Arsenal FC @ Emirates All Gunner fans fall in

[kiko]

Arsenal.com will bring you pen pics of the 32 teams in the draw and details of the seeding pots on Thursday.
THE 22 TEAMS WHO QUALIFIED DIRECTLY FOR THE GROUP STAGE Arsenal Lyon Roma
Barcelona Manchester United Rubin Kazan
Bayern Munich Marseille Schalke
Benfica AC Milan Shakhtar Donetsk
Bursaspor Panathinaikos Spartak Moscow
CFR Cluj Rangers FA Twente
Chelsea Real Madrid Valencia
Inter Milan
TEAMS THROUGH TO THE GROUP STAGE VIA PLAY-OFF
FC Basel
Hapoel Tel-Aviv
SC Braga
Werder Bremen
Partizan
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PLAY-OFF FIRST LEG SCORES*
Zenit St Petersburg 1-0 Auxerre
Rosenborg 2-1 Copenhagen
Sparta Prague 0-2 Zilina
Young Boys 3-2 Tottenham
Dynamo Kyiv 1-1 Ajax

[Naka_Timo]

Finally Arsenal complete signing of defender Sebastien Squillaci. Now just left with a GK. Hope Arsene is not stubborn abt signing a GK.

Cos the current GK is very weak in set-piece..

[kiko]

'It's been incredibly hard to sign players'

Arsène Wenger admits it has been "incredibly difficult" to sign players this summer.

The manager completed his third major capture of the transfer window on Friday morning when Sebastien Squillaci arrived from Sevilla. However, the boss says he's had trouble bringing new players to the Club this summer.

"[It has been] incredibly difficult, I must say," he said. "It's the first year I've felt [like this].

"The clubs who had players didn't want to sell and therefore there was no movement. I don't know if it's the 25-player squad rule, is it the money situations? But there is just no movement. It's dead."

[lau ah pek]

i think he will want to look at our own YOG goalkeeper. He looks on tv like he is playing big time soccer already....

[chatlovers]

Originally Posted by lau ah pek

i think he will want to look at our own YOG goalkeeper. He looks on tv like he is playing big time soccer already....

Thats not a bad choice. I am sure he will perform better than Almunia..
provided he can trim down a bit.

[kiko]

Arsenal Sign Sebastien Squillici

[kiko]

Blackburn Rovers 1 - 2 Arsenal

Theo Walcott and Andrei Arshavin were on target as Arsenal battled to a 2-1 win over Blackburn at Ewood Park.

• Wenger: We had to overcome nerves

Walcott fired a stunning 19th minute opener as the Gunners worked hard for the points. He was sent scampering clear down the right flank by a fine ball from Robin van Persie before cutting inside and ramming a low shot past Paul Robinson.

Rovers made life hard for Arsene Wenger's men and Mame Diouf's 26th-minute equaliser was the least they deserved before Arshavin won it for the visitors in the 51st minute.

Wenger never relishes his trips to Ewood Park and the driving east Lancashire rain approaching kick-off time threatened to make his latest return an unwelcome one.

Rovers started positively, with Morten Gamst Pedersen's long throw causing Manuel Almunia to enter the action early to pluck the ball off the head of Christopher Samba.

The Gunners came close to an opener in the third minute when Abou Diaby's shot in a crowded box took a heavy deflection off Vince Grella and rather fortuitously struck goalkeeper Paul Robinson.

But Rovers set about peppering the Arsenal box with high balls and their tactic nearly paid off in the ninth minute when Ryan Nelsen's header was headed off the line by Cesc Fabregas.

In a promising opening spell Fabregas then split the Rovers defence with a through-ball towards Walcott, only for Samba to get in with a superb saving challenge.

El-Hadji Diouf failed to pick out namesake Mame in acres of space in a Rovers counter-attack then in the 15th minute Samba headed just over from another Pedersen corner.

Walcott's 19th minute strike was so powerful it required lengthy half-time repairs to the net - but when Arsenal threatened to go on and win at a canter it was the home side who struck back.

Samba set off a swift counter-attack which sent El-Hadji Diouf tearing down the left where he cut inside the hapless Laurent Koscielny and squared for Mame Diouf to sweep home.

Wenger was forced to make his first change in the 34th minute when Van Persie hobbled off with an apparent knee injury and was replaced by Marouane Chamakh.

