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Tag: Arsenal

  • Europa: Arsenal can overturn Rennes 3-1 first leg lead – Emery

    Europa: Arsenal can overturn Rennes 3-1 first leg lead – Emery

    Arsenal manager Unai Emery says he has confidence his side can overturn Rennes’ 3-1 lead at Emirates Stadium in the second leg of their Europa League last-16 tie.

    Alex Iwobi’s early cross-shot had put Arsenal in front but they lost control of the game after Sokratis Papastathopoulos’ dismissal for a second booking.

    Benjamin Bourigeaud immediately drew the hosts level with a stunning strike into the top right corner, with Nacho Monreal’s own goal and Ismaila Sarr’s late header compounding a miserable evening for Arsenal.

    “The red card changed the game more than we wanted,” Emery said.

    “The first 40 minutes we controlled, we scored, we didn’t concede good chances. I think we can do better and I have confidence with our players and our supporters helping us.”

    Arsenal go into the second leg having overturned a 1-0 deficit in the last-32 stage.

    On that occasion, they progressed with a 3-0 home victory over Belarus side Bate Borisov.

  • Aubameyang misses penalty in north London derby draw

    Aubameyang misses penalty in north London derby draw

    Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang saw a last-minute penalty saved by Hugo Lloris to cost Arsenal victory and ensure Tottenham retained a crucial advantage over their arch-rivals in the battle for a top-four place after a dramatic north London derby at Wembley.

    Harry Kane’s contested penalty put Spurs level with 16 minutes left after Aaron Ramsey’s coolly taken 16th-minute goal threatened to inflict a third successive league defeat on boss Mauricio Pochettino for the first time in his reign.

    Arsenal were then handed a golden opportunity to close to within one point of Spurs after Davinson Sanchez fouled Aubameyang, but the striker’s tame penalty was easily saved low to his right by the diving Lloris.

    And to add to the late chaos, Arsenal’s Lucas Torreira was sent off for a reckless challenge on Danny Rose in the closing seconds.

    After Ramsey’s strike, keeper Bernd Leno kept Arsenal on level terms with a miraculous double save from Christian Eriksen and Moussa Sissoko but the Gunners paid a heavy price for a glaring second-half miss from striker Alexandre Lacazette before Aubamayeng’s wayward spot-kick.

    Lacazette failed to hit the target from eight yards and Spurs took advantage, Kane scoring from the spot to equalise after referee Anthony Taylor adjudged he was fouled by Shkodran Mustafi.

    Arsenal were also angry as they believed offside should have been given in the build-up but Kane stayed calm amid the chaos to send Leno the wrong way from the spot for his ninth goal in this fixture and keep Spurs four points ahead of Unai Emery’s side.

    The Gunners, however, have only themselves to blame after wasting that late chance to seal a league double over Spurs.

    BBC

  • London derby: Tottenham vs Arsenal, scores, team update

    Tottenham Hotspur welcome Arsenal in the Premier League this Saturday.

    The hosts have seen their 10-point lead over the Gunners reduce to four, following back to back losses against Burnley and Chelsea.

    Unai Emery’s men have however won their last three matches against BATE, Southampton and Bournemouth convincingly.

    Kick off is 1.30pm West African time.

    Tottenham XI vs Arsenal: Lloris, Trippier, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Vertonghen, Rose, Wanyama, Sissoko, Eriksen, Son, Kane

    Arsenal XI vs Tottenham: Leno, Sokratis, Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal, Guendouzi, Xhaka, Ramsey, Mkhitaryan, Iwobi, Lacazette

    Full time score: Tottenham 1 – 1 Arsenal

     

  • EPL: Iwobi must stay calm, says Emery

    Arsenal attacker, Alex Iwobi has received fresh tips from the club’s coach, Unai Emery, who believes the Super Eagles star needs to keep improving and always stay calm in front of goal.

    On the backdrop of rave reviews trailing Iwobi’s performance against Bournemouth in midweek, sports247.ng reported that Emery was happy to see the youngster staying consistent, but said he must work harder.

