Arsenal FC :: Life after Thierry Henry.

[kibaxx7]

One more season with Arsenal... going with FIFA Manager 08, real life fixtures... Premier, FA Cup, Carling Cup & Champions League.

Story isn't only focused on Arsène's team, there will be a little analysis of the other Premier League games, and also something in other leagues (LFP, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1).

[kibaxx7]

July 25th, 2007 :: The Emirates Cup is unveiled (more...)
July 28th, 2007 :: Luyindula, Cambiasso and Hildebrand on Emirates Cup (more...)
July 31st, 2007 :: Arsenal to take part in Amsterdam (more...)
August 3rd, 2007 :: Wenger: "We believe we can fight for the title" (more...)
August 4th, 2007 :: Wenger: "Van Persie has been transformed" (more...)
August 11st, 2007 :: Sagna and Eboue out of opener (more...)
August 12nd, 2007 :: Wenger: "Our play merited more goals than we did get" (more...)
August 13rd, 2007 :: Walcott returns for Toon but duo ruled out (more...)
August 14th, 2007 :: Gunners to face Linfield (more...)

July 28th, 2007 :: Emirates Cup 1st Day :: vs. Paris Saint Germain. (more...)
July 29th, 2007 :: Emirates Cup 2nd Day :: vs. Inter Milan. (more...)
August 2nd, 2007 :: LG Amsterdam Tournament 1st Day :: @ SS Lazio. (more...)
August 4th, 2007 :: LG Amsterdam Tournament 2nd Day :: @ AFC Ajax. (more...)
August 9th, 2007 :: Last 3 friendlies (more...)
August 12th, 2007 :: Barclays Premiership 1st Week :: vs. Fulham. (more...)
August 14th, 2007 :: Barclays Premiership 1st Week :: Team of the Day (more...)

August 9th, 2007 :: Preseason News. (more...)
August 9th, 2007 :: Season Preview :: Part 1. (more...)
August 10th, 2007 :: Season Preview :: Part 2. (more...)
August 11st, 2007 :: Season Preview :: Part 3. (more...)
August 12nd, 2007 :: Season Preview :: Part 4. (more...)
August 12th, 2007 :: Season Preview :: Part 5. (more...)
August 14th, 2007 :: Barclays Premiership 1st Week :: Afternews. (more...)

[kibaxx7]

[kibaxx7]

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(click any game to see the recap)

[kibaxx7]

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August 10th, 2007 :: 1st Week :: vs. Fulham. (more...)
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[Mark.]

Im looking forward to this bro. You've got a great young squad with a big future ahead of them, plus they are ready to compete now.

Bring the title to Ashburton Grove!!

EDIT: Don't start that cheat Eboue, Sagna is ten times the player he is! Also IMO Flamini is a better player than Gilberto.

Is Vela coming back from loan for you at the end of the season?

[kibaxx7]

Im looking forward to this bro. You've got a great young squad with a big future ahead of them, plus they are ready to compete now.

Bring the title to Ashburton Grove!!

Thanks a lot Mark... I have huge plans for players like Walcott, Bendtner, Denilson, Clichy...

EDIT: Don't start that cheat Eboue, Sagna is ten times the player he is! Also IMO Flamini is a better player than Gilberto.

Is Vela coming back from loan for you at the end of the season?

Don't worry, this is only for the pre-season friendlies, i'm trying different formations... not sure about Vela coming back, hope he does, I will later check the game..

[kibaxx7]

.:: The Emirates Cup is unveiled
This is your first chance to see the Emirates Cup!

The sterling silver cup was made by Thomas Fattorini, whose family has produced trophies for English football since 1827. It will be awarded to the winners of the inaugural pre-season tournament at Emirates Stadium over the weekend of July 28 and 29.

"We wanted to create a design that both stood out from other international football trophies and something that a club would be proud to place in their cabinet," said Fattorini.

"Emirates Stadium has very iconic, asymmetrical flowing lines across the rooftop, which motivated identical lines in the original brand identity for the stadium. The base, lip and handles of the trophy mirror these, with the Emirates logo placed firmly on the face of the cup."

Arsenal, Inter Milan, Valencia and Paris St. Germain will contest the Emirates Cup at the end of next week. The winners will keep the trophy for one year and then return it ahead of the tournament at the start of the 2008/09 season.

Tickets for day two of the Emirates Cup have sold out. There is very limited availability for day one (Saturday, July 28) which sees Arsenal face Paris St. Germain at 4.15pm after Inter Milan and Valencia get the Emirates Cup underway at 2pm.