Confidence continued to bleed back into Blackburn after the break and Pedersen was not too far away with an audacious long-range effort in the 50th minute.

But the Gunners went back ahead one minute later when a Fabregas effort in the box was blocked only to squirt clear to Arshavin, who poked past the advancing Robinson.

Nikola Kalinic blazed a left-foot shot over the bar before Allardyce made his first change introducing Dunn in a bid to add some creativity to his midfield.

However, as the game wore on, Wenger's men looked increasingly to be finding their rhythm and Nelsen and Samba were working overtime to repel Arshavin and Chamakh.

But it was Walcott who always looked the biggest threat and the young striker came close to a second on 75 minutes when he lofted a long-range effort inches over the bar.

Walcott thought he had knocked home the Gunners' third at the other end only to be deemed inches offside, then substitute Jack Wilshere missed a sitter in injury time.

# Wenger: We had to overcome nerves

Arsene Wenger said his side had to shrug off an attack of nerves to win the match.

Wenger's dislike of the home side's qualities are well known and he insisted his side had approached the game with concerns after a bruising battle in the equivalent fixture last season.

Wenger said: "We had a good start but in my opinion we were too nervous dealing with the game of Blackburn. Who would not be unsettled by the kind of game Blackburn gave us today? Last year we had bad memories here and because we knew they would play the kind of game we don't like we had not enough confidence to deal with that.

"In the second half I felt we were calmer. We put the ball well on the ground and controlled it better and it was just a question of time. We had the right resilience and commitment."

And Wenger is adamant the way his side shrugged off those nerves to take the points sent a strong signal that they will not be found wanting in the title chase this season.

"If you have ambition in this league you have got to win at Blackburn," Wenger added. "If you fail to win at Blackburn - if you go to clubs like that and you don't win - your ambition will not be respected by the other teams so it was an important test for us. The players are committed and we had that little bit more experience today, even if on just one or two occasions we were a bit lucky."

Theo Walcott admitted he is benefiting from a relaxing summer after continuing his recent good form against Blackburn. The England hopeful was disappointed to miss the World Cup, but he impressed in front of Fabio Capello at Ewood Park.

"I've had a good think in the summer - I didn't blame anyone else for not being at the World Cup but didn't read too much into it because I had a nice break, I've not had one for a long time," he said after the game.

"Now I just want to get playing and show people what I can do. It's for me to push on and get on the goal sheet a bit more often.''

One negative aspect of the afternoon for Arsenal was the late ankle injury suffered by Robin van Persie, which Wenger believes will keep the Dutchman out for at least ten days.

Rovers boss Sam Allardyce bemoaned his side's failure to make the most of their chances which cost them after Mame Diouf's goal had brought them back into the match.

"I'm disappointed we didn't get something out of the game and from my point of view the first half was our opportunity to get our noses in front," Allardyce said. "Because we didn't take those opportunities we paid the price for that. At some stage Arsenal were going to take control of the game. You switch off for a split second and they are very, very good at punishing you.

"The pass and Walcott's finish were top quality and while we might try and criticise our defenders it's very difficult to stop that sort of quality of football."

But Allardyce is the first to admit his side need to turn performances into points after two successive league defeats to follow the opening-day win over Everton.

Allardyce added: "We played to our maximum as a team, which you've got to be reasonably satisfied with, but the game is about results and we've lost two games on the trot.

"It's put us in a difficult position in terms of points on the board. While our performances over the three games have been very good, we've only got three points and that's the danger."

[kiko]

Mark Schwarzer heads for Arsenal on manic Monday

We’re in store for a manic Monday as clubs look to snap up some last-minute bargains before the transfer deadline expires on Tuesday. And one man who’s never been averse to a bargain is Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, well known for being tighter than the Chelsea defence.
It looks as though Wenger could at last be about to get his hands on Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer as the Cottagers weigh up Shay Given as a replacement. Wenger has been chasing the 37-year-old Schwarzer for months but Fulham have been playing hard to get, stating there was no way they would sell the Aussie international to their London rivals.
But Fulham boss Mark Hughes seems to be softening his stance, saying after Saturday’s draw with Blackpool: “Mark Schwarzer has made it clear that he would like to go to Arsenal so we are trying to look at other options.” The fact that Arsenal are alleged to have increased their offer from £2.5m to £3m might also have made Hughes a happier man. (First Post)

So this source believes that a goalkeeping merry-go-round is about to be completed and in many ways it signals a series of deals that works well for all parties. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has been chasing Aussie keeper Mark Schwarzer for some time now and whilst he may well have preferred a move for Man City goalie Shay Given it seems Roberto Mancini wasn’t going to sell such a talented player to a team they consider rivals.

