Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger

Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, has said that his team are ready to dry and do the unthinkable by beating Barcelona in the quarter final of the Champions League.

The teams are tied after the first leg ended up 2-2. However, the manner of the display from Barcelona has led many to say that Arsenal stand no chance of winning as they prepare to meet for the second clash.

Barcelona have been praised by all sections of the football community after their display in the first game at the Emirates. Arsenal managed to hang on by their fingernails and they seem up for a huge task.

Wenger said: “At 2-0 down, I felt we needed a miracle but always had hope,” Wenger said. “The players have come back from the dead once and can do it again. They know they escaped being out of the competition and we have a chance we have to take tomorrow. It’s Easter you know, a time of resurrection. That’s what we want to do.”

“The late comebacks this season show that this team has character. We’ve shown that consistently throughout the season. We were written off before the season started, but there are five games to go in the Premier League and we are still in there. In the Champions League, it’s the same. People have written us off, but we’re halfway through and will give a good game to Barcelona.”

“This team has character and when you have character you always have hope. What gives me belief is the quality of players I still have on the pitch. I still have some good players to leave out. They can turn up with a massive performance. With character and quality, you can fight anywhere in the world.”

“This Barcelona team are the best I’ve ever faced because they play at a higher pace collectively. And I don’t think we have ever been dominated so much at home. At the moment, Barcelona are the best team in Europe and we have to show that we can beat them. We have won away almost everywhere in Europe, but Barcelona is a place where we have not done it. I am confident despite the injuries we have that we can do it. This team has such a great mental strength and I believe they can fight against the odds.”

Arsenal will be missing some key players for the match, who would have ultimately given them a better chance of winning in Spain. Captain, Cesc Fabregas, will not play due to a broken leg, which will come as a bitter disappointment to him and fans of the club he is tipped to join this summer.

Arsenal will have to work very hard to keep all areas of this Barcelona side very quiet. How they get on remains to be seen but they are expected to give the match a good go in front of a very expectant and excited crowd.

There was no dropping to the knees in jubilation this time, there was no place in an elite cup final as a reward, nor was there an epic fight-back attempt from the opposition, but on Saturday Avram Grant once again inflicted defeat upon Rafael Benitez.

The Portsmouth boss was at the helm of the Chelsea side which battled to an aggregate 4-3 win over Liverpool in the Champions League semi finals in April 2008 and Grant was the brains behind the Reds’ latest setback in a wretched season as Pompey strolled to a 2-0 win at Fratton Park at the weekend.

Despite not showing the same emotion as he did on that successful night at Stamford Bridge, the win will mean every bit as much as he sets about his task of saving the club from the drop after taking over from Paul Hart late last month.

It was a battle of the Premier League’s two biggest crisis clubs as financial worries and on-field performances have marred both Liverpool’s and Portsmouth’s seasons, with the latter deservedly coming out on top on this occasion.

But it is the former who continue to raise eyebrows throughout the country as there seems no end to Liverpool’s dreadful form, which has seen them lose 7 of their 18 games Premier League games.

Catastrophic, I think, is the best word to describe the job Benitez has done this season and, bearing in mind the club suffered an early Champions League exit this time around, any other manager would have been sacked for their sequence of results by now.

The Spaniard’s lucrative and lengthy contract has so far saved him the embarrassment of getting the chop, that’s if he isn’t embarrassed enough by sinking to the new low of losing to the league’s basement club.

However, Benitez is not the only figure for which to point the finger at after their latest defeat – Javier Mascherano’s first-half red card may have been harsh, but it is the little Argentine’s poor form this season which has gone widely unnoticed.

The Argentina captain’s head was turned in the summer when European Champions Barcelona made their interest known, with reports of a £30million bid in January resurfacing on the back pages as the January transfer window approaches.

Mashcherano’s heart just does not seem in it anymore in a red shirt and he has done little this season to suggest he is worth that price tag, and I for one would bite Pep Guardiola’s hand off if he came in with an offer in that region.

Perhaps his four-match ban (it was his second red card of the season) coupled with a spell on the treatment table as the clumsy challenge, which earned him his marching orders and ligament damage, will prove a blessing in disguise for Benitez, who will now surely give Alberto Aquilani the run in the side he deserves. Time will tell how important Mascherano’s absence really is to Liverpool over the busy Christmas schedule.

Regarding Benitez, if there is one thing we have learned about his managerial credentials this term, it’s that he does not possess the ability to win the Premier League, and even fans as patient as Liverpool ones would now be glad to see the back of his Spanish contingent should he quit amid his failings.

The Spanish Armada set sail with the intention of conquering England in 1588 and Benitez had similar ambitions in English football when he took over at Anfield in the summer of 2004.

Like the Armada, the Liverpool boss and his backroom staff of many compatriots have failed to triumph in the country by landing an elusive Premier League crown, and I for one would now encourage him to mirror that historical event further by accepting defeat, giving up and going home.

As for Grant’s Pompey side, they should not get too carried away by the win over an increasingly bland Liverpool side. After that creditable semi final win over Liverpool while at Chelsea, Grant went on to lose the final and ended up empty handed for the season, and I fear his Pompey side face similar disappointment come the end of the season.

