Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger

Arsenal boss, Arsene Wenger, has confirmed what all Arsenal fans were probably afraid to hear.

The Frenchman has said that his side must not drop another point in the current Premier League campaign if they want to have any chance of getting their Premier League crown back.

Arsenal have been well in the spotlight and many have said that is about time they are taken more seriously. The club have surprised many this year with the way they have hung onto the coat tails of Manchester United and Chelsea.

Wenger said: “There are three teams in the race and it is down to the team who are the most consistent. We can only focus on our own performances. We know our route has to be perfect. To be perfect it is important we focus on our performances.”

“We need some help from the other teams, but we know that will only work if we are consistent and keep our momentum. We have created a fantastic momentum and we have created a great belief within our squad. The consistency of our run is the most important.”

“We want to keep the spirit, the hunger, the desire and the intelligence we have shown until now. For a long time we have fixed ourselves targets. We play every game like our life depends on it and it has been like that for a long time now.”

“We need to bring consistency to our attitude. We have a remarkable attitude, a remarkable spirit in the team, and must just continue like we do.”

Arsenal’s chances of not losing a single point will have been helped by the fact they have the easiest run in on paper. However, no game is easy when the business end of the season arrives.

Wenger will know better than anyone that his side have to prepare for each game in exactly the right way. Teams will want to take points from Arsenal in order to improve their own situations.

This means the club may have to rely on one or two results going their way if they are to win the league. If they keep things tight at their own end, then they will be giving themselves the best possible chance of success.

The club haven’t been helped by the fact that injuries to key players have kept them out of the Arsenal side for long periods of time. On the other hand this has meant chances for fringe players in the Arsenal squad, who have clearly proved they are good enough to compete at the very highest level.

Will Arsenal fail to drop a single point? It’s highly unlikely. Then again it is equally unlikely that the other title contenders won’t drop a single point. End of season football has a strange way of working and no one will know that better than the managers of England’s best sides.

Former England captain, John Terry, has said that he wants to put the recent past behind him and insists he is focused on success for this season.

The Chelsea captain was stripped of the top England job when it emerged that he had an affair with the girlfriend of a former teammate. The news exploded and there were even calls from many for Terry to be dropped from the side completely.

However, the centre back is still a very good player and the circus that has surrounded him seems to have made him more determined to funnel his energy into something else and in this instance it is football success.

Chelsea are still fighting on more than one front and Terry also is still going to the World Cup to play for his country. This is the most anticipated World Cup in recent memory and one of England’s best chances to win an international event.

He said: “I’m on a mission and nothing is going to distract me. I’m responding by doing what I’ve always done – by looking straight ahead. I’ve got broad shoulders and nobody’s going to knock me out of my stride.”

“I want to win the Champions League and Premier League for Chelsea and help win the World Cup for England. I’m not ashamed to say it, I wouldn’t be John Terry if I felt any differently.”

“Jose was an inspiration to us all at Stamford Bridge and I truly value his friendship. It’s going to be a sensational tie between two great teams but when I stick on the shirt tonight I’ll be focused on one thing only – playing and winning for Chelsea. It’s the way I play the game and the way I always will.”

“There’s a shirt on my wall at home – the shirt I wore when I missed that penalty against Manchester United in the Champions League final. It’s there as a daily reminder to me of what I’m striving for. I won’t rest until it’s replaced by a winner’s shirt – that’s my pledge to every Chelsea fan who has stood by me and still believes in me as a player and as their club’s captain.”

“If I’m fortunate to play for England in the World Cup – and playing for your country is the ultimate honour – I will take the same determination, drive and passion out on to the pitch in South Africa as I’ve always done. Absolutely nothing will change. I’ve already admitted that losing the captaincy hurt but that’s in the past and all I want to do now is move forward and carry on giving my best for England.”

Hopefully this brand new energy and enthusiasm from Terry will be healthy and will spread to the rest of his teammates and colleagues. It is a very big time for English football and if the people committing the mistakes can make up for it then it could also turn out to be very successful.