.:: Ten Facts on... Paris Saint-Germain

• Paris Saint Germain have had a turbulent history, and were formed after several unions and mergers involving Paris FC, F.C. Paris, Stade Saint-germanois, Saint-Germain-en-Laye and Stade Saint-Germain. The club as we know them today were formed in August 1970.
  
• Our only previous meetings with Paris Saint-Germain came in the two-legged 1994 European Cup Winners Cup Semi-Final. In the first leg at the Parc des Princes Ian Wright opened the scoring for Arsenal before David Ginola grabbed an equaliser for PSG. The match finished 1-1. In the second leg back at Highbury Kevin Campbell scored the only goal to take us through to the Final.
  
• Arsenal have taken part in a European Final at the home of Paris Saint-Germain. The 1995 European Cup Winners Cup final took place at the Parc des Princes. Spanish opponents Real Zaragoza broke Arsenal hearts with a last minute winner in a 2-1 victory.
  
• Paris Saint-Germain have won the French league on two occasions, in 1986 and 1994. They have also won the Coupe de France (French Cup) seven times, most recently in 2006.
  
• In November 1996 Arsène Wenger bought Nicolas Anelka from Paris Saint-Germain. Anelka had played just 10 times for the French team (scoring one goal) before moving to London. Anelka went on to win both the Premier League and FA Cup in 1998, scoring the second goal in Arsenal's 2-0 win over Newcastle United in that season's FA Cup final. He also won the PFA Young Player of the Year in the 1998-99 season. Anelka played a total of 89 games for Arsenal, scring 27 goals.
  
• The golden era for Paris St-Germain came between 1993-98 with a team containing the likes of Bernard Lama, Alain Roche, Ricardo Gomes, Valdo, David Ginola, George Weah, Raí and Youri Djorkaeff.
  
• Paris Saint-Germain won the European Cup Winners Cup in 1996. Bruno N'Gotty scored the only goal as PSG beat Rapid Vienna 1-0 in the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels.
  
• Paris Saint-Germain also reached the The European Cup Winners Cup final the following year, but were beaten 1-0 by Barcelona in Rotterdam.
  
• In 2001 Paris Saint-Germain lifted the UEFA Intertoto Cup. That year they qualified for the UEFA Cup along with Aston Villa and Troyes AC.
  
• Paris Saint-Germain finished their 2006-07 season in a disappointing 15th place. The club struggled mid-season winning just two games in an 18 game sequence.

.:: Ten Facts on... Valencia CF

• Valencia were founded in 1919, in the centre of the Turia River capital, in the Torino Bar. The idea of creating a football club was put into action. The first president of Valencia Football Club, Octavio Augusto Milego, was elected by chance: a coin tossed into the air helped deciding between himself or Gonzalo Medina Pernás, who finally got the department of the constituent and festivities commission.
  
• Valencia is the third most popular football club in Spain (5.3 million fans), behind only Real Madrid (32.8 million) and FC Barcelona (25.7 million). It is also one of the biggest clubs in the world in terms of number of associates (registered paying supporters), with more than 45,000 and another 20,000 on the waiting list.
  
• "Los Che" have played their home games at the 53,469-seater Estadio Mestalla since 1923. They are soon to move into the 75,000-seater Nou Mestalla in the north-west portion of the city in 2009.
  
• Valencia have a long-standing rivalry with Levante, also located in Valencia, and with another club in the Valencian Community region, Villarreal.
  
• Why the bat? There are several possible explanations for it and the subsequent nicknaming of Valencia as "Los Che"; one is that bats are simply quite common in the area. The second theory is that on October 9, 1238, when James I was about to enter the city, re-conquering it from the Moors, one bat landed on the top of his flag, and he interpreted it as a good sign. As he conquered the city, the bat was added to the arms.
  
• In 1962, Valencia defeated FC Barcelona, 6-2, in the first leg of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final of 1962. Los Che's went on to win their first European trophy.
  
• Next year, 1963, they would repeat the title in the Fairs Cup. The first obstacles were three Scottish teams: Celtic, Dunfermline and Hibernian. In the semi-finals Valencia had to play AS Roma, winning 3-0 in Mestalla and losing 1-0 in the Rome Olympic stadium. The rival in the final was Dynamo Zagreb. The first match was played in the then Yugoslavian town and Valencia won 2-1. The return match took place in Mestalla, where 50.000 spectators could witness the superiority of Valencia, who beat the Balkan team by 2-0.
  