    Iwobi has made 24 appearances in the English Premier League so far this season, scoring three goals, but Emery stressed that The Gunners’ former U-21 team captain can do more.

    Emery said: “Iwobi can open space on the overlap for them. So I think Iwobi is giving a lot for us.

    “We want to play and we want to create our philosophy and I think that Iwobi is important, but he needs to carry on improving.

    “For us, we have to be demanding from him; and himself be desiring to improve the things that he can get better at in his qualities.

    “When he’s getting into the attacking third into the box, he be calm to decide the last action with assists and scoring more,” Emery said.

  • Derby: Arsenal keen to close gap on Tottenham – Emery

    Derby: Arsenal keen to close gap on Tottenham – Emery

    Arsenal manager Unai Emery believes the opportunity to inch close to within a point of Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League will be a “big motivation” for his players ahead of Saturday’s north London derby.

    Midfielders Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan marked their sparkling return to form as Arsenal eased past Bournemouth 5-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.

    The win, coupled with Tottenham’s loss at Chelsea, means fourth-placed Arsenal head to Wembley this weekend four points adrift of their local rivals.

    “It is a big motivation,” Emery told reporters.

    “We need to take the opportunity like today, these three points. After we can have and get an opportunity like Saturday.

    “They are still ahead of us in the table, and it’s difficult to win there, but it’s a good test.”

    Mkhitaryan and Ozil both put themselves in contention to start the derby with a goal apiece against Bournemouth.

    Arsenal manager Unai Emery refused to be drawn on whether the pair had done enough to feature in his tactical plans for the weekend.

    “I’m going to watch the match back, and Tottenham’s, and after that I will decide our game plan for Saturday with every player,” he added.

    “If we can play with big performance I want every player to help us with this decision.”

  • Ozil rotation will continue, says Emery after Bate win

    Ozil rotation will continue, says Emery after Bate win

    Arsenal boss Unai Emery said midfielder Mesut Ozil would continue to be rotated after making only his second start of 2019 in the Europa League victory over Bate Borisov on Thursday.

    The Gunners reached the last 16 as a 3-0 win at Emirates Stadium took them through 3-1 on aggregate.

    Ozil, 30, played the full 90 minutes for the first time since December.

    Emery said Arsenal will need the German “sometimes in the starting XI and sometimes on the bench”.

    “His spirit like today is good and his quality and capacity and combination with some players is good,” said Emery. “I think we need every player, and playing Mesut was important and positive.”

    Arsenal winger Alex Iwobi described Ozil as “world class” and said he hoped the 2014 World Cup winner can “keep on playing”.

    “We know what Mesut’s like because we see him in training every day,” he told BT Sport.

    “We scored three goals as a result of him playing. I know if I make a run he has the vision to find me.”

    Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, Arsenal scored inside four minutes when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s cross was turned in by Bate defender Zakhar Volkov.

    Centre-back Shkodran Mustafi made it 2-0 before the break with a powerful header following Granit Xhaka’s corner.

    Substitute Sokratis Papastathopoulos headed in the third goal after an hour.

  • Ozil to decide his future with Arsenal – Emery

    Arsenal manager Unai Emery says “the key is in Mesut Ozil’s hands” as the midfielder tries to regain his first-team place.

    Ozil, 30, is the Gunners’ highest-paid player, having signed a £350,000-a-week contract in 2018, but has started only 13 of 26 league games this season.

    “He needs to be consistent in training and for matches, without injury or being sick,” Emery said.

    “Like that, we can see the best Mesut with us.”

    Ozil has played 216 times for Arsenal since joining from Real Madrid for a then club-record £42m in 2013.

    But he has started only one game since Boxing Day, with injuries and “tactical reasons” given as explanations for the German’s absence during the campaign.

    Last month, Emery defended his decision to leave Ozil out of the starting line-up and in December said the midfielder still has a future at the club.