Manchester United cut Chelsea’s lead at the top of the Barclay’s Premier League to just one point despite being held by Aston Villa as title race heats up following the top two sides dropping points in midweek.

Aston Villa 1 Man Utd 1
The Red Devils’ 1-1 draw at Villa Park, achieved after playing the majority of the game with 10 men following the sending off of winger Nani, hacked at Chelsea’s lead after the Blues were beaten at Everton. A fine header from Villa defender Carlos Cuellar handed Martin O’Neill’s men a 19th minute lead but the champions needed just 4 minutes to draw level as James Collins deflected into his own net – United’s 10th own goal in their favour this season.

Everton 2 Chelsea 1
Meanwhile, Chelsea had a lead overturned at Goodison Park where a Louis Saha double cancelled out Florent Malouda’s opener to condemn the league-leaders to a 2-1 loss. The defeat is a major blow to boss Carlo Ancelotti, who could have seen his side move four points clear of United and nine ahead of Arsenal had they held onto their lead.

Arsenal 1 Liverpool 0
The real victors of the midweek programme, however, were Arsenal. The Gunners needed just one goal to halt a rejuvenated Liverpool side as Abou Diaby’s 72nd minute header sealed a 1-0 win at the Emirates. The win puts Arsene Wenger’s side back into contention for the title, albeit with just a glimmer of hope as they trail Chelsea by six points.

Wolves 1 Tottenham 0
Liverpool’s loss was a chance for Tottenham to leapfrog their top-four rivals back into the coveted fourth spot, but they failed after going down 1-0 at Wolves in a repeat of the scoreline when the two met at White Hart Lane earlier this season. Midfielder David Jones grabbed his second goal of the season with 27 minutes on the clock and Mick McCarthy’s relegation battlers held out to take three points off the North London club once again.

West Ham 2 Birmingham 0
At the other end of the table, meanwhile, West Ham conjured up a huge win with a 2-0 defeat over this season’s surprise package Birmingham. Alessandro Diamati’s perfectly placed free-kick gave the Londoners the lead shortly before the break while Carlton Cole’s second half header sealed a morale-boosting win for under pressure boss Gianfranco Zola.

Blackburn 1 Hull City 0
Elsewhere, Hull City were brought back down to earth following last week’s win over Man City with a 1-0 defeat to Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park. The Tigers had George Boateng harshly sent off when already a goal down to Boaz Myhill’s 16th minute own goal, which was enough to settle the contest.

Man City 2 Bolton 0
On Tuesday night, top-four contenders Man City strengthened their case for the cause with a comfortable 2-0 win over a battling Bolton side. A Carlos Tevez penalty and an Emmanuel Adebayor volley in either half sealed the win, with 5th placed City holding two games in hand over Liverpool.

Fulham 3 Burnley 0
Elsewhere, Fulham heaped more misery on struggling Burnley boss Brian Laws as goals from Danny Murphy, David Elm and Bobby Zamora ensured an emphatic 3-0 win for the Cottagers. After a bright start under the guidance of Owen Coyle, who left for Bolton in January, the Clarets have now dropped into the relegation zone with their early season confidence out the window.

Portsmouth 1 Sunderland 1
Meanwhile, there were three red cards at Fratton Park where a 94th minute strike from Aruna Dindane sealed a point for crisis club Portsmouth in a 1-1 draw with Sunderland. Darren Bent opened up the scoring from the penalty spot before Ricardo Rocha saw red first then Lee Cattermole evened up the numbers with a second bookable offence. Black Cats substitute David Meyler was on the field just two minutes before being dismissed for an elbow in a feisty encounter which will give Pompey a glimmer of hope for staging an unlikely survival bid.