• One of Real Madrid's worst defeats ever came against Valencia. "Los Che" won 6-0, Valencia's biggest win against their fierce rivals, in 1999 Copa del Rey semi-finals.
  
• The winning of the League title in 1944 gave Valencia the opportunity to make their debut in the European Cup, the top competition within continental football. Valencia’s path in this competition was brief, since they beat Luxemburgo and Hajduk Split but lost in the third round with Újpesti Dózsa.
  
• Valencia have won six La Liga titles, six Copa del Rey trophies, one UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, one UEFA Cup, two Inter-Cities Fairs Cups and two UEFA Super Cups. They have also been UEFA Champions League final runners-up on two different occasions in 2000 and 2001, losing to La Liga rivals Real Madrid in 2000 and German club Bayern Munich in 2001.

.:: Ten Facts on... Inter Milan

• The club was founded on March 9, 1908, following a break-away from the Milan Cricket and Football Club, now known as AC Milan. A group of Italians and Swiss were unhappy about the domination of Italians in the AC Milan team. From the beginning, the club was open to foreign players and thus lived up to the name 'Internazionale'.
  
• Inter Milan have never been relegated and are the only Italian club to have always played their football in the top division.
  
• One of Inter Milan's nicknames is "Il Biscione" (the Big Grass Snake). This comes from the ancient coat of arms of the Italian Visconti family which shows a blue serpent in the act of swallowing a human.
  
• Inter won their first Coppa Italia (Italian Cup) in 1938-39, led by the great legend Giuseppe Meazza, after whom the San Siro stadium is officially named.
  
• The best years of Inter's history were between 1963 and 1966, affectionately known as the era of La Grande Inter (The Great Inter). During this period the club won three league championships in 1963, 1965 and 1966, back-to-back European Cups in 1964 and 1965 and two Intercontinental Cups in 1964 and 1965.
  
• Bruce Rioch bought Dennis Bergkamp from Inter Milan in June 1995. Dennis played 52 games for Inter (scoring 11 goals) and picking up a UEFA Cup winners medal in 1994. Dennis went on to play 423 games for Arsenal scoring 120 goals.
  
• Arsenal and Inter Milan have met just twice, in the group stage of the 2003-04 Champions League. Inter stunned Highbury by winning 3-0 in London, but Arsenal were to also stun the San Siro. Goals from Henry (2), Ljungberg, Edu and Pires gave the Gunners an incredible 5-1 away victory. It was Arsenal's biggest ever Champions League victory and Inter's worst result on home soil in European football.
  
• Inter have won the last two Italian 'Scudetto'. In 2005-06 Inter finished in third place but were awarded the title after points were stripped from Juventus and AC Milan - both sides involved in the match fixing scandal that year.
  
• Inter made it back-to-back titles in 2006-07, the first time Inter have won the Scudetto, based on their league performance since 1989.
  
• During the 2006-07 title winning season, Inter went on a record-breaking run of 17 consecutive victories in Serie A, starting on September 25 2006 with a 4-1 home victory over Livorno, and ending on February 28, 2007, after a 1-1 draw at home to Udinese. The 5-2 away win at Catania on February 25 2007 broke the original record of 15 matches held by Bayern Munich & Real Madrid from the "Big 5" (the top flight leagues in England, Italy, Spain, France & Germany).

[c0nr4d]

awesome coverage man...ur always so in-depth with ur dynasties, i love it

good luck!

[GoHornets]

This is going to be interesting.
Nice fixture.
First Liverpool... and seven days later manchester. That week it's not going to be easy.

[kibaxx7]

Arsenal FC - 1 (1)
---- Almunia; Eboué, Touré, Gallas, Clichy; Rosický, Gilberto Silva, Fabregas, Hleb; Van Persie, Adebayor :: 4-4-2
---- 3' Gilberto Silva
Paris Saint Germain - 0 (0)
---- Landreau; Mendy, Camara, Bourillon, Armand; Frau, Clement, Digard, Rothen; Luyindula, Pauleta :: 4-4-2

LONDON, July 28 -- Arsenal gave themselves a great chance of winning the inaugural Emirates Cup with a 1-0 win over Paris St-Germain on Saturday. The format of this new tournament awards three points for a win, one for a draw and one for each goal scored. Valencia took only one point from the first game of the afternoon with a 0-0 draw against Inter. Arsenal victory’s in the second game puts the Gunners on first place of the table. Arsène Wenger’s side play the Italians on Sunday in the final game of the tournament so they will have the luxury of knowing exactly what is required to lift this trophy for the first time.

