Boateng looking forward to Arsenal challenge

Middlesbrough captain George Boateng has called on his side to go for it when they host table-topping Arsenal on Sunday.

Gareth Southgate’s side have gone behind 12 times in 15 games this season and Boateng wants them to reverse the trend against the Gunners.

“I’m waiting for the game when we go 1-0 up because that will mean our luck has changed and we’re going to win the game,” he told the club’s official website.

“Arsenal is a tough game but as strange as it may sound, I look forward to the challenge.

“We normally give them a good game so hopefully we can get the three points.

“I believe sometimes it’s easier if you must win a game than if you can draw and you defend all the time. For us now, every game is a must-win game.”

source:premierleague

Fabregas wants to stay at Arsenal

Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas says he is satisfied at the club and is not considering a move back to Spain. The 20-year-old has scored 11 times this season help his side move to the top of the Premier League and reach the last 16 of the Champions League.

“I am not even thinking about returning to Spain,” said Fabregas.

“I do not even listen to the offers that come in for me because I do not need anything that I haven’t already got at Arsenal.”

Fabregas came through the ranks at Barcelona before switching to Arsenal in 2003.

Since then the Spaniard has become a vital part of the Arsenal side and is regarded as one of the best players in the world in his position.

Adebayor fired up by injury

Arsenal’s Emmanuel Adebayor has revealed one of the reasons behind his flying start to the season.

The Togo international is the joint top scorer in the Barclays Premier League with six goals. He has turned in some impressive displays this season, catching the eye with a hat-trick against Derby County last month.

Adebayor is just two short of his league tally for the whole of last season and says that a pre-season injury fired him up ahead of the campaign.

“I had an injury when I was [at the pre-season training camp] in Austria and this frustrated me a great deal,” he said.

“When I came back I was really angry and hungry. This is one of the reasons that explains why I have had such a good start to the season.”

Arsenal’s next Barclays Premier League match is against Bolton Wanderers on 20th October. The Gunners are currently two points clear at the top of the league.

source:premierleague

Arsenal - Favorites to win this season?

Arsenal, no doubt is the team to beat this season. With the tremendous speed, agility and skills with which they trashed Derby, who is to say that the departure of Henry was a bad thing. Before the start of the season, the question was ‘who will be the team to knock out Arsenal from the top 4 of the premiership?’ Even with van Persie and Gilberto injured, Arsenal have proved to be a powerhouse and frankly, I admit that their style of play is awesome (as always). It will be interesting to see how they will perform when they play Chelsea especially now that Mourinho is out.

Arsenal are 4points clear off Liverpool and 5points clear of Chelsea and Man Utd. I think that if the Gunners continue to play the way they’ve been playing lately, it will be very difficult for Man Utd or Chelsea or Liverpool to steal the title from them this season.

Arsenal 5-0 Derby

An Emmanuel Adebayor hat-trick helped destroy Derby and keep Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table. Abou Diaby put the Gunners ahead with a vicious drive into the top corner.

Then Adebayor showed exquisite control to take down a Cesc Fabregas pass on his chest before rounding Stephen Bywater and slotting a second.

Adebayor struck a second-half penalty and Fabregas rifled in a shot before Adebayor again chested the ball down and placed it low beyond Bywater.

It was more evidence of an Arsenal side playing with flair, vision and without fear.

But if given time to pick their options and spray their passes unpressured and unhurried, teams of lesser quality than Arsenal will find it easy to punish Derby.

Arsenal 3-0 Sevilla

Arsenal made a confident start to their Champions League campaign with a comfortable win over Sevilla. Cesc Fabregas’ shot deflected in off Julien Escude to put Arsenal ahead at the break, with Jesus Navas and Freddie Kanoute going close for the visitors.

Robin van Persie made it 2-0, tapping in from Fabregas’s free-kick and Sevilla never threatened to come back.

Eduardo sealed the points in injury time with a cool finish after good work by Alexander Hleb and Fabregas.

The Champions League debutants showed they were not daunted by the occasion when Navas’s long-range shot fizzed just over the top of Manuel Almunia’s goal.

But having survived this early scare, Arsenal went on the attack themselves, calling Sevilla keeper Andres Palop into action twice in quick succession.

Tottenham 1-3 Arsenal

Emmanuel Adebayor scored twice as Arsenal came from behind to beat north London rivals Tottenham. Gareth Bale curled in a 15th minute free-kick to put Spurs ahead before Paul Robinson twice denied Adebayor.

Abou Diaby hit the bar as Arsenal pushed on, then Dimitar Berbatov was thwarted by a last-ditch Kolo Toure tackle and Adebayor blazed over.

Arsenal equalised when Adebayor nodded in before Cesc Fabregas’ drive put them ahead and Adebayor volleyed a third.

Arsenal don’t need a billionaire backer - Hill-Wood

Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood insists suggestions the club need a billionaire backer are ‘lunacy’.

There has been much speculation the Gunners are ripe for a takeover, with the likes of Alisher Usmanov and Stan Kroenke having already taken a considerable stakeholding in Arsenal’s parent company.

Former Gunners vice-chairman David Dein - who controversially left the club in April - long held the opinion that the Gunners needed major foreign investment in order to compete with their Premier League rivals like Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool, who all have international backing.

But Hill-Wood insists Arsenal’s sensible financial policy will work in their favour.

He said: ‘We have always run Arsenal as a business and kept within reasonable bounds.

Arsenal not for sale - chairman

Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood says he is willing to talk to Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov - but not about selling the Gunners. Former Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein heads a company that wants to gain a significant stake in the Gunners after selling his shares to Usmanov.

Hill-Wood told BBC Sport: “The major shareholders have no intention of selling and wouldn’t welcome an offer.”

“But we will have a dialogue with any principal or major shareholder.”

Hill-Wood added: “If they’ve got some sensible proposals we’ll listen to them.”

However Hill-Wood’s attitude to the possibility of talks with Dein was somewhat different.

“I see no major point in that, I’ve had 25 years of listening to him,” the Arsenal chairman told me.

England 3-0 Israel

England produced an inspired display to brush aside Israel in their Euro 2008 qualifier at Wembley. A sidefooted Shaun Wright-Phillips volley from Joe Cole’s slanted cross to the far post put England ahead as they took command of the tie.

Michael Owen swivelled on the spot and brilliantly unleashed a precise 18-yard strike to extend the home side’s lead.

Israel did not even force a save out of keeper Paul Robinson as Micah Richards headed in a corner to complete the win.

The relief at the end of the game was in stark contrast to the jangling nerves beforehand.