Wigan 1 Stoke City 1
Finally, honours were even at the DW Stadium as well, where Wigan were held to a 1-1 draw with Stoke City. Paul Scharner’s exquisite header handed the home side the lead after just 14 minutes but a quarter of an hour before the final whistle Tuncay Sanli rescued a point for the Potters with a header of his own.

The two points dropped leave Wigan just a point above the dropzone and boss Roberto Martinez will no doubt be concerned by the constant inability to gain some consistency.

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.

MAN CITY 2 CHELSEA 1

Adebayor og 8

Adebayor 37, Tevez 56

Man City: Given, Richards (Onuoha 69), Toure, Lescott, Bridge (Kompany 74), De Jong, Barry, W-Ph’lips, Tevez, Robinho (Zabaleta 90), Adebayor.
Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Carvalho (Belletti 64), Terry (Malouda 88), A Cole, Essien, Ballack (Mikel 64), Lampard, Deco, Drogba, Anelka.

Ref: H Webb

Attendance 47,348

In the past City have been too fragile psychologically or guilty of not having players up for the physical battle against the Londoners brute strength.

In Drogba and Anelka up front backed up by Lampard, Essien and Ballack, you have a midfield powerhouse that is the most dominating midfield in the world.

In midweek City showed signs that they had that physical brute force to compete for the first time by crunching the life out of Arsenals talented young gunners.

Yet the scintillating performance today proved to millions watching that this City side now has the power to go with the skill and fancy footwork to trouble any defence in the world.

With the players such as Lescott, De Jong, Richards, Barry and Kompany City are no longer the bullied, but the bullies of the playground.

City began the game showing the same intensity as against Arsenal and looked the better side with more shots on target and corners, but fell behind to an own goal form Emmanuel Adebayor.

No one would think that the best team in Europe at the moment would have then gone on to take control of the game, but nothing could be further from the truth as City showed another part of their new character.

The new resilience that has seen City only beaten once all season was again evident as the Sky Blues immediately pressured the Chelsea midfield, playing some exhilarating stuff stretching the Chelsea fullbacks and interchanging passes at will.

City finally broke the deadlock after a centre was floated into the Chelsea area and after the ball had found its way to Adebayor the big front man lashed it into the net.

Key a predictable mass protest from Chelsea, but it was to be in vain as the goal would stand and Webb waved the players back to the centre circle.

You know you have Chelsea on the back foot, when Ashley Cole is acting like a petulant school boy as if the opposition should not have the right to be on top.

The second half continued began with the same intensity as the first with both sides looking to impose their dominance on the game.

It was City spurred on by their magnificent support that began to look like the superior team again.

After a period of intense pressure, City finally found the breakthrough when a free kick was fired in by the electric Carlos Tevez past a Peter Cech that Paul Merson had previously lorded as the best in the business last week- Nice one Toady!

You need a nut-cracker to break a hard nut as Arsenal found out to their cost last weekend and City certainly were cracking bones with Lescott and Bridge giving Drogba a hard time and De Jong showing Essien there is more than one master of destruction in this league.

City, after recent collapses, understandably had a period of uncertainty when Chelsea created a few chances.

Drogba went close on a couple of occasions and Chelsea looked like they would get an undeserved goal.

Both Wayne Bridge and Micah Richards had become casualties in this all out war and had to be replaced by Nedum Onuoha and Vincent Kompany respectively.

Gareth Barry was shifted to left back and although already exhausted and on a yellow, proved his value to the team with a composed display.

Onouha on the other hand, made the mistake of letting Drogba get goal side and a rash challenge brought the Ivory Coast star for a definite penalty.

What happened next transformed this game into a Premier League classic with all forty-eight thousand fans in the stadium, millions worldwide watching and all of the Premier League teams held their breath as Frank Lampard faced off with Shay Given.

The resulting penalty save was met with shock and exultation from no doubt everybody not wearing Chelsea Blue as Given denied Lampard’s nervous penalty making every England fan sit nervously on their chair at a similar prospect next summer in South Africa.

