Mourinho admits admiration for Chelsea's Drogba

Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho has admitted his great admiration for Chelsea striker Didier Drogba. 

“It is easy for me to talk about him, because he is like a son to me,” smiled Mourinho yesterday. 

“I remember every moment we spent together: from when I wanted him at Chelsea and he first arrived at Stamford Bridge, to the Cup Final at Wembley when he hugged me before his teammates, seeking me out like crazy in the locker room. 

“But it is also difficult for me to talk about him, because he is a Chelsea player, he has a contract with them and can choose between many different teams when he wants to leave.” 

Drogba’s increasingly public spat with Chelsea fuelled reports he was to quit, especially after he was found in a meeting with Inter directors. 

“I haven’t spoken to him in months,” assured Mourinho. “The last time was when he injured himself against Cluj in the first few Champions League games.
“Besides, we have a tricky situation here, as we have [Hernan] Crespo, [Julio] Cruz, Adriano and [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic. 

“I understand that when there is talk of his unhappiness at the Blues, Inter’s name will inevitably come out. 

“That is down to the rapport that exists between us, but there is nothing else in it. I hope he rediscovers joy and happiness and that he can play at his level.”

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Schuster: Getafe should've won by more

Bernd Schuster could not explain why Real Madrid were so easily outplayed by Getafe last night.

A double from Juan Albin and Ikechuwku Uche's late goal saw Getafe thump visitors Real, whose lone goal came from Javier Saviola. 

Afterwards, Schuster declared: "This defeat doesn't hurt, it was coming from the opening whistle. We never had the feeling we could win here, that's why it does not hurt. 

"Getafe were far superior to us. They've played a fantastic game and I think even the result has been short in the interests of Getafe." 

Asked if Real lost through player "laziness" or due to injuries to key personnel, Schuster admitted: "I do not know ..."

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Cologne upset league leaders Schalke 04

German first division leaders Schalke 04 surrendered their unbeaten Bundesliga record when they lost 1-0 at promoted Cologne on Friday.

The visitors got away with a series of defensive lapses until Youssef Mohamad headed in for Cologne just before halftime after a long throw from Pierre Wome bamboozled the defense.

Schalke remain top with 11 points from six matches followed by 1899 Hoffenheim, VfB Stuttgart and Hamburg SV on 10 points from five.

Hoffenheim was to visit Werder Bremen yesterday, while Stuttgart were to travel to Borussia Dortmund and Hamburg were to host Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Milivoje Novakovic twice got clear on goal in the first half, with goalkeeper Ralf Faehrmann thwarting him each time.

Nemanja Vucicevic also went close for Cologne before Wome’s brilliant long throw led to the opening goal.

Cologne missed chances to kill the game off on the break and they were nearly punished when Schalke substitute Halil Altintop headed against a post near the end.

Eighth-placed Bayern Munich were to face Hannover yesterday, with French playmaker Franck Ribery expected to make his return to league action after his midweek turnout in the German Cup following a lengthy absence through a left ankle injury he suffered in France’s last Euro 2008 match against Italy. 
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A Differerent Game

Looking ahead to this afternoon's Premier League clash against Arsenal, Luiz Felipe Scolari has challenged his defence to show its strength.


We have conceded just four times in league action this season, with Xabi Alonso's winner for Liverpool at the Bridge last month the only goal in the last 12-and-a-half hours to have beaten either Petr Cech or Carlo Cudicini, yet Scolari acknowledges that in Arsene Wenger's side we face a formidable attacking unit.


'I think Arsenal [will] attack us more than the other clubs. It is not easy for my team, they need very good concentration and maybe we have some opportunities that other teams don't give to us because they attack us, maybe with six, seven, eight players sometimes.


'If we are intelligent sometimes we have the chance to counter-attack. They play football very well, in the Premier League they are one of the best teams. They have a good defence but they try to attack more than defend,' Scolari said of the opposition.


'Maybe they come to win and win, I hope not, I hope they come to win and lose but they try more than other clubs because this team plays to attack, not to defend. It is a different game for us now, and I will see if my defence is as well as I think.'


This means the manager will be looking hard at whoever he chooses in his backline, but one thing is for sure, captain John Terry will be among them.


'He is a face for the coach. When I was captain in my teams in Brazil as a player I was the face for my coach, and it's what I see in John Terry,' Scolari said. 'I think he was born as a captain, it's fantastic for a coach.'

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Scolari: Arsene and Me!!

Yesterday, Luiz Felipe Scolari described Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger as a friend. Today, he explains why.


The pair first met as a result of working in Japan, Scolari taking over at Jubilo Iwata around the time Wenger was leaving his post at Nagoya Grampus Eight to come to England, and Highbury.


Since then their paths have crossed in the professional arena only when Scolari visited the country to keep an eye on international talents in his capacity as coach of either Brazil or Portugal.