Gilberto Silva scored the only goal of the game after only three minutes to seal the victory for Arsenal. The Brazilian won a corner and from it, the Gunners went ahead; he saw his crashing header saved by keeper Mickael Landreau following Robin Van Persie's corner, but pounced on the rebound to fire the home side into an early lead. The English side almost went two ahead after 18 minutes, when PSG defender Bernard Mendy's desperate clearance nearly ended up in his own net.

Despite their lead, the home side were clearly missing the "invention", and the French team sensed they could find a way back into the game. Nevertheless, were fortunate not to be reduced to ten men after 35 minutes, when Zoumana Camara escaped with a yellow card following a horrific high tackle on Emmanuel Eboue. After that let-off, the visitors squandered a glorious chance to equalise on 42 minutes: Portuguese striker Pauleta stole the ball from a hesitant Arsenal defence, but sent his angled drive spinning just wide of the target.

After the break, the Gunners began brighter, but Emmanuel Adebayor's header was easily saved by Landreau on 51 minutes. At the other end, Péguy Luyindula shot wide as PSG searched for a way back into the game. The home side then appealed for a penalty on 67 minutes, but Adebayor was adjudged to have been clipped just outside the area by Didier Digard. Three minutes later, the home faithful will though have been pleased to see Theo Walcott in action. The young starlet had an almost immediate impact, brilliantly setting up Van Persie, but the Dutch's clever back-hell was well saved by Landreau.

Adebayor and Tomas Rosický had further chances for the Gunners in the final minutes, but were unable to convert and the home side finished the game rather nervously hanging on to their slender advantage.

Inter Milan - 0 (0)
---- Julio César; Maicon, Iván Córdoba, Materazzi, Chivu; Vieira, Cambiasso, Zanetti; Stankovic; Crespo, Ibrahimovic :: 4-3-1-2
Valencia CF - 0 (0)
---- Cañizares; Miguel, Iván Helguera, Marchena, Moretti; Joaquín, Baraja, Albelda, Vicente; Morientes, Villa :: 4-4-2

LONDON, July 28 -- In a game of few opportunities and little entertainment, Valencia had the best of the possession and were unlucky to see David Villa's 89th-minute strike ruled out for offside. Fernando Morientes also missed a penalty just after half-time as the Spanish team laboured against a well-organised Inter Milan outfit.

Villa had the first chance of the game on six minutes, but saw his effort well saved by Julio César. At the other end, Santiago Cañizares denied Zlatan Ibrahimovic as the game promised to be an open and attacking affair. Joaquín then drove a powerful effort just wide on 16 minutes as "Los Che" sought an early breakthrough; but that was to be their best chance in the whole half, and Roberto Mancini's side looked even less likely to get on the scoresheet in a dull opening 45 minutes.

Things quickly livened up after the break, though, when Marco Materazzi brought down David Albelda in the area after 47 minutes. Morientes stepped up to take the kick, but duly missed from the spot and the Spanish team were left frustrated once again. Ronald Koeman's side took a good while to recover from that miss and Inter began to enjoy their best spell of the game. Hernán Crespo wasted a good chance from a quick counter-attack on the hour mark and the visitors came within a whisker of taking the lead on 62 minutes, when Patrick Vieira crashed a header against the post from close range.

The game badly needed a goal, but it seemed to be one of those days when the ball just refused to go in. Rubén Baraja saw his shot saved, and Villa fired wide from a great position on 71 minutes, much to the annoyance of the better-placed Vicente. Villa was not to blame that time, but it certainly was not the former Real Zaragoza man's day, as he saw his last-gasp effort ruled out for a dubious offside decision on 89 minutes: he looked onside, even though Baraja - who was not interfering with play - was in an illegal position.

[kibaxx7]

awesome coverage man...ur always so in-depth with ur dynasties, i love it

good luck!

Thanks a lot

This is going to be interesting.
Nice fixture.
First Liverpool... and seven days later manchester. That week it's not going to be easy.

Yep... and don't forget there's also Champions League by that dates...

[Mark.]

Looks great bro, pretty low scoring games, all about the defense eh? Lets not revert back to the "boring old Arsenal" era

I like this pre season cup, was Silva playing for Valencia?

EDIT: I just noticed in the reserves, where are the likes of Henry Lansbury and Jack Wilshire?

[buzzy]

Great presentation, this one should be good.

...a 0-0 win against Inter.