Mark Hughes will have been pleased with the efforts of David Stockdale thus far this season but clearly the Craven Cottage boss will also be well aware of what Irish international Given is capable of. With the transfer window set to close very soon it was imperative for the futures of both keepers to have something sorted sooner rather than later and it appears agreements have been reached on these deals.

[Naka_Timo]

Hope the tranfer goes through soon...

[kiko]

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was delighted with Cesc Fabregas' victory over Bolton Wanderers.

Fabregas was in fine form at the heart of the Arsenal side, now looking fully match fit following his break after the World Cup and very much committed to the Gunners cause following a summer of speculation over a move to boyhood club Barcelona.

"I was always convinced he loved Arsenal as well and that he loves to play football. When he is on the pitch, he enjoys it," Wenger said.

"We play the game he loves to play, the game turns around him as well.

"He grew up in this team, and to make this team win will be a bigger achievement than anything else for Fabregas."

[kiko]

Arsenal 4 Bolton 1: Wenger's style too much for Wanderers' brute force

Owen Coyle is supposed to be bringing some subtlety and more of a passing game to Bolton in place of the direct, physical approach of recent years. He has some way to go.

Old habits do indeed die hard. Bolton had Gary Cahill sent off and might also have lost captain Kevin Davies and Paul Robinson to red cards in the sort of bruising encounter associated with these two teams, but which was unexpected now that Coyle is managing the Wanderers. +

The frustration for him must surely be that the game, and his side's start to the season, was promising much before being so rudely interrupted.

There was a time when Arsenal might have caved in, when Arsene Wenger might have been bleating more than a field full of Spring lambs. Instead, he was delighted that his team may finally be growing into rams.

The manager's new centre-back pairing of Laurent Koscielny and debutant Sebastien Squillaci came through a searching aerial test as his Cesc Fabregas-inspired team, though injury hit, rode the storm and the challenges to stride to their ninth successive victory over Bolton.

'There could have been other red cards,' conceded Wenger. 'It was very physical. Bolton make use of the strong points of their team but they have a good mixture on the ground and in the air. They had true commitment and we had to be patient to get our technique and passing to prevail.'

Then he added tellingly: 'We've had two games, against Blackburn and today, where we would not have taken six points two years ago.'

After Koscielny had given the home side the lead, his team spurned a host of chances before the interval and were rocked by Johan Elmander's equaliser.

Then, after Marouane Chamakh had restored their lead, came the physical test that also showed more mental maturity.

Bolton were unfortunate not to be given a free-kick for a foul on Chung-Yong Lee but lost their heads as a result while Arsenal kept theirs.

Cahill's hot-headed revenge tackle on Chamakh simply gave referee Stuart Attwell occasion to send him off, perhaps to make amends for not showing Davies a second yellow moments earlier for a late challenge on Koscielny.

Kieran Gibbs might have had a second yellow late in the game to show that Arsenal were not entirely blameless.

But by then Paul Robinson might also have gone for the visitors after a foul on Abou Diaby.

The game was certainly settled by then, late strikes by Alex Song - Arsenal's 1,000th league goal in 14 years under Wenger - and Carlos Vela gilding the lily.

'I think we all recognise what happened at 2-1 when we were pressing for the equaliser and Lee was fouled,' Coyle lamented.

'I thought it was a yellow for Gary Cahill and that was a blamehuge turning point. All I ask is that my team are dealt with in the same manner as the opposition, and we weren't today.'

It is to be hoped he does not let his team off the hook that easily in private. Ultimately Arsenal had too much attacking talent, even in the absence of Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott, and but for Hungarian goalkeeper Adam Bogdan they could have been out of sight by half-time.

It was all orchestrated beautifully by Fabregas, who nursed Wilshere - on loan at Bolton last season - through a rare start alongside him to show that his head is back at Arsenal after its summer excursion to Barcelona.

