Skip to main content

Flamini flashback as Bayern await

Mathieu Flamini has likened the strength and spirit of the current Arsenal squad to the club's last trophy-winning side of nearly nine years ago.

 

Few would have foreseen the drought that has followed the FA Cup final penalty shoot-out victory over Manchester United in May 2005.

It was the fourth FA Cup success of manager Arsene Wenger's reign, complementing the three Premier League titles also collected following his arrival in 1996.

While the second half of the Frenchman's stint in charge has been less fruitful than the first nine years, Arsenal's fortunes finally look to be on the up.

They are just a point behind Premier League leaders Chelsea with 12 matches remaining, and set up an FA Cup quarter-final with Everton after overcoming Liverpool 2-1 on Sunday with a performance that led Flamini to liken the current playing pool to the victorious side of 2005.

"What I will say about this season is that I see a great commitment, I see everyone working very hard on the pitch and helping each other," said the midfielder, who played for the club between 2004 and 2008, before returning last summer for a second spell.

"I think it is what we had when I was here and we won the FA Cup because against Liverpool it was a difficult game, from the first to the last minute everyone worked very hard, even the players playing up front.
"We asked them to defend and to help the team and they did it very well, which is very important for us. It was important to show some character on the pitch, some solidarity."

Not only are Arsenal fighting for success on the domestic front, but they also remain in the hunt for continental glory.

Having navigated their way through a tough Champions League group, the north Londoners now face the unenviable task of overcoming reigning champions Bayern Munich in the last 16.

The Bundesliga giants eliminated the Gunners at the same stage last term, but midfielder Flamini believes this season they can secure a shock and progress.

"We know it won't be an easy game because Bayern are a very strong team, but we are Arsenal, we have big ambitions," the Frenchman said ahead of Wednesday's first leg at the Emirates Stadium.
"If we want to qualify, we have to get a good result against Bayern.

"This year, Arsenal have a lot of ambition and are fighting for the league title. We have qualified in the FA Cup and we will do everything to qualify in the Champions League.

"We know it will be a difficult game and now it is important to recover very well because we had so many games. Today, we will start thinking about Bayern." Per YAHOO Sports

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

These are Said to Be the Best Goalkeepers in the World, Ranking from 1-25

25. Stephane Ruffier, Saint-Etienne Had Stephane Ruffier not sustained a groin injury in 2011, Monaco might never have been relegated to Ligue 2. But he did, and they were, and that summer the then-24-year-old goalkeeper joined Saint-Etienne, rebuffing Manchester City in the progress. This season he played all 38 Ligue 1 matches for Les Verts for a second season in succession, conceding just 32 goals as his side finished a surprising fifth in the standings and qualified for the Europa League. 24. Pepe Reina, Liverpool Only Joe Hart kept more Premier League clean sheets than Pepe Reina in 2012-13. In a season that saw Liverpool finish a disappointing seventh in the English top-flight, the 30-year-old managed to keep things respectable from a defensive standpoint, conceding only 34 goals and stopping 88 per cent of the shots he faced. To finish the season he conceded just a single goal in his last four matches. 23. Mariano Andujar, Catania Only Parma managed ...
Post a Comment
International News

The Happy Di Matteo..!

Roberto Di Matteo watched his attacking stars inspire a 5-4 extra-time victory over Manchester United and he preferred to savour a second night of high-scoring league cup thrills rather than focus on "the other stuff" in football. The Chelsea manager did not need to spell out what he meant, in the wake of the league fixture against United on Sunday, when his team's controversial 3-2 home defeat was followed by the allegation that the referee Mark Clattenburg had racially abused Mikel John Obi. There had also been spite in the stands. Di Matteo focused on the flair and spirit that his team had shown here, when they came from behind three times to force the extra period, with the substitute Eden Hazard scoring from the penalty spot with the very last kick of normal time. Hazard's quick feet and sumptuous reverse pass created what proved to be the decisive fifth goal late in extra-time for Ramires. "Over the last two days we have seen...
Post a Comment
International News

Read What Shakira Says. Via Yahoo!

Looking at  Shakira  and her fabulous figure you might be surprised to learn it was only three months ago that she gave birth to son Milan. But the “Hips Don’t Lie” singer reveals that dropping the pounds was no cake walk. While promoting “The Voice” in Pasadena, California, on Monday, the blond bombshell revealed, "[Losing baby weight] is the only thing that’s been a little stressful … I knew I had to come back here to do ‘The Voice’ two months after I had delivered a baby. I didn’t have my four months of maternity like every woman on Earth has. I’m not trying to complain, but it’s been a process full of challenges.” Photo source: omg INSIDER & Yahoo The 36-year-old mama added that the pressure to shed the baby weight at record speed is something that she feels the previous generations didn't face. She said, “I think that our mothers and grandmothers weren’t under the pressure women of today are after delivering a baby. My dad says there’s nothing better than meat...
Post a Comment
International News