IS Arsenal Wenger crazy? how could he think this way?

[Mexxx]

By PHIL THOMAS
Published: Today

ARSENE WENGER insists Arsenal can still win the Premier and Champions League double.

On the eve of tonight’s Euro clash at Liverpool, he said: “I still believe we’ll be champions in this league. Manchester United’s result at Middlesbrough on Sunday helped a lot.

“If they had won, I’d have thought we couldn’t do it but now I still believe we will. We have belief we can win everywhere.”

The Gunners are six points behind United in their Premier battle. And they have an Anfield mountain to climb if they are to save their European dream.

Arsenal managed just a 1-1 draw against the Reds in their quarter-final first-leg clash at the Emirates last week.

And Liverpool have never failed to progress when they have avoided a first- leg away defeat in 17 European Cup campaigns.

Yet boss Wenger is in the mood to make history — despite bagging just two victories in 11 games.

He added: “We’ll try to play the game to win it, rather than go to penalties.

“I’d like to score early goals, as many as we can. But if we need to be patient, we will be.

“Yes, we did have a dip recently, it’s true. We can’t deny that. But football is strange sometimes.

“We feel it’s possible we can win the last five games.

“Of course, I said that before the Liverpool game as well but I said five games and one draw would make it. It is compulsory that we win at Old Trafford on Sunday.
"Defeat is not unthinkable. You have to accept you might lose but what is important is you believe you can win.

“If I didn’t believe we could win the Champions League, I wouldn’t be here.”

Wenger’s touchline histrionics in Saturday’s league draw with Liverpool suggested the pressure is beginning to get to the Gunners chief.

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Yet the Frenchman maintains he would still be the same even if he had led his side to a clean sweep 12 months ago.

He said: “I must say I’m physically agitated more because I want to score the goals, rather than because I’m really nervous.

“Sometimes, I’ve had periods in the season when I’ve been really nervous and angry. This is more to help the team, not because I’ve not won anything for a long time.

“If I’d won every trophy last year, I’d be the same. What I’ve done or not done is not important.”

Tonight’s clash draws parallels with Arsenal’s quarter-final showdown with Chelsea four years ago, when the Gunners crashed out to Wayne Bridge’s last-gasp goal at Highbury.

Wenger added: “There are similarities to 2004 when we drew at Chelsea 1-1, then lost at home in the last minute.

“I believe we have to go into it with a positive attitude.”

Hitman Emmanuel Adebayor insisted: “We have to fight because it’s going to be a big battle.

“But we are ready for that. The most important thing is to give everything in your heart.”

[Lazie]

Saw him on skysports. Him figet that Chelsea ahead of Arsenal.

[Rockman]

I think it has to do with his prior statements which turned out to have relied heavily on Man U dropping points against Middlesbrough. He thinks it was effective by way of messing with the psyche of Man U players, ergo he is sticking to what he perceived was successful.Sadly enough Arsenal did not gain points on Man U, and we have had our bad game.



Blessed



Blessed

[Karl]

I think it has to do with his prior statements which turned out to have relied heavily on Man U dropping points against Middlesbrough. He thinks it was effective by way of messing with the psyche of Man U players, ergo he is sticking to what he perceived was successful.Sadly enough Arsenal did not gain points on Man U, and we have had our bad game.



Blessed



Blessed

Bad games have a way of coming in bunches!

[Karl]

Wenger: We can do the double

Wenger: We can do the double

(AFP) Monday 7 April 2008

Arsene Wenger bullishly insisted Arsenal would take the next step towards a league and European Cup double by beating Liverpool in their UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg at Anfield.

Wenger's side arrive on Merseyside having failed to overcome Rafael Benitez's men in the first leg when Dirk Kuyt's close range effort secured an invaluable away goal in a 1-1 draw.

That scoreline was repeated when the two sides met four days later in a league clash, a result that dented Arsenal's hopes of closing the six-point gap on Premier League leaders Manchester United

To progress into the last four, Arsenal must score at least once on Tuesday evening and, having triumphed only twice in their previous eleven games, must rediscover the winning habit that appears to have deserted them in the last two months.

Wenger though, remains upbeat that his side can reverse their recent dip in form and - their league prospects having been helped by United's failure to beat Middlesbrough - continue their double bid for silverware.
"You have to accept you might lose, but what is important is that you can believe you can win," Wenger said. "But if I didn't believe we could win the Champions League, I wouldn't be sitting here.

"We have belief we can win everywhere in the world. We'll try to play the game to win it rather than go to penalties. Patience may be needed. I'd like to score early goals, as many as we can, but if we need to be patient, we will be," he added.

Arsenal face United on Sunday for the first of their five remaining league games and Wenger warned nothing less than victory will do if they are to maintain their title hopes.

"I believe we can do it," he added. "We did have a dip recently, it's true. We can't deny that. But football is strange sometimes. We feel as well that we dropped a few points, but we've been consistent since the beginning of the season.

"So it's possible we can win the last five games. Of course, I said that before the Liverpool game as well, but I said five games and one draw would make it. It is compulsory that we win at Old Trafford," he went on. "I still believe we will finish champions in this league. The result helped a lot. If they'd won, I'd have thought we couldn't (win the league) but, now, I still believe we'll do it."

Upward movement
Whatever the outcome of Arsenal's season, Wenger insists his young side will get even better over the next two years and responded forcefully to Benitez's claim that the Frenchman couldn't use the relative inexperience of his side as an excuse for failure.

Wenger added: "We have played in the final. We are young, still very young. You cannot convince me otherwise. Adebayor is young, Cesc Fabregas. I cannot say they're old, I'm sorry. They have experience, but they're young. They'll be better in two or three more years because they'll be even more experienced."

The manager's was less upbeat about the immediate prospects of Czech Repubic international Tomas Rosicky who is battling to be fit in time for the Euro 2008 championships in June.
"We have to consider that (he might miss the Euro), unfortunately, it is a possibility at the moment," Wenger added.

"It's not a certainty. Surprisingly, today is the first day where he could run at a little bit higher pace than usual without any pain. We will have to see his evolution. It's been nine weeks now with no significant evolution in his injury."

[Jamaica2099]

That's the whole part of the Prof's belief system. Pass it on to his players and affect the mentality of the opponent.

[myYout]

Cock mout kill cock, Ah weh him name hleb ah beat him chess before dem win nutten. Time fi show seh Henry ah nevah di teacha a Arsenal. Mi cyaan believe seh dem nuh waan gi teacha strikah him jew.