  • Sanchez tipped to make shock return to Arsenal

    Sanchez tipped to make shock return to Arsenal

    Former Arsenal player, Marc Overmars, has predicted that Alexis Sanchez will return to the club after a disappointing spell at Manchester United.

    Sanchez has struggled at Old Trafford since he left the Gunners in January, 2018.

    Overmars, who won the Premier League and FA Cup during a three-year stay at Highbury under Arsene Wenger, says he has “great respect” for Sanchez, but believes he may have been mistaken to leave.

    “I have great respect for Alexis, because he did extremely well in Arsenal, I do not know if it was a good decision to leave.

    “English football changes you, it turns you around, it took me a step forward. Arsene Wenger arrived a year before me, Dennis Bergkamp made a big impression in England, it was a fantastic time, I think we changed the history of the club a bit.

    http://thenewsguru.ng/sports/football/article/epl-alexis-sanchez-set-for-man-utd-return-fellaini-out/

    “This type of players were very important for Arsenal, because that’s where they take you to focus, after Alexis, Arsenal tried to sign another player like that, but he was not given, so he could go back to Arsenal,” Overmars told ADN Deportes.

  • Aaron Ramsey signs Juve deal worth £400k-a-week

    Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey has signed a pre-contract agreement to join Juventus in the summer in a deal that will earn him over £400,000 a week.

    The 28-year-old has agreed a four-year contract that will see him join the Italian champions as a free agent, ending his 11-year spell with Arsenal.

    Ramsey passed a two-part medical in January, having picked Juve following talks with a host of European clubs.

    He will be the highest-earning British player ever based on basic salary.

    The Wales international’s Arsenal contract expires on 30 June and the Gunners will receive no fee when he leaves.

    Ramsey, who joined Arsenal from Cardiff City in 2008 for a fee of around £4.8m, held preliminary talks with Barcelona and also received an offer from Paris St-Germain.

    Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Real Madrid also showed interest, with Real forward Gareth Bale understood to have encouraged his Wales team-mate to link up with him in Spain.

    Arsenal did present Ramsey with the offer of a new deal in September but it was turned down and the club were not prepared to meet his salary demands.

    Head coach Unai Emery had reservations about Ramsey’s role in his squad.

    Ramsey’s desire to play as a number eight, running on to the ball from an advanced central midfield position, clashed with Emery’s vision.

    Emery does not usually deploy a number eight, meaning the Welshman has mainly been used in a strict deeper role without license to roam or in the number 10 position with his back to goal.

    Ramsey has played 259 times for Arsenal, scoring 61 times.

    In his 11 seasons at the club, he has struck double figures in a season three times, with a best mark of 16 in all competitions in 2013-14.

  • EPL: Arsenal are top-four outsiders, Emery admits

    EPL: Arsenal are top-four outsiders, Emery admits

    Arsenal manager Unai Emery says the Gunners are outsiders to finish in the Premier League top four this season.

    Arsenal currently sit sixth in the table but are just three points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea, with a resurgent Manchester United a point ahead.

    Defeat to title-chasing Manchester City last weekend has left Emery’s side without an away league win since November.

    City are battling with Liverpool and Tottenham for the title and Emery admits Arsenal cannot catch the top three – and are the underdogs in the race for Champions League qualification.

    “Now, yes,” the Spaniard replied when asked if Arsenal are the outsiders for the top four.

    “Because we are sixth. It’s practical but it is like that. I trust in our capacity to [finish fourth] but it is like that.

    “There are teams now better than us. They have an advantage to us. And we need to be calm and also very demanding of ourselves in our minds for work and to be consistent over 38 matches.

    “Now Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham, also – there is big difference between us.

    “But Chelsea and Manchester United, very big teams, also have a difference [to the top three] but they are closer than us.”

    Emery takes his side to bottom club Huddersfield on Saturday and, while he concedes a top-four finish will be challenging, the Arsenal head coach will send his players out to keep those hopes alive.