal were. Arsenal, when they press like everyone is raving about Liverpool doing, have the quality to take advantage when they win the ball in dangerous areas.
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My first instinct would be Cech and I have to stick with that. He saved Arsenal two points last weekend, kept them in the Champions League a few days before that and is the reason why they have the joint best defensive record in the league
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Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey has voiced his admiration for Mesut Ozil's fine performances this season, but says he is not at Cesc Fabregas' level yet.
Ozil has already set up seven goals in nine Premier League appearances this campaign while scoring once himself, and Ramsey is in awe of his team-mate's abilities and vision.
Nevertheless, Ramsey has made it clear Ozil is not the best player he has played with at Arsenal since joining the club from Cardiff City in 2008, saving that honour for current Chelsea man Fabregas.
"He has a great eye for a ball – he has many assists – and his weight of pass is fantastic as well," Ramsey told the official UEFA website.
"He finds those little pockets of space very well and links up the play."
"Cesc Fabregas is the best player I have played with at Arsenal. He played in the same position as me and to have him to look up to when I first came here," the Wales international added.
"He was playing every week, assisting, scoring. He was just a very accomplished midfielder, so probably him [was best]."
Ramsey also had words of praise for Arsenal youngster Alex Iwobi and has backed the 19-year-old to shine.
"Alex Iwobi is one to look out for, I think. He is very gifted and has great feet, so I am sure he will be one to look out for in the future," he concluded.
The teenager made his senior debut in the Gunners' 3-0 League Cup loss to Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday
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It's meant to be the sign of champions when a team is able to grind out victories in tight games when below their best.
That is exactly what Arsenal did as they dug deep and battled to a 2-1 victory against Everton on Saturday that takes them to the top of the Premier League table for at least a day. If they are still there when it really matters in the final weeks of the season, it will owe much to results like this.
No team can win every week in the sort of manner in which the Gunners blew away Manchester United with a 3-0 victory in September. On a sodden evening in north London, Arsene Wenger's side found it difficult to find their rhythm in the pouring rain.
But they got the job done. Pretty football alone does not win the major trophies and this was another un-Arsenal performance, much like the midweek victory over Bayern Munich. The back-to-back FA Cup triumphs seem to have changed the mentality around the club and you sense that this group of players truly believe that they can win the league
They rode their luck and there were some heart-in-mouth moments. Romelu Lukaku hit the crossbar with a header late on before Petr Cech made a wonderful save to deny Gerard Deulofeu but those bounces of the ball can decide the destination of the Premier League trophy. This was the kind of game in which Arsenal would have dropped points in most of the previous years since their last title win in 2004.
After a start to the season that Wenger himself described as "very average", the Gunners players are brimming with confidence. Once again some of their big players stepped up to help get them out of trouble here and this time is wasn't Alexis Sanchez, either.
The hosts had barely created a chance of note before Mesut Ozil produced a sublime cross for Olivier Giroud to glance in the opener in the 36th minute. It was a moment of genius from Ozil and he now tops the Premier League assists chart with seven so far this season, while Giroud is back on form, having scored four in his last five competitive appearances.
Less than two minutes later, Laurent Koscielny headed in the second from close range - but the second half was a nervy affair for Arsenal after Ross Barkley pulled one back with a deflected strike just before the break
But Everton could not find a way through. At the back, Cech made one vital save while Gabriel was superb. Francis Coquelin screened the defence well and, up front, Giroud fought for every ball.
The Gunners are one point clear of Manchester City and three ahead of Manchester United ahead of the derby at Old Trafford on Sunday. They also have a kind run of fixtures coming up. Their next six league games are against Swansea City, Tottenham, West Brom, Norwich City, Sunderland and Aston Villa.
It is hard to see where the Gunners will drop points. In the past, you could guarantee that, at some point, they would shoot themselves in the foot when expected to win but more and more evidence points to an improved mentality and a new ability to dig deep to get results.
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Manuel Neuer insisted he played well in Bayern Munich's 2-0 Champions League defeat to Arsenal on Tuesday - although he did admit responsibility for the crucial opening goal.