The Brazilian explains it is a shared ideology between him and his north London counterpart that brought them close.


'I came to London to look at games and afterwards discussed at his house because he invited me for dinner and we spoke about football, what I think with my team, Arsenal, and we had some ideas, same ideas about football,' he said.


'Our personality is different because I was born in Brazil, he was born in France and our families are different but some ideas about football are the same and I like his style. He is a very good friend, lose, win or draw, he is the same man every game. I like him because he is a very good coach, and a friend… I think!'


Scolari added that the friendship would continue, despite the outcome or events of tomorrow's match.


'We are opponents only for 90 minutes. Before the game we talk and discuss about the game, players, this or that. After the game he plays at Stamford Bridge, my house, I invite him to talk after the game, win, draw or lose. This is a moment with two friends. But, in the game, we are opponents,' he stressed.


In recent seasons, we have outspent the Gunners in the transfer market, but Scolari believes under his stewardship Chelsea will be brought more in line with Wenger's methods of player development.


'You need quality and Chelsea was one club that spent money three, four, five years before, but not now,' he explained, before looking at the current global financial market. 'With me, no. I only spent money on Deco.


'Arsenal have not spent money, sometimes one here or there. Arsene knows what position is better to spend money on, and now maybe is the time in the world that we need to think about money, coaches, boards, clubs, players, because it is not easy anymore. We need to think.'

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Wenger: My admiration for Luis Felipe Scolari

Arsène Wenger considers Luis Felipe Scolari a friend - but he will put their relationship to one side on Sunday afternoon.

A positive result against Chelsea will leave Arsenal seven points adrift of their London rivals but a defeat against Scolari's side would open up a daunting 13-point gap between the two clubs.

Wenger admires Scolari's attacking philosophy - one which has already reaped dividends at Stamford Bridge - but he knows he must win the tactical battle against a man he first met while in charge of Nagoya Grampus Eight in Japan. The Frenchman reflected on his first meeting with the Brazilian at his pre-match press conference on Friday.

"I met him in Japan because he was over there, although he did not stay for very long because he didn't like the sushi," recalled Wenger. "After that I met him when he was national coach of Portugal because he had some players in England and we kept good relations.

"I have known him for a long time. I believe he has done well. He is a very experienced, extroverted man who does well. He has a big experience and football everywhere is the same. You want to win your games. He has dealt quite well with the problems he faces here.

"You want managers who have a positive attitude towards the game. Is he a breath of fresh air? I don't know. It looks like the press is always in need of fresh air, some fresh oxygen. I believe the most important thing is the quality of the job you do.

"However, the good relationship with Scolari will not last after 4pm on Sunday. It is always better than being in a confrontational way with the opposition manager but what is most important is that the only enjoyable thing will be winning."

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Arsenal Club History

From Foundation to the First World War
Arsenal Football Club began life when a group of workers at the Woolwich Arsenal Armament Factory decided to form a football team in late 1886. The Club played under the name of Dial Square. Their first match was a 6-0 victory over Eastern Wanderers, on December 11, 1886. Soon after, the name Royal Arsenal was adopted and the Club continued playing in friendlies and local cup competitions for the next few years.

In 1891 the Club turned professional and changed its name to Woolwich Arsenal, finally joining the Football League in 1893. The Gunners moved to Highbury in 1913, as a Second Division side. Following the First World War Arsenal were voted into the newly expanded First Division, where they have remained ever since.

Chapman and the Glorious Thirties
Herbert Chapman took over at Arsenal in 1925, and in 1930 he guided the Gunners to their first ever trophy — beating Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup Final. The following season Arsenal were champions for the first time. Between 1933 and 1935 the Club won a hattrick of league titles (which has only been achieved by four teams in the top flight). Sadly Chapman died in the middle of the run, by which time he had reached legend status.

George Allison took over and the dominance continued for the rest of the decade, winning one more FA Cup (1936) and another title (1938). During this time Arsenal had some of the game’s greatest players on its books: Alex James, Ted Drake, Cliff Bastin, David Jack, Eddie Hapgood and George Male were just some of the names in what was one of the greatest sides ever to play in the Football League.

Post-War to the First Double
The Second World War stopped Arsenal in their tracks but Tom Whittaker became manager and more success followed. Arsenal were Champions in 1947/48 and 1952/53; FA Cup winners in 1950 and runners-up in 1952. The ‘60s provided little in the way of silverware at Highbury, with two losing appearances in the League Cup Final in 1968 and 1969 being the closest thing to success. Bertie Mee had taken over in the mid-Sixties and Arsenal lifted their first ever European trophy in 1969/70, beating Anderlecht 4-3 over the two legged Fairs Cup Final.