It seemed as though every Chelsea player had been booked, including the subs by the time John Terry was forced to leave the field but there were to be no defensive lapses this week however, as City closed out the game after six minutes of stoppage time.

Tevez and Richards were fantastic, but none of it would have been possible without winning the infantry battle against Lampard, Ballack and Essien, and Nigel De Jong’s destructive presence in midfield puts him up there with the very best defensive midfielders in the world.

Manchester City’s Billionaires proved too much for the young guns of Arsenal as they blew them away in a three goal second half display.

Goals from Carlos Tevez, Shaun Wright Phillips and Vladimir Weiss scored to set up a mouthwatering Semi Final against local neighbours and Champions United.

The first leg will be played at the City of Manchester stadium on the fourth of January and it looks sure to be a grudge match for the Blue half of Manchester.

After one of the most exciting derbies in history, City will undoubtedly want payback for the 4-3 defeat at Old Trafford after Ferguson’s team scored in the seventh minute of a criminally long extra stoppage time period.

United themselves booked their place in the semis with a victory over

Elsewhere, Portsmouth new boss Avram Grant watched his side lose yet again, this time at the hands of Aston Villa.

Although Pompey went ahead, through a Stilian Petrov own goal, goals form Emile Heskey, James Milner and Stewart Downing silenced the Fratton Park faithful. Veteran Nigerian striker Kanu added a faint hope on 87 minutes

before Ashley Young settled the Villa fans nerves and sent the Midlands club through to the next round.

They will face the winners of the tie of the round in Blackburn, who pulled off a shock penalty shoot out victory out of the hat. New signing Kakuta missed the vital penalty as Chelsea were stunned by the Lancashire side.

The score had been tied at 3-3 before a dramatic penalty shoot out was settled when

THE DRAW

MANCHESTER CITY v MANCHESTER UNITED

BLACKBURN ROVERS v ASTON VILLA

1st Leg matches due to be played week commencing 4th January 2010.

2nd Leg matches due to be played week commencing 18th January 2010.

BOOKIES’ FAVOURITES

The bookmakers have made Manchester United odds on favourites, but if City do manage to beat them then look for a City-Villa final and another possible penalty shoot out between two evenly matched sides.

Dutch international defender Gregory van der Wiel is the latest young star to be linked with City in press around the world.

The 21-year-old 5 foot 6 right full-back became a regular in the Ajax side last term under coach Marco van Basten and also made his debut for the Dutch national side to boot.

He looks set to star at the next World Cup in South Africa and City have been following his progress for some time now.

With their defence still looking decidedly shaky, even after their multimillion dollar face lift, the Citizens of Manchester are scouring the transfer market to plug the wide open gaps in their defence.

Whether Mark Hughes will be the man to actually sign the Dutch youngster up is another matter though as a quarter final cup exit against Arsenal and a defeat against Chelsea on Sunday could see the Welsh supremo receive his marching orders.

According to his agent, Van der Weil is not fazed by the constant rumours linking him with Europe’s top clubs.

And although Hakim Slimani maintains Van Der Wiel has been watched closely by the Blues, he does state that matters stop there for now.

Slimani said: “There is no official contact between Ajax and Manchester City.

“But I cannot deny that his performance has been closely followed by Manchester City.”

Slimani insists Van Der Wiel is one hundred percent focused on seeing out his contract at Ajax Amsterdam which has three years left still to run.

“That’s why Greg is not concerned with a transfer to another club,” continued Slimani.

“He’s just broken through last season.

“This season he has set himself the target of being a major player for Ajax.”

Paul Merson

Watching Paul Merson’s latest attack on Manchester City sent me back almost a decade in time to the days of Harry Enfield and his grotesque character ‘Loads a Money’.

How this ultra biased Gunner is still employed by Sky Sports is just a mystery to millions of watching fans across the globe.

It certainly isn’t for his eloquence of speech as the washed up Ex- England star stumbles through yet another incomprehensible utterance as though he’s just come back from lunch at the local pub.

