Loads of previews focusing on the fact Real can score two in five minutes; and Real will attack from the start.
Some of the more interesting comments, apart from the claim in one paper that Wenger called in a sports psychologist for this one [denied by Arsene] is that Gilberto feels, (in the Irish Times) the tight Highbury pitch could cramp Real Madrid’s style . Former captain Tony Adams (in The Evening Chronicle) fears Arsenal’s lack of players at their peak will finally kill off their Champions League dream.
And George Graham in the E. Standard warned Arsenal not to abandon their natural attacking game against Real Madrid, saying: “Arsenal are at their best when they are comfortable – and that means going forward.”
Wenger and David Pleat say the key battle will be Flamini v Beckham – and the latter advises Flamini to keep defensive all night.
A lot of other pieces focus on Freddie Ljungberg and his change of role in the middle of the park; his open body stance and eye for a killer pass; and the fact he’s acting as a sort of dad to the youngsters: “We haven’t scored as many goals as we normally do in the whole team. We are in a bit of a transition period. We haven’t created as many chances as we have in the past and not played as quickly.”
Not to forget Theo Walcott is on the bench, with Wenger saying he’ll play him if he feels it necessary – and that he’s done very well in training.
As far as other news goes, another day – another kid signs for Arsenal. The Independent reports that the 15-year-old striker Nacer Barazite is due to sign a five year deal from NEC Nijmegen. His family is moving to London making him eligible to join Arsenal under FIFA regs,as he is under 16. NEC are entitled to £68,000 in compensation.
And the promising Arturo Lupoli could be set to go on loan at Derby County, according to the D.Mirror.
Thought it wouldn’t be long before the laws surrounding printed material would catch up with the Internet; and here again Arsenal’s Ashley Cole is turning out to be, admittedly inadvertently, a legal trailblazer. Not content with firming up FAPL Rule K5 and make binding rules of member associations which have signed up to FIFA, he’s testing the law of false privacy and harassment; and now his lawyer is asking Google why the word gay comes up in a Google search on Ashley Cole; and whether this was a machine choice or a human editorial choice.
Definitely more sensible is Ashley tackling a new project – Keep Your Eye on the Ball, a cancer awareness campaign. Ashley holds a football reminding men to check their testicles for any unusual lumps.
Arsenal’s Mathieu Flamini, was 22, and ex-Arsenal’s Ray Parlour, 33, yesterday.
Plans for Emirates Stadium match day coaches (40 in all) to park a few hundred yards from the stadium, in the car park of the Sobell Leisure Centre have met with protest from local residents.
However, it won’t stop the stadium opening on time. The ES reports that Islington council leader Steve Hitchins saying: “The issue to be resolved is where, not whether, coaches can park. No decision that can be made on Thursday evening will prevent the opening of the stadium on time.”