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From The Times
February 19, 2008
Fabio Capello is moved to give Arsenal glowing report
When Fabio Capello arrived in England, he said that there were some Barclays Premier League teams that showed the movement he was hoping to see from his England players. He would not expand or name names, but yesterday provided a clue: he meant Arsenal.
If Capello’s positioning of Arsène Wenger’s side among the best in Europe left few doubts, the fact that he was tipping them to defeat AC Milan at the Emirates Stadium tomorrow was the crowning glory. While Capello spoke favourably of Inter Milan’s chances against Liverpool, he appeared to as good as write off their city neighbours, who arrive in London today as European champions.
Capello was twice manager of Milan and led them to a memorable 4-0 Champions League final victory over Barcelona in 1994. Yet he made it plain that his former club will need to be in exceptional form to progress against the Premier League leaders, despite Arsenal’s most recent match, a 4-0 thrashing by Manchester United in the FA Cup fifth round.
“When the draw was made, I felt AC Milan could not have got a worse proposition than Arsenal,” he said.
function pictureGalleryPopup(pubUrl,articleId) {var newWin = window.open(pubUrl+'template/2.0-0/element/pictureGalleryPopup.jsp?id='+articleId+'&&offset=0 &§ionName=FootballTeamArsenal','mywindow','men ubar=0,resizable=0,width=615,height=655');}“I believe that Arsenal are one of the very top teams in Europe. They combine great quality with great speed and will be very different from the team beaten at Old Trafford.
“Manchester United prevented Cesc Fàbregas from having any effect, which was a key factor in their dominance, but Emmanuel Adebayor, Mathieu Flamini and Gaël Clichy will be back against AC Milan. Adebayor is on extraordinary form, but the whole team play great football.
“Both Arsenal and AC Milan have developed a very technical game, centered on possession and team organisation. I know Milan can rise to the challenge in crucial matches, but this is a very difficult moment to face Arsenal. They defend with ten men and attack with six. They are a very organised side, full of talented players. If you leave them any space, they counterattack with four or five players at such pace that the opposition cannot figure out what is hitting them.
“AC Milan can count on their huge experience and always give their best, but to have a chance against Arsenal they will have to be in top physical condition. They will need players, like Kaká, [Alexander] Pato and Clarence Seedorf in their best form. A strong midfield is important so Andrea Pirlo is a must.”
February 19, 2008
Fabio Capello is moved to give Arsenal glowing report
When Fabio Capello arrived in England, he said that there were some Barclays Premier League teams that showed the movement he was hoping to see from his England players. He would not expand or name names, but yesterday provided a clue: he meant Arsenal.
If Capello’s positioning of Arsène Wenger’s side among the best in Europe left few doubts, the fact that he was tipping them to defeat AC Milan at the Emirates Stadium tomorrow was the crowning glory. While Capello spoke favourably of Inter Milan’s chances against Liverpool, he appeared to as good as write off their city neighbours, who arrive in London today as European champions.
Capello was twice manager of Milan and led them to a memorable 4-0 Champions League final victory over Barcelona in 1994. Yet he made it plain that his former club will need to be in exceptional form to progress against the Premier League leaders, despite Arsenal’s most recent match, a 4-0 thrashing by Manchester United in the FA Cup fifth round.
“When the draw was made, I felt AC Milan could not have got a worse proposition than Arsenal,” he said.
function pictureGalleryPopup(pubUrl,articleId) {var newWin = window.open(pubUrl+'template/2.0-0/element/pictureGalleryPopup.jsp?id='+articleId+'&&offset=0 &§ionName=FootballTeamArsenal','mywindow','men ubar=0,resizable=0,width=615,height=655');}“I believe that Arsenal are one of the very top teams in Europe. They combine great quality with great speed and will be very different from the team beaten at Old Trafford.
“Manchester United prevented Cesc Fàbregas from having any effect, which was a key factor in their dominance, but Emmanuel Adebayor, Mathieu Flamini and Gaël Clichy will be back against AC Milan. Adebayor is on extraordinary form, but the whole team play great football.
“Both Arsenal and AC Milan have developed a very technical game, centered on possession and team organisation. I know Milan can rise to the challenge in crucial matches, but this is a very difficult moment to face Arsenal. They defend with ten men and attack with six. They are a very organised side, full of talented players. If you leave them any space, they counterattack with four or five players at such pace that the opposition cannot figure out what is hitting them.
“AC Milan can count on their huge experience and always give their best, but to have a chance against Arsenal they will have to be in top physical condition. They will need players, like Kaká, [Alexander] Pato and Clarence Seedorf in their best form. A strong midfield is important so Andrea Pirlo is a must.”
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