Tuesday, August 23, 2011

My Official Arsenal Newsletter.

Courtesy of Arsenal.


Fabianski - I'll push Szczesny all the way

By Chris Harris

Lukasz Fabianski intends to fight Wojciech Szczesny every step of the way for a first-team spot this season.

The elder of Arsenal's two Polish keepers earned a run in the side in 2010/11 but the shoulder injury he suffered in January gave Szczesny a chance to stake his claim for the No 1 role.

The 21-year-old did enough to keep his place when Fabianski returned to fitness in pre-season and Szczesny's strong start to the new campaign has kept Fabianski on the bench for now.

The Polish duo plus Italian keeper Vito Mannone enjoy a healthy rivalry and Fabianski intends to win his place back soon.

"I am fighting hard, really hard," he told Arsenal Player. "Since we came back from Germany I can say I have been fully fit. Now I am ready to play.

"It has been a difficult time for me because I was No 1 last year and I lost it due to my injury. Now I am fit again but Wojciech is doing well.

"Of course I am not happy with my position because I want to be No 1 but I have to accept it and fight for it. I am fighting really hard to get where I was before."


Talking Heads: Udinese Calcio v Arsenal 

Arsenal take on Udinese in the Champions League on August 24 and our Talking Heads for this game are Dan Roebuck, Adrian Clarke and YW from A Cultured Left Foot.

Read on for their post-match thoughts and recap what they said before the game.

Dan Roebuck - Arsenal Live
DAN ROEBUCK, PRESENTER
I was really impressed by Udinese in the first leg. Di Natale is 32 but showed he is still a class act with his clever movement and eye for goal. The wide players gave Arsenal problems too but it was noticeable that they had less impact when Wenger's side defended slightly deeper in the final 20 minutes. Frimpong helped shore up the Gunners' midfield at the Emirates and I wouldn't mind seeing him selected alongside Song, especially if Wilshere is not passed fit. An away goal will leave Udinese needing three and I fancy Arsenal to score and go through.

Adrian Clarke
ADRIAN CLARKE, CO-COMMENTATOR
Udinese caused Arsenal more problems than expected at the Emirates and will no doubt feel quietly confident of causing an upset in front of their own fans. The Italians have a powerful midfield and a world class striker in the shape of Di Natale but I don’t think the Italians can afford to be too gung-ho tactically because an away goal for the Gunners would swing the balance of the tie hugely in their favour. Despite injury problems and a lack of form, the return of Wilshere and Van Persie would give Arsène Wenger’s men a boost and although I sense that this will be a nervy evening for both sides, based on their greater experience and quality I am backing Arsenal to progress.

Arsenal badgeYW, A CULTURED LEFT FOOT
Qualifying for the Champions League is crucial for confidence. A good performance would be nice but the result is all that matters. The fans need a boost and this is the perfect time for that to happen. The team was unlucky on Saturday and has worked hard to overcome the injuries, suspensions and players who have left. Arsène should ignore the threats of Mancini and select Samir Nasri. Leaving him out and failing to progress would cost the club as much money as playing Nasri and the transfer to City falling through.


Arsenal announce squad for Play-Off Round Wednesday, August 24, 2011 

Ryo has been added to Arsenal's squad for the Champions League Play-Off Round.
Earlier this month the Club submitted an A list (List A) and a B list (List B) of players, all of whom will be eligible for the Play-Off Round tie with Udinese.

A single change to the squad can be made after the date it is originally submitted and the Club have opted to add Ryo to List A.

Should the Club progress to the Group Stage of the competition, an updated List A will be submitted by September 1, which will apply for the remainder of the competition.

Under UEFA rules, Arsenal is eligible to register 25 players to List A for the Play-Off Round and an unlimited number of players to List B.

A player qualifies for inclusion in List B if he was born on or after January 1, 1990 and has been eligible to play for the Club for an uninterrupted period of two years or more since his 15th birthday.


The Club finalised the signing of Joel Campbell with all the formal agreements and processes relating to his transfer now complete.
Campbell, 19, who joins the Gunners fresh from representing Costa Rica at the U-20 World Cup in Colombia, is also a regular with his senior national team.

Everyone at Arsenal Football Club would like to welcome the young striker to the Club and look forward to his contributions to the team.


Terms agreed with Manchester City for Monsieur Nasri 

Arsenal can confirm that they have agreed terms for Samir Nasri to move to Manchester City.
The 24-year-old midfielder, who has spent three years with the Gunners, has been omitted from Arsenal's squad which flies to Udinese this afternoon and instead will travel north for a medical.

The move will be subject to Nasri passing a medical and formal registration processes.


 Ryo Miyaichi will display ‘Ryo’ on the back of his Arsenal shirt this season.


The Japanese winger, who has been granted the work permit he requires to play in England, has been allocated the No 31 shirt.


The CEO of Arsenal, Ivan Gazidas in a private viewing with players Wojciech Szczesny and Kieran Gibbs in attendance officially opened ' The free to view five-day mixed format exhibition presented by Nike and Arena Homme+ magazine .

The exhibition is to celebrate Arsenal Football Club's 125th anniversary at London's iconic Saatchi Gallery...

 

Club Partner Nike gives fans the opportunity to see a unique collection of photography and film celebrating the past, present and future of the Club.

Theo Walcott poses during the signing of his new book "Growing Up Fast" at The Armory, Emirates Stadium on August 18, 2011 in London, England.

Theo Walcott signed copies of his new book "Growing up fast" at The Armoury Store, Emirates Stadium, on Thursday.

Gunnersaurus’ weekly blog - August 22

Tuesday, August 16
Tonight was our Champions League qualifier against Udinese and we came away with a 1-0 win thanks to Theo’s early strike. Before kick-off, I met both teams as they arrived and was also introduced to Joel Campbell, our new signing from Costa Rica.

Thursday, August 18
Went to the Armoury today for Theo's book signing session. Met hundreds of our fans who were all waiting to get their books signed. Theo also signed a book for me and we had our usual cuddle. After the book signing I was straight off to Boreham Wood for our Ladies' match against Everton. There was a crowd of over 300 and Kim Little scored the only goal of the game with a shot from outside the box. The game was shown live on ESPN. A win against Liverpool in our last game of the season will see us win the league.

Saturday, August 20
Disappointing scoreline today after putting in a lot of effort. Had to meet some of our Hong Kong supporters before kick-off and then met the teams as they arrived. Went up to box level today and at half-time went round to the family enclosure for some pics.

Also been to Brighton, Farnborough and Southampton this week on the roadshow.
Coming up next week:
  • A difficult trip to Udinese
  • Final days of the Roadshow - off to Bournemouth, Bristol and Plymouth
  • Old Trafford next Sunday

Keep On Keeping On...Arsenal Cheers.

                                                    Hei Kona (Stay Well).

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