Better was to follow the following season. An Arsenal side containing the likes of Charlie George, George Armstrong, Ray Kennedy and captain Frank McLintock, won the league and FA Cup ‘double’. They clinched the title at White Hart Lane, then beat Liverpool after extra time at Wembley to win the Cup. The side returned to Wembley for three consecutive FA Cup Finals under Terry Neill at the end of the decade — winning the second of them, 3-2 against Manchester United. The game became known as the ‘Five Minute Final’. The Gunners also reached the 1980 Cup Winners’ Cup Final, with a team that included Graham Rix, Frank Stapleton, Pat Rice, David O’Leary and Liam Brady, but lost on penalties to Valencia.

George Graham's Honours
In 1986 George Graham, a member of the 1971 ‘double’ winning team, took over as manager from Don Howe and more glory days followed. He led Arsenal to their first ever League Cup triumph in 1986/87, beating Liverpool 2-1 in the Final. Two years later the Gunners won the League Championship, with a famous last minute goal from Michael Thomas clinching the title with a 2-0 win at Anfield. Another title followed in 1990/91, when the side, including the famous defensive back four, lost just one league game.

More silverware followed. In 1992/93 Arsenal became the first club to win both domestic cups in the same season. Sheffield Wednesday were the beaten side on both occasions. Graham’s era of success was rounded off the following season. A superb run in the European Cup Winners’ Cup ended with a memorable 1-0 win over Parma in the Final in Copenhagen, thanks to Alan Smith’s strike. Arsenal failed to retain the trophy the following season, losing in the 1995 final to Real Zaragoza. By this time George Graham had left the Club. He was succeeded by Bruce Rioch, who was in charge for one season, during which time he signed Dennis Bergkamp.

The Arsène Wenger Era
In 1997/98, Wenger’s first full season at Highbury, Arsenal achieved, for the second time in the Club’s history, the League and FA Cup ‘double’ enabling the Frenchman to pick up the Carling Manager of the Year Award. Dennis Bergkamp was also named Football Writers’ Association (FWA) Player of the Year and PFA Player of the Year. A tremendous season was rounded off perfectly for French Internationals Emmanuel Petit and Patrick Vieira as the Gunners stars played their part in France’s victorious World Cup campaign.

Three consecutive league runners-up medals followed and in 2000 Arsenal appeared in the UEFA Cup Final where they lost on penalties. In 2001 the Club reached the Quarter-Finals of the UEFA Champions League before being knocked out by Valencia. 2001/02 however saw a reversal of fortunes as the Club recorded their third ‘double’ by beating Chelsea in the FA Cup and ending their league campaign with a 13-game unbeaten run and a memorable 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford. Arsenal remained unbeaten at home for the whole season. For that, Arsène Wenger was named Barclaycard Manager of the Year while Robert Pires was named Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year.

The following season Arsenal narrowly missed out on retaining the title but the Gunners became the first English club in more than 20 years to retain the FA Cup with their 1-0 victory over Southampton at Cardiff. Thierry Henry was voted player of the season by both the PFA and the Football Writers’ Association in a term which saw him join Dennis Bergkamp in the hallowed 100 Club having scored a century of goals for Arsenal. Season 2003/2004 saw Arsenal win back the title in unbeatable fashion managing to go though the entire league season without a single defeat. Finishing 11 points ahead of second-place Chelsea, Arsenal smashed several records on the way to their 13th league title win. Spanish youngster Cesc Fabregas arrived in January and by the end of the season had broken the record for the youngest Arsenal appearance aged 16 years and 177 days.

A Semi-Final defeat in the FA Cup by Manchester United and the Quarter-Finals of the Champions League by Chelsea ended any hope of a remarkable treble. The unbeaten league run continued the following season and in August 2004 Arsenal overtook Nottingham Forest’s record for the longest all-time unbeaten sequence in English league football. The Gunners made it five trophies in four seasons by winning the FA Cup in a penalty shoot-out victory over Manchester United.

The 2005/06 campaign was the Club’s last at Highbury and the Final Salute celebrations proved to be a fitting goodbye to the Club’s home of 93 years. Fourth place in the league — and Champions League football — was secured on the last day of the season with a 4-2 win over Wigan Athletic (coupled with Tottenham’s loss at West Ham United). Arsenal’s alltime record at Highbury reads as follows: Played 2,010; Won 1,196; Drawn 475; Lost 339; Goals Scored 4,038; Goals Conceded 1,955.

The highlight of the season was the Club’s amazing journey to the 2005/06 Champions League Final in Paris. A 12- game unbeaten run, including a new competition record for the most amount of consecutive clean sheets (10 in all), saw Arsenal line-up against Barcelona in the Final on May 17 at the Stade de France. Despite having Jens Lehmann sent-off after just 18 minutes, the Gunners scored first through Sol Campbell before, in the second-half, the Spaniards scored two late goals to break the hearts of the travelling Arsenal support.