Wilshere instigated the first goal by crossing from the right for Fabregas to volley the ball back across goal and Koscielny bundled it in.


Koscielny then went from hero to villain as he could only head a high ball back towards his own goal, Lee latching on to it before crossing from the left for Elmander to head home his third goal of the season.

Chamakh's headed goal to restore Arsenal's lead came after Arshavin and Fabregas had worked an opening for the Spaniard to cross from the byline, and soon 10-man Bolton were imploding in their own indiscipline.

They conceded the third when Arshavin played in a ball to the near post where Song nipped ahead of Zat Knight and chipped neatly over Bogdan.

Vela made it four when he paid Fabregas's delightful through-ball the compliment it deserved.

[kiko]

A great Arsenal goal to share :

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xes...t=1#from=embed

[kiko]

Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas scored twice as Arsene Wenger's entertainers handed Champions League newcomers Braga a European masterclass with a 6-0 demolition at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners had chalked up 1,000 Premier League goals under Wenger in the 4-1 rout of Bolton here on Saturday, and continued their fine form as the Portuguese debutants were taken apart by some quite breathtaking, and clinical, football.

Fabregas, who now looks back to his best after helping Spain win the World Cup, opened the scoring from the penalty spot after just eight minutes before a quickfire double from Andrei Arshavin and Marouane Chamakh made it 3-0 by half-time.

Arsenal - unbeaten from four Premier League games and just two points behind leaders Chelsea - kept their foot on the accelerator, with Fabregas heading in number four and substitute Carlos Vela chalking up a late brace.

While sterner tests will lie ahead for Wenger's side, both at home and in Europe, the young Gunners showed again this could just be the season they finally come of age.

Wenger, still with plenty to say about Stuart Attwell's performance in the Barclays Premier League win over Bolton, had talked about the different style of European refereeing in the build-up to the match.

However, the Gunners boss will no doubt have been just as unimpressed by Luxembourg official Alain Hamer's early decision not to award what appeared a penalty after Fabregas was bundled over by Paulo Cesar in the opening exchanges.

Arsenal, though, were soon in full flow as Fabregas released Jack Wilshere into the Braga box, only for the youngster to be halted by a marginal offside flag.

The hosts, however, did not have to wait long to take the lead.

Fabregas was again the creator, slipping Chamakh ahead of the static Braga backline.

The Moroccan, who has impressed since his summer arrival on a free transfer from Bordeaux, sidestepped keeper Felipe, only to be brought crashing down.

The Arsenal captain stepped up to dispatch the resulting penalty - celebrating his first goal of a season which could well have started at Barcelona by kissing the badge in front of the Clock End faithful.

It was almost 2-0 moments later when Arshavin combined with Fabregas to tee up Wilshere, but his close-range shot was well saved.

Braga - nicknamed 'Arsenal do Minho' because the clubs share the same home colours - boasted six Brazilians in their XI, although none had a full international cap.

Nevertheless, a team which had knocked out both Celtic and experienced campaigners Sevilla en route to Europe's elite for the first time deserved some respect.

Cesar's deflected effort forced Arsenal keeper Manuel Almunia to make a reaction save, before Alan scampered away down the right ahead of Fabregas but his low cross flew through the six-yard box.

Slowly, Arsenal began to get back on top and it was no surprise when Arshavin made it 2-0 on the half-hour.

The Russian had missed some straightforward chances against Bolton, but made no mistake this time when driving an angled shot under the keeper after being played into the left side of the Braga penalty area.

Before the visitors could regroup, they were further behind.

Another sweeping Arsenal move saw the ball worked across field and to the edge of the 18-yard box. Arshavin's chip picked out Chamakh, who played a neat one-two with Wilshere and swept the ball into the net.

The interval offered little respite to Braga, who went 4-0 down at the start of the second half when Fabregas headed in Arshavin's chip to the far post.

The Gunners captain was then denied a hat-trick by the deftest of touches from keeper Felipe and an acrobatic goalline clearance by Moises.

As the hour mark passed, and with one eye on Saturday's trip to Sunderland, Wenger replaced Chamakh and defensive midfielder Alex Song, as Vela and Denilson came on.

Arsenal remained dominant as Arshavin rattled the base of the post with a fierce angled drive, this time cutting in from the right.

The Russian then unselfishly played in Vela, who dispatched a neat chip into the far corner for his second goal in as many games.