Neuer produced a string of fine saves to keep Arsenal at bay, the pick of which being a stunning first-half block to keep out a Theo Walcott header, but then blundered horribly as Bayern fell behind.
Germany goalkeeper Neuer opted to try to claim a hopeful Santi Cazorla punt into the box but got nowhere near it, missing his punch completely, allowing Olivier Giroud to bundle the ball home.

Mesut Ozil added a late second, despite Neuer's best attempts to prevent his close-range effort crossing the line.
Neuer told UEFA.com: "Basically, I played well. But it was my big mistake that led to Arsenal’s first goal.
"I think a draw would have been a more appropriate result."
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Two weeks ago Arsenal and Arsene Wenger were staring down the barrel of a gun, their Champions League dreams seemingly slipping into oblivion. Now their hopes are renewed... and created a small piece of history along the way.
Late goals from substitute Olivier Giroud and Mesut Ozil saw the Gunners record a 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich on Tuesday night, shocking the previously invincible German champions, who were powerless to stop their 12-game winning start to the season from evaporating.
The win was especially monumental because it means Arsenal have become the first team to beat both Pep Guardiola's Bayern as well as his famous Barcelona side of old in Europe's premier club competition
Real Madrid and Manchester United are among the European heavyweights to have attempted it, but no other team has managed to get the better of the Spanish coach whilst he has had the helm of both Bayern AND Barca in the Champions League, with Tuesday's win conjuring memories of the famous 2-1 victory they achieved over the Catalans in 2011.
The Gunners still face a huge task in trying to progress to the knock-out stages, but at the very least Wenger has picked up another worthy record... and he could yet add to his other enviable record of having made the knock-out stages in 15 consecutive seasons.
And here's how Arsenal schooled Guardiola TWICE...
 
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Arsenal forward Olivier Giroud has hailed Petr Cech's performance as the key factor in the Gunners' Champions League win over Bayern Munich on Tuesday.
The Czech Republic goalkeeper pulled off a string of fine saves to keep the Bavarians out at the Emirates Stadium, with Giroud and Mesut Ozil goals ensuring Arsene Wenger's side claimed a crucial three points.
The result still leaves the Gunners three points adrift of Bayern, and second-placed Olympiacos, although ensures the north Londoners remain in with a chance of reaching the last 16, with three group matches remaining.
Giroud told BT Sport: "This goal was a relief for us. We did well until this goal and we defended really well. We knew they would have the ball because they are doing well in possession. If we can see the ball possession they have 70, they dominated that but we showed passion and finally we got a goal and finished the work with Mesut's goal.
"We needed this win to stay in the Champions League to qualify for the next stage. We knew it would be hard but we have succeeded. We have to thank Petr. He has done a fantastic game we are all pleased tonight. We played a fantastic team and it's nice for the future. We need to focus on the following games now."
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Goals from Olivier Giroud and Mesut Ozil gave Arsenal an important 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in Tuesday's Champions League game, handing Bayern their first defeat of the season.
Giroud, who netted the winner for Arsene Wenger's side, came off the bench in the second half to score in strange circumstances as Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer flapped at a free-kick, and the Frenchman headed onto his arm and into the net after 77 minutes.
Mesut Ozil then dobuled the Gunners lead in added time tapping in from close range, with the referee deeming the ball over the line despite Neuer managing to hurl the ball out of goal.
Both sides had chances throughout as Theo Walcott missed saw a first-half header remarkably saved by Neuer, while Petr Cech was on hand for Arsenal to keep Robert Lewandowski at bay in the second-half
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I think Arsenal are a great value bet at 11/4, even if you backed them at +1 in the handicap. They've got good momentum, they're playing well, Alexis Sanchez is in form, Mesut Ozil is in form, Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud getting goals is another plus.
Bayern have won every game in the Bundesliga, averaging three goals a game, we know that, but anyone that watches them, which I do quite a bit, will know that you can get at them. They've chopped and changed quite a bit at the back and they had David Alaba, who is a left-back, playing at centre-back at the weekend and Manuel Neuer makes their defence look better than they are.