[Jing]

Are those pics from PES or FIFA Manager? Your dynasties always have pretty good design and format, along with writing

[kibaxx7]

Looks great bro, pretty low scoring games, all about the defense eh? Lets not revert back to the "boring old Arsenal" era

I like this pre season cup, was Silva playing for Valencia?

EDIT: I just noticed in the reserves, where are the likes of Henry Lansbury and Jack Wilshire?

Hehe yeah, only an early goal... yes, Silva was in the bench, but I think he didn't enter the game in the second half...

Oh, about Lansbury and Wilshire, I forgot... I have them in another file! There's no problem at all, I will add them now.

Great presentation, this one should be good.

Thanks man... edited the mistake

Are those pics from PES or FIFA Manager? Your dynasties always have pretty good design and format, along with writing

These pics are from PES, because I was having a problem with friendlies at Manager, don't know why Thanks!

[Donatello]

I don't give the first crap about soccer, but this is really well put together. Kudos.

[Martti.]

Amazing work. Good luck!

Inter will be a tough opponent.

[kibaxx7]

I don't give the first crap about soccer, but this is really well put together. Kudos.

Thanks man

Amazing work. Good luck!

Inter will be a tough opponent.

Yep they are very tough, anyway I have hope as they didn't play very well against Valencia.

[shadowgrin]

Who's willing to bet with me on when the earliest this will be abandoned by thierryhenry50 again?

[kibaxx7]

Who's willing to bet with me on when the earliest this will be abandoned by thierryhenry50 again?

It won't.

[kibaxx7]

.:: Luyindula, Cambiasso and Hildebrand on Emirates Cup
Representatives from each of the four contenders held press conferences

Arsenal's two weekend opponents were first to have their say with Peguy Luyindula, Paris St Germain striker, and Inter Milan midfielder Esteban Cambiasso facing the media. Valencia's goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand later gave a press conference at Emirates Stadium. Read on to find out what the three players said.

.:: Peguy Luyindula, Paris Saint Germain

• On being invited to the Emirates Cup..."We’re very happy to be invited. It’s a great chance to play here. I’m really happy to be here. I think these are going to big games in this beautiful stadium."
  
• On Arsenal..."I am optimistic for them. They have a very good team and a very young team. They still have enough good players to have a strong team."
• On his respect for Arsène Wenger..."He is an example for all the French managers I think. We all respect him."
  
• On how important the tournament is to his team’s pre-season preparations..."This is a really big test. It will be important for us to play big games against big teams."

.:: Esteban Cambiasso, Inter Milan

• on preparations for the Emirates Cup..."We've worked a lot and had two days of rest so we're fully prepared for Arsenal. I think the rest will help us."
  
• on the Champions League fracas with Valencia..."We are friends and we will shake hands. We know how to behave."
• on Thierry Henry leaving Arsenal..."I feel sorry he left because I know how much he was involved here. I am happy of course that he will not be on the pitch against us." (laughs)
  
• on the Emirates Cup..."We have to be highly concentrated like we always are. This is important even though it's only a friendly tournament. We can see what stage we are at."

.:: Timo Hildebrand, Valencia CF

• on the current Arsenal side..."I love English football and, let me say, it is another generation. There have been a lot of changes, with Cesc Fabregas, Van Persie, Walcott... I hope they continue winning and bring trophies."
  
• on whether Henry's departure will affect Arsenal..."Yes, it will... He is one of the best strikers in the world and for sure they will miss him. I hope they can find someone who reaches the same level as Henry."
• on Valencia's prospects this season..."We are looking forward to the league season. We have new signings and the team is strong. Of course Barcelona and Real Madrid are very strong but if we play with a strong mentality we can do something big."
  
• on Valencia's transfer policy compared to their rivals..."It is difficult to compare because when Barcelona buy someone like Thierry Henry, or Eric Abidal, or Real Madrid try to buy Robben, it makes them stronger. We are trying to be like them but we don't have the same money. But I think we have a good team. In our squad there are no weaknesses from the goalkeeper to the left winger. We have good players and we can do something important."

[Chaser7]

Woah you're back! and this looks really amazing too! Great coverage, and good luck. I'll follow.

[kibaxx7]

Woah you're back! and this looks really amazing too! Great coverage, and good luck. I'll follow.

Thanks a lot Chaser By the way, edited the squad and reserves. As Mark said, some players were missing.

[JT_55]

This is awesome! Presentation and coverage looks fantastic! Some great games, but didn't have too many goals to show for it. Just one of those games, huh?