The only conclusion I can think for the Toad of Powder Hall still being in a prime time television job is that he amuses host Jeff Spelling and the other pundits so much that they just can’t bear to be without him.

In fact, the Ex-England star looks so much like the Toad of Toad Hall in a monkey suit that maybe thousands of Children worldwide are to blame for a rise in viewing figures as they believe his segment to be a continuation of children’s programming.

In Toad’s latest instalment he analyses Man City’s performance against Hull City. In a game that City dominated but couldn’t kill off, Hull were awarded a penalty to level the score and steal a point.

When asked about the Sky Blues, Merson labelled the Blues as a coach of Hollywood superstars who had failed at top four clubs and were now cracking under the pressure of failing to deliver!

Now I don’t know about you Paul, but wasn’t Carlos Tevez a big hit and winner at Man United? Wasn’t Kolo Toure the last remaining member of ‘The Invincibles’ arguably the best Arsenal team of the last 30 years?

The next pearl of wisdom that made it’s way out of this sorry excuse for a man’s mouth was the bitterest attack on the Blues to date.

“I look at Man City’s team and not one of them could get into a top four side…”

So astounded were Matt Le Tissier and the other pundits at what was coming out of the Buffoon’s mouth, they were rendered speechless.

The silence was eventually broken by the tactful Stelling, sounding like a father to his teenage son, suggesting that Merson was exaggerating again and that of course Shay Given was good enough.

Merson’s response was typical of a man who has long since made brain-to-tongue communication redundant in his world.

“He wouldn’t get in ahead of Cech at Chelsea, but I’d ‘av ‘im at Arsenal…”

Are Arsenal not a top four side then Paul? The analytical genius obviously has a problem with City and one wonders if it is over more than just the Adebayor issue.

With a full three and a half minutes to talk, there is no shortage of material to illustrate how biased this man is and you just have to see it to believe it for yourself.

Now forgive me for being a little miffed at the moment, after all we have just drawn a sixth consecutive Premier League match.

Yet the reason for my sudden bout of dizziness lies not like most Blues sat staring into their Sunday night pint wondering when this rut will come to an end but elsewhere.

Nor is it because ‘that lot’ in Stretford won again against the Blue half of Merseyside either. No, It is because this Blue has just returned home to see the Spurs – Wigan score.

Now don’t get me wrong beating Wigan at home is not something that should or ever will give me cause for losing the plot. What does rile me more than anything else is the score by which they won this Premier League game.

For NINE goals to one in what is supposed to be the best league in Europe and possibly the world is quite frankly embarrassing. Jermaine Defoe scored FIVE and again let me make it clear that I have no agenda against the hugely talented Spurs pocket dynamo.

The problem I have is with the opposing team. I mean what were Wigan playing at, because it certainly wasn’t football! What happened to the team that almost took three points off Manchester City last month?

Losing four nil is embarrassing enough and five or six might would be classed as being taken to school, but NINE is just beyond comprehension in today’s so-called top league.

Anyone would think that Tottenham were the genuine title competition for Chelsea this year, but you only have to look at their latest attempt at playing a Top Four side to realise they are nowhere near.

Manchester United completely out-classed them in their recent contest and the Red Devils are hardly flying on all cylinders at the moment.

Wigan Athletic should sack their manager immediately for failing to inspire his players. For as nice a man as Martinez is, NINE goals against in the Premiership is just out and out incompetence.

All of the travelling Wigan supporters should have the cost of their tickets and accommodation refunded by the spineless overpaid players that call themselves entertainers.

In fact a memorial monument should be built outside the JD Stadium itself listing the names of all the poor souls that were victims of this disaster lest they never be forgotten.

The real loser is the Premier League however as the self-proclaimed best league in the world has to sit down and take the next day’s barrage of abuse from foreign hacks squarely on the chin.

Shame on you Wigan FC … shame on you.

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.