Bayern will want to play an open game of football and look to Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller to pick them off, but that will suit Arsenal with the way they are playing right now, especially with Theo Walcott's pace and movement.
It's a must-win situation for Arsenal, I don't think a draw is good enough, but I do believe they can get the three points.
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Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright believes an early elimination from the Champions League would give the Gunners the edge in the Premier League title race.
Arsene Wenger's side find themselves in a difficult position in Group F with no points from two games after defeats to Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiakos, and a double header against leaders Bayern Munich looming.
Domestically, however, Arsenal are on sizzling form and currently sit in second place, two points behind early Premier League pace-setters Manchester City, following Sunday's 3-0 win at Watford.
Wright claims it would not necessarily be a disaster if his former club don't make it out of their Champions League group, as it would give them an advantage of their domestic title rivals.
"We all saw with Liverpool a couple of seasons ago how not being in Europe at all can really boost your chances," Wright wrote in his column for The Sun.

"Playing a day later than most of your rivals means you're playing catch-up all the time - and then there is all the travel and demands of the European games themselves.
"If winning the Premier League comes at the expense of no European football at all, I'll take it every day of the week."
Arsenal host Bayern at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, before they resume domestic action at home to Everton on Saturday.
They sit second on the Premier League table with 19 points from nine games, two points behind leaders Manchester City.
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Carlo Ancelotti believes that Arsenal are already effectively out of this season's Champions League, arguing that Arsene Wenger and his players will pay a heavy price for underestimating Dinamo Zagreb.
The Gunners are playing in Europe's premier club competition for the 18th consecutive season, a streak only bettered by Real Madrid (19).
However, while they made it out of the group stage for the past 11 years, they are now facing an early elimination, after surprisingly losing both their tournament opener against Dinamo Zagreb (2-1) and their subsequent home clash with Olympiacos (3-2).
Those results have left the north London outfit in the unenviable position of needing to pick up points from their upcoming double-header with Group F leaders Bayern Munich in order to keep their qualification hopes alive.
Ancelotti is pessimistic about Arsenal's chances of getting anything out of their games against the German titleholders and suspects that they will be punished for taking victory for granted against a Dinamo side that had not registered a win in the Champions League since 1999.
"Arsenal are practically out because they must now face Bayern twice," the Italian coach told Goal.
"I don't agree with those that say that Arsenal have consistently disappointed in Europe, because they have been present in the Champions League for so many years. I just believe that the problem was the first game.
"The Gunners underestimated Dinamo Zagreb. Because of Dinamo's CV, Arsenal miscalculated the challenge facing them.
"Dinamo had not won in the Champions League for many years and this affected Arsenal's concentration. I believe that Dinamo were underestimated not only by the coach but also by the players."
Wenger has come under mounting pressure in recent seasons because of Arsenal's failure to make the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the past four years, as well as their continued inability to sustain a Premier League title challenge.
However, Ancelotti does not believe that the French manager, who has been at the helm of the Gunners since 1996, is in danger of being axed.
"There's still the FA Cup, and they're well placed in the league," the former Chelsea boss argued. "As a result, I don't think that Wenger's job is at risk."
Still, Ancelotti does not hold out much hope of Wenger masterminding a victory over Bayern, who are arguably the form team in Europe with a 100 per cent record in the Bundesliga and Champions League.
Ancelotti was impressed by Arsenal's counter-attacking prowess in their 3-0 win over Manchester United before the international break but he is not sure if they will see enough of the ball to hurt Pep Guardiola's slick, passing side.
"I see Bayern as favourites," the 56-year-old admitted. "Arsenal need to pick up points against Bayern but it will be very hard.
"You can never take the ball away from Bayern because, by now, it's in their DNA. But where you can hurt them is on the counter-attack. And, as seen against United, Arsenal's speed on the break can give them an advantage.
"I saw impressive pace up front with Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil. It's this weapon that can upset Bayern.