After all, losing to one of the eventual relegation victims is a tradition of the Reds. Middlesborough last season, Reading the season before that – the list goes on and on, as does their tally of defeats this term.

Chelsea appears to be back to their lethal best after they demolished Athletico Madrid 4-0 in the Champions League last night. Two goals from Solomon Kalou, one from Frank Lampard and one own goal all led to another three points as Chelsea strive to win the competition that has eluded them since Roman Abramovich’s arrival.

Chelsea never looked threatened against a very talented attacking side. There are a number of players in the Madrid team that could have created big problems but John Terry seemed to be in perfect form and snuffed out all signs of danger instantly.

Manager, Carlo Ancelotti, said: “We did better at the set plays. It was very important to keep our concentration at the set plays — and we scored twice from them as well.”

“Maybe the first half was more difficult than the second, but after our first goal we had a good match. We had good attacking, a good transition. Nine points is good. I think we are in control of the group now, but our aim is still to go for first place.”

“I am happy for him [Lampard]. He is important because he works 90 minutes on the pitch for the team. He is a very generous, unselfish player. And if he scores a goal, it is better.”

The problem that seems to have plagued Chelsea in the last one or two seasons is their inconsistency. This had provided gaps and windows of opportunity for rivals to pounce on and is the reason they have fell short of Manchester United in the last two campaigns.

Chelsea are a big club that need to be winning trophies on a regular basis. If they carry on playing in this efficient manner then they should be in with a good shout on all fronts by the end of the season.

The problem is that better teams are going to exploit their weaknesses in a way that Madrid could not. Set plays are just a single part of the game but at times last night they gave too much space and time that will be used a lot better by teams like Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Ancelotti will be grateful for the points but he knows better than anyone that there is always work to do and he will not be happy until his team has won 4-0 in every game they have played over the course of a month.

Robinho has stirred up the exit rumours that have surrounded him at Manchester City by saying that he would enjoy a move to Barcelona. It had been expected that the Brazilian playmaker would be thrown into this weekend’s Manchester City match but Mark Hughes may now leave him out.

Robinho said: “Of course I would like to play for Barcelona, who wouldn’t? We could really enjoy ourselves. It would be a pleasure to play alongside [Lionel] Messi, my compatriot [Dani] Alves, Xavi, [Andrés] Iniesta, [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic, everyone. They are a great team. I have played against them and I know all about their quality. But until now I have only been able to play with them on the PlayStation.”

“Pep Guardiola’s side is truly spectacular. It is an honour that a coach like Guardiola speaks highly of me, for him to rate me as highly as I have read that he does. I genuinely appreciate it, from the bottom of my heart.”

“I can assure you that right now my father, who is my only representative, hasn’t said anything to me about Barcelona. I don’t know anything, believe me. Besides, out of respect for Manchester City, the two clubs are the ones that should talk about my transfer or loan and then tell me [what they have decided]. It’s not right to talk about this hypothetical transfer or loan until there’s something more concrete.”

“It’s a question of sitting down and talking about it when there is a concrete and serious offer. Let me make one thing clear: I have a contract with City and as a professional I owe my allegiance to them.”

A lot of people did question his move to Manchester City when it did happen and those that said it would be a matter of time until he moved on again may be proved right. The point is that City pay Robinho a stupid amount of money that probably no other club would offer so he simply has to way up whether he is more of a football player or a mercenary.

He added: “It is no secret that [in the summer] there was clear interest from Barcelona in signing me but Manchester City didn’t want to negotiate. I was declared non-transferable and that’s the way it stays.”

“I’m concentrating on doing the best I can for City. We’re thinking big now. We have built a very strong side that has aspirations of winning the Premier League with Carlos Tevez, [Emmanuel] Adebayor, [Joleon] Lescott and [Gareth] Barry.”

The unpredictable Robinho could be used by Manchester City as a piece of transfer bait ahead of the January transfer window. Robinho has been in and out of the City side for various reasons ever since he joined the club two summers ago.

Mark Hughes is showing his ambition as the manager with every game that passes and with even more big names lined up for City, Robinho could be the first player who finds himself moving another way for a more solid player.

Hughes said: “There were a lot of questions — would we be able to gel early as a team, would so-called egos in the dressing room be able to be managed — being asked of us before a ball was even kicked.”

“I think we have answered each and every one of them. We know there is a long way to go but we are pleased with the start we have made because we needed one. The review we have had of the first phase [of the season] has been good.”

Among the new names that have been connected with the club is Barcelona captain, Carlos Puyol. The Spain international is nearing the end of his career and is quickly running out of time in terms of being able to go to another club and experience a new challenge.

The big problem so far for City has been that their defence does not appear to be tight enough to keep out the most talented if sides that can score goals against them easily. This was demonstrated perfectly during the Manchester derby where they were able to score three goals at Old Trafford but still lost the match.

Puyol would probably also arrive as captain and he would bring a huge presence. He would demand perfection and could effectively seal the defence up. With Shay Given in goal, arguably one of the most under rated goalkeeprs in the history of the game, if the move comes off it would be a Hughes master stroke.

The reason that Robinho, a very good player, would be sacrificed is because Hughes is going after stability and not unpredictability. The only way City will start to win things every season is if they have a team that is full of reliable and consistent players. Not the sort of players that turn up for training late or only perform when they feel fit enough themselves.