Arsenal Boss Arsene Wenger Admits Anguish Over Past Champions League Exit

The Frenchman is still upset at the manner in which his Gunners were knocked out of the last edition of the Champions League...

Arsenal were just minutes away from building on their impressive defeat of Italian giants Milan with a further win over Liverpool in the quarter-final of last season's Champions League. A scintillating darting run by Theo Walcott allowed Emmanuel Adebayor to temporarily give the Gunners the lead.

Talismanic midfielder Steven Gerrard broke Arsenal hearts by converting a penalty won by Ryan Babel, and - ahead of the club's clash with Villarreal this week - Arsene Wenger admits he is still upset at the manner by which they were knocked out.

"We were [the better team over the two legs]," Wenger declared on the club's official website.

"I feel that we were guilty of not being focussed when we scored the second goal [in the second leg] and we paid for that.

"We were a bit unlucky too because we should have got a blatant penalty on [Aliaksandr] Hleb in the first game and there was no blatant penalty on Babel in the second leg.”

Arsenal take on Villarreal away from home on Tuesday April 7 in a game that kicks-off at 19:45 BST.

Monday, April 6, 2009 | posted in | 0 comments [ More ]

Manchester United Is The Right Club For Me - Cristiano Ronaldo

There is no escaping some things for Manchester United's fleet-footed wing-wizard Cristiano Ronaldo.

Whether it is the glamourous models whom hang by his arms, the bulging trophy cabinet that will continue to be decorated with the most esteemed of honours, or the fact that so long as he stays at Manchester United, he will continue to be linked away from the city that saved the umbrella trade, and toward one more renowned for sangria and sun.

Manchester United's scheduled pre-match press conference today should have focussed on the upcoming bout against FC Porto, but instead Sir Alex Ferguson was angered by the continued questioning surrounding his star player's future.

He branded the speculation as "pathetic" before saying, "We always have this question. Carry on".

Cristiano Ronaldo, though, who is constantly linked with a move to Real Madrid said, "I’m happy with the club.

"I think this is the right club for me," he concluded.

Manchester United take on FC Porto on Tuesday evening at Old Trafford in a fixture that kicks-off at 19:45 BST.

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UEFA Champions League facts and figures

here is rounds up of statistics you need to know ahead of this week's first legs in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. What's the history between the two teams and who has the edge from past contests? Which sides are looking to overturn the weight of history? Who's performing well on the domestic front? Find out below.

Manchester United FC v FC Porto
• United are unbeaten in 21 matches in the UEFA Champions League and enter this contest also aiming to extend a run of 19 games without defeat at Old Trafford in the competition.

• Porto have never won in England, where ten of eleven visits have ended in defeat, although the one occasion when they did avoid defeat – a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford in the 2003/04 first knockout round second leg – eliminated United from the competition.

• This is United's 15th quarter-final tie in Europe's élite club competition and their record is: P14 W10 L4.

• Sir Alex's men beat AS Roma at this stage in both 2007 and 2008 and are now seeking a third consecutive semi-final appearance – a first for the English champions.

• Porto have won three of their five quarter-finals in Europe's premier club competition and have triumphed in two of the clubs' three previous two-legged contests.


Villarreal CF v Arsenal FC
• This tie is a repeat of the 2005/06 semi-final, won 1-0 by Arsenal thanks to Kolo Touré's first-leg goal in the last European match played at Highbury – although the London club needed a last-minute penalty save by Jens Lehmann from Juan Román Riquelme in the second leg to escape El Madrigal with a goalless draw.

• Villarreal's record against English clubs is: P9 W3 D5 L1. At home their record is: P5 W2 D3 L0. In those five past meetings with English opposition at El Madrigal, they conceded just one goal scored, curiously, by a Spaniard – Everton FC's Mikel Arteta.

• Arsenal have lost three European finals to Spanish opposition. They lost 5-4 on penalties to Valencia CF following a goalless draw in the 1979/80 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final and succumbed 2-1 to Real Zaragoza in the final of the same competition in 1994/95 before a 2-1 defeat by FC Barcelona in the 2005/06 UEFA Champions League final in Paris.