"But I still think it will be very hard for Arsenal."
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Bastian Schweinsteiger went "rogue" and was treated "like a dog" by Santi Cazorla in Arsenal's 3-0 victory over Manchester United, according to Gary Neville.
Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal was widely criticised for his tactics in the crushing Premier League defeat at the Emirates Stadium, where summer signing Schweinsteiger was pushed into an unfamiliar advanced pressing role.
The 31-year-old struggled to make an impact, and former United defender Neville believes Gunners playmaker Cazorla toyed with Schweinsteiger during the match.
“Against Arsenal, for some reason, and I don’t know why, it was like, has Schweinsteiger gone rogue?’ pundit Neville said on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football.
“But the more you watch the clips back, you think it must have been a tactic.
“In this game they got concerned about Cazorla. And Cazorla, he had him on a lead. It was like a man with a ball saying to a dog ‘come to get it off me, come to get it off me’, and as soon as he gets near him, he throws it off to Mertesacker.
“It’s like ‘Come on, come on doggie’. He’s toying with him, Cazorla."
Neville, however, says Van Gaal rectified his tactical errors with 'a perfect away performance' in this weekend's 3-0 triumph at Everton.
“The contrast on Saturday was absolutely dramatic. It was a case of Manchester United being patient, compact. It was a completely different thing to that Arsenal game.
“I’m sure Van Gaal, when he think about the Arsenal game, will think, ‘if we’d done this, would it have been different’, even though Arsenal played brilliantly well.
“It culminated in United dominating the game. It was typical of how an away team would create a perfect away performance.
“Against Arsenal it was a complete blip, in terms of the tactics.”
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After two matches and with no points on the board, anything but a win against the Bundesliga champions, who have just set a record of nine consecutive league wins, would likely see them miss out on a place in the latter stages.
It's not all doom and gloom for Gunners fans, though, and Goal, with the help of Opta, have taken a look at five reasons why there is still room to believe that Arsene Wenger and his side CAN turn things around.









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Mesut Ozil is excelling at Arsenal because the playmaker "perfectly fits" the Gunners' style of play, according to Bayern Munich star Thomas Muller.

After two mixed seasons in North London, Ozil has been in sublime form this term and boasts six assists in eight Premier League matches – the joint most with Manchester City's David Silva.
The Germany international will come face to face with a number of his compatriots when Arsenal host Bayern in Tuesday's crucial Champions League encounter and Muller is not surprised by the form of his international team-mate.
"Mesut is very lively," Muller told Arsenal Player.
"His left foot is outstanding and he’s always got a great eye for a pass to a team-mate. His style of play fits perfectly to Arsenal’s game. That’s why he plays a good role there."
After defeats to Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiakos in their opening two Champions League matches, Arsenal's hopes of reaching the last-16 are hanging by a thread ahead of Bayern's visit.
The Bavarians, meanwhile, have won both of their opening matches and a record nine straight Bundesliga since the start of the season.
Muller, however, is wary of the threat posed by Arsenal ahead of their trip to London, particularly with Ozil among the Gunners' armoury.
"Mesut can hurt anyone, especially in London, where I see Arsenal as being a tick stronger than when they play away. We need to prevent Mesut from playing those dangerous passes in the final third."
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Arsenal welcombe back Alexis Sanchez to the starting line-up for the Premier League match with Watford on Saturday, while Laurent Koscielny also returns, replacing Gabriel at the heart of the defence.
Alexis had been a doubt for Arsene Wenger's side, with a strenuous double header for Chile during the international break and a continuing groin problem, but the former Barcelona man is passed fit for the game.
Watford, meanwhile are unchanged form their 1-1 draw with Bournemouth last time out.
Watford: Gomes; Nyom, Prodl, Cathcart, Ake; Anya, Capoue, Watson, Abdi; Ighalo, Deeney.
Arsenal: Cech, Monreal, Koscielny, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Cazorla, Sanchez, Ozil, Ramsey, Coquelin, Walcott.
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