Into Emirates Stadium
As the Club prepared itself for the move to Emirates Stadium, Gunners captain and record goalscorer, Thierry Henry committed his future to Arsenal before going on to help France reach the World Cup Final in Germany in the summer of 2006. In July, 2006 the Club left Highbury, their stadium of 93 years, and moved to their new home. Ajax provided the opposition in Dennis Bergkamp’s Testimonial as the legendary striker played his last game for the Club in the first ever match at Emirates Stadium.

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Arsenal Injury News 1

Please note The injury news on Arsenal.com is updated only from Arsène Wenger's press conferences and his interviews with Arsenal TV Online. For clarification purposes, this is dated.

Emmanuel Eboue
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Emmanuel's knee injury ruled him out of the Manchester United, Aston Villa and Manchester City clashes and the midfielder will not return against Dynamo Kyiv.

Tomas Rosicky
Monday, November 24, 2008
On November 11, Arsenal released the following statement: "Tomas Rosicky yesterday underwent routine revision surgery in Germany. The operation went as planned and Tomas will now spend at least a few weeks convalescing in Germany. Thereafter he will follow a tailored rehabilitation progamme devised by our medical team." The Czech midfielder has been out since January 29 with a hamstring problem.

Kolo Toure
Monday, November 24, 2008
Kolo sat out the trip to Man City and will miss the clash with Dynamo Kyiv after picking up an injury on international duty. "Kolo Toure is a major doubt [for Man City],” said Wenger. “He got an injury on his calf with Ivory Coast."

Theo Walcott
Monday, November 24, 2008
The winger dislocated his shoulder during an England training session on Tuesday November 18 and will not play until next year. However, reports that his injury could blight the rest of Walcott's career appear to be wide of the mark. "Theo had a dislocated shoulder and he had surgery today. He will be out three months," confirmed Wenger

Eduardo
Monday, November 24, 2008
The Croatian striker has not played since breaking his leg and dislocating his ankle during a Premier League game at Birmingham City on February 23. Now, after surgery and a long rehabilitation, Eduardo is on the brink of rejoining his team-mates on the training pitch. "He is doing very well and is one week away from joining in training,” confirmed Arsène Wenger.

Abou Diaby
Monday, November 24, 2008
The French midfielder looks set to sit out Tuesday's Champions League clash with Dynamo Kyiv with an abdominal strain.

Samir Nasri

Monday, November 24, 2008
The left winger suffered a knee injury during training and will miss the visit of Dynamo Kyiv on Tuesday.
"We have lost Samir Nasri and Abou Diaby for tomorrow. Diaby has an abdominal strain and Samir Nasri has an inflammation in his knee again,” said Wenger at the pre-Kyiv press conference.

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Wenger - I won't prioritise Champions League

By Richard Clarke

Arsène Wenger refuses to place extra emphasis on Europe despite the problems his side are facing in the Premier League.

Arsenal slipped to the fifth defeat of their domestic campaign at Manchester City on Saturday. It leaves them 10 points adrift of leaders Chelsea and, although it is only November, many are doubting their ability to bridge the gap. Even Wenger has admitted the odds are against his side now.

Therefore Tuesday’s Champions League tie comes as a welcome diversion. Arsenal are top of Group G and will guarantee a place in the Knockout Stages with a win over Dynamo Kyiv.

However Wenger started the season with both competitions in his sights and he is not about to change focus yet.

“I wouldn’t prioritise the Champions League because we are not in December yet and that is only half way through,” he said speaking before the weekend game. “It is still a very long way to go but we know that we have to beat the big teams to stay in the race no matter what happens.

“At the moment you could say yes [Champions League suits us more] but I refuse to believe that overall. I think a good team is a team that has an answer for everything they face.

“We are very young in midfield and upfront but we can learn very quickly. And there is not much time to learn, that is for sure.

“However I must say in the Premier League we face different opposition. When you play a team in the Champions League they are often dominating their championship so they are used to playing. When we face some of the opponents in England their first thought is ‘how can we defend against Arsenal?’ Then, if they have an opportunity, they will hit us hard.

“In the Champions League they are used to attacking other teams. In their Leagues they face the problems we face too. They have to take the game to the opponents too.”

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Fabregas - The captaincy is a great honour

By Richard Clarke

Cesc Fabregas has described his elevation to the Arsenal captaincy as “a great honour”.

The Spaniard was handed the armband on Monday as a replacement for William Gallas.

At 21, Fabregas is one of the youngest captains in the Club’s long history and he admits it will be emotional experience to lead the side out for the first time against FC Dynamo Kyiv on Tuesday night.

"It is a great honour for me to captain one of the biggest clubs in the world,” said Fabregas. “It is a proud moment. I know it's a big responsibility but together with my team-mates, I know we have the spirit and commitment to get back to winning ways and fulfil our potential."

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