• That defeat by Barcelona was Robert Pirès' final appearance for Arsenal after six seasons with the club, during which he won two Premier League titles and two FA Cups. Voted the English Football Writers' Player of the Year in 2002, he made 284 appearances, scoring 84 goals, before moving to Villarreal in summer 2006.

• Villarreal have kept only four clean sheets in their last 30 matches in all competitions having managed six in their opening nine games this season. In contrast, Arsenal have kept clean sheets in six of their last eight Premier League games, and have conceded only four league goals in 2009 – all away from home – fewer than any other side.

FC Barcelona v FC Bayern München
• Bayern and Barcelona are the joint-highest scorers in this season's competition with 24 goals each from eight games. In Barcelona's case they have also conceded the most goals of any of the last-eight participants – eleven – and have still to keep a clean sheet on home soil.

• The visitors are looking to improve on a recent record of three consecutive defeats at this stage of the UEFA Champions League – in 2002, 2005 and 2007.

• Bayern have won three of the four previous meetings with Barcelona but the Liga leaders boast an impressive run of form against German opposition having won ten and drawn one of their last eleven matches against sides from the Bundesliga.

• Coaches Josep Guardiola and Jürgen Klinsmann were both in action when Barcelona and Bayern met for the first time in the semi-finals of the 1995/96 UEFA Cup. The teams drew 2-2 in Munich before Bayern – with Klinsmann again present, but Guardiola absent – advanced to the final with a 2-1 success at Camp Nou.

• Thierry Henry's next goal in the UEFA Champions League will be his 50th in the competition.


Liverpool FC v Chelsea FC
• This is the fourth time in five seasons the teams have met in the knockout stages, following semi-final contests in 2005, 2006 and 2008. On each previous occasion the team playing the second leg at home progressed.

• Five-times European champions Liverpool can take heart from home-and-away wins against their opponents in the Premier League this season – not to mention an unbeaten home run in the UEFA Champions League that stretches to ten matches, including qualifiers.

• Both teams have formidable recent records when it comes to surmounting this particular hurdle: Liverpool won quarter-finals in 2005, 2007 and 2008, while Chelsea advanced in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008.

• Chelsea have not won any of their last six away matches in the UEFA Champions League, while Liverpool are unbeaten in five home meetings with Chelsea and won the last Anfield encounter 2-0 in February thanks to Fernando Torres goals after 89 and 90 minutes.

• Liverpool have won four of six previous two-legged contests against English sides in UEFA club competition. In addition to their UEFA Champions League successes against Arsenal FC in last season's quarter-finals and those Chelsea ties, they beat Tottenham Hotspur FC on away goals in the 1972/73 UEFA Cup semi-finals following a 2-2 aggregate draw.

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Mexico Sack Sven-Goran Eriksson

Following a disastrous 3-1 loss in Honduras, Mexico have sacked manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.

The Swede manager had guided Mexico to just three of a possible nine points in the Hexagonal, and had barely gotten Mexico into the semifinal phase to begin with.

An immediate successor has not been named, but reports have placed former Tri and Atletico Madrid manager Javier Aguirre and Toluca boss Jose Manuel "Chepo" De La Torre as the frontrunners for the now-vacant post.

"The decision was made because we cannot put at risk Mexico's participation in the World Cup," Mexican Football Federation President Justino Compean said. "We could rely on having to win all of our home games just to qualify for the World Cup."

Eriksson's results on the road were dreadful. In the semifinal phase of qualifying, Mexico lost two of three road games and tied another. The Hexagonal round started off with a 2-0 loss at the United States. Following a 2-0 win over Costa Rica, it seemed the tables had turned in Mexico's favor, but a 3-1 rout in Honduras was the final straw.

Mexico's next qualifier will be on June 6 in El Salvador followed by a June 10 home fixture against Trinidad & Tobago. After the Gold Cup, which will be held in July, Mexico will resume qualifying on Aug. 12 against the United States.

Before joining Mexico, Eriksson had managed Manchester City. Prior to that, he led England to a pair of World Cups and twice guided England to the quarterfinals.

Eriksson's overall record with Mexico finished at 6-6-1.

Friday, April 3, 2009 | posted in | 0 comments [ More ]