Arshavin was also given a break, Emmanuel Eboue coming on for the final 20 minutes, as the Gunners coasted to another impressive victory, with Fabregas setting up Vela to slot home number six five minutes from time.

[kiko]

Manchester City 0 - 3 Arsenal

amir Nasri, Alex Song and Nicklas Bendtner were on target as Arsenal struck a blow for the old guard against 10-man Manchester City, triumphing 3-0 at Eastlands.

• Fabregas hails 'outstanding' victory
• Premier League gallery

City had been looking to reclaim second place in the Premier League but hopes of a fifth successive win were all but dashed with the early sending off of Dedryck Boyata.

Nasri put the Gunners ahead 20 minutes into a fiery contest and although Joe Hart kept City in contention with a penalty save from Cesc Fabregas, Song and Bendtner finished them off.

Victory lifted Arsenal back into the top four, above City on goal difference, and contradicted recent criticism of the Londoners' record against their perceived title rivals.

The momentum all appeared to be with City prior to the match, which was preceded by a memorial service and minute's applause for their late manager Malcolm Allison.

Carlos Tevez was back to lead the City line while Emmanuel Adebayor, despite a midweek hat-trick, was left on the bench against his former club.

And the hosts appeared in a rush to impress as Boyata, starting ahead of Joleon Lescott, released Tevez with a superb ball down the right after one minute.

Tevez raced beyond the defence and into the area but David Silva failed to make firm contact with his ball into the middle and Lukasz Fabianski saved his scuffed shot.

Tevez then set Micah Richards free down the right but this time Bacary Sagna slid in to deal with the cross.

Yet no sooner had City started to look dominant than Boyata, as the last man, was sent off for bringing down Marouane Chamakh as he raced onto a Fabregas ball.

Mark Clattenburg took time to consider his verdict but showed a straight red card. After that it became clear Clattenburg was in for a tough afternoon as the tackles started to fly in.

He booked Denilson for a late challenge on Tevez but showed restraint after Nigel de Jong felled Fabregas Gareth Barry was shown a yellow card for fouling the Spaniard but Song escaped such punishment for a bad tackle on Silva.

In terms of chances, City had the next when Tevez mishit a shot at Fabianski but Johan Djourou then headed over from a Sagna cross.

The opening goal came after 20 minutes as Nasri played a one-two with Andrey Arshavin on the edge of the box and clipped the ball over Joe Hart.

Fabregas, still being given close attention by City, was booked himself after tangling with De Jong. City responded by again attacking down the right as James Milner played Richards through.

Arsenal struggled to get back but were relieved as Richards checked back onto his left foot and screwed his shot wide. Song and Djourou also went into Clattenburg's notebook before the break after challenges on Silva and Tevez respectively.

The game refused to settle down and Clattenburg was called upon again as Vincent Kompany recklessly lunged in on Fabregas just inside the area. A penalty was the obvious outcome but Hart kept City in the game with a brilliant save from Fabregas' spot-kick.

Fabregas had another opportunity early in the second half after combining well with Chamakh and Nasri but his first-time shot was weak and easily saved by Hart.

City boss Roberto Mancini decided to make a bold change after 52 minutes, gambling on the determination of Adebayor to impress and removing usual talisman Tevez.

An intricate move saw Milner feed Silva inside the box and the Spaniard's curving right-foot shot was brilliantly tipped wide by Fabianski. Adebayor had a chance from the resulting corner but Fabianski's presence forced him to direct his header over.

Arshavin then drilled a shot straight at Hart from 20 yards as Arsenal continued to push. Song finished City off in the 66th minute when he grabbed an opportunistic second for the visitors.

Wayne Bridge had blocked a Fabregas pass intended for Chamakh but the ball ran loose and Song, unchallenged, pounced to smash it into the top corner.

Adebayor raised City fans' spirits when he forced a fine save from Fabianski with a firm header but a flag had already been raised for offside.

There was a stoppage 15 minutes from time when an object appeared to be thrown from the crowd as Arsenal prepared to take a corner.

Substitute Bendtner put the result beyond any doubt five minutes from time when he raced clear and finished from a tight angle. Fit-again £23 million signing Mario Balotelli went close to a late consolation when he forced Fabianksi to tip over.

[Naka_Timo]

Hope they maintain this kind of form...