By Ian Grant
PREMIERSHIP
After the draw, Gerard Houllier believes Liverpool still have a strong chance of deposing Arsenal as Premier League champions.
Alex Ferguson told Reuters the draw had given Manchester United renewed hope of winning the title. He said Liverpool were desperately unlcucky not to win.
Manchester United have been pushed out to 7-2 to win the
Premiership with Skybet. Arsenal are now a best-price 8-15 to retain the title with Chandler.
Alan Hansen said Arsenal have been given an opportunity that has not been presented to a side in the history of the Premiership and yet they are still within catching distance.
Andy Townsend said: “This year belonged to one team in Britain. Arsenal have taken Premiership football to a level never seen before. And what a joy it is to watch.”
The Calgary Herald (Canada) points out that Arsenal have not won back to back titles since 1935.
Houllier said referee Jeff Winter was “conned by the dive. If every time there’s contact between twoplayers the striker dives like Jeffers – and by the way he’s a great comedian, it was a great dive – there will be 50 penalties a match.”
And added:”Arsenal are lucky in terms of penalties. They had some lucky decisions against Fulham earlier in the season.”
Arsene Wenger said on the West Brom game:”A normal Arsenal team would not have won. If we hadn’t been prepared to dig deep, we wouldn’t even have got a point.”
Wenger added:”We know every team are gunning for us now. When we went to West Brom – phew! I looked at their dressing room and it was like they were going to war.”
PLAYERS
Martin Keown said after the West Brom match “This is the ground where I made my Arsenal debut, and it was great to have the chance to return to The Hawthorns before I stop playing.”
Keown admitted in a Sunday Times interview that five clubs were in for him in the Summer and most offered more money “I did think about moving, but my children asked, ‘Dad, why do you want to join somebody else when you’re playing for the best team in the country?”
Keown told the paper: “the hardest role anyone can have in a football match is man-marking? It’s far easier just to be a centre-half. I’ve still got that tag, but I can’t remember the last time I man-marked a player; I’ve never done it for Arsene Wenger.”
He added:”I am, without doubt, working for the best manager in the business. I’ve worked for enough people to know just how good a manager I’ve got.”
On training Keown said: “The training is intense, but strictly timed. If a practice match is a draw, it goes to penalties, it doesn’t go to a golden goal, which is the norm elsewhere. We don’t overtrain by a minute, it’s all timed scientifically. “
He also said:”It’s not true to say that I’ve retired from international football.”
And: “As boring as it sounds, we [Arsenal] have gone back to taking it one game at a time, and not looking beyond that.”
Emmanuel Petit said that he and Patrick Vieira would still be a very
effective partnership even if one of them was blindfolded.
According to the Sunday Mirror, Robert Pires has been lined up
as the new face of clothes giant French Connection… with a clause that he does not shave off his beard.
Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira have been named in a 2002 World XI by a prestigious poll from Paris sports daily L’Equipe. It is their third consecutive call-ups.
Michael Silvestre said he’d rather have Thierry Henry in his side than Van Nistelroy.
Henry’s penalty (11) puts him one behind Beattie and two behind Shearer in the Premiership hot shots race.
According to the Independent, the best Arsenal performers this season so far have been Vieira on 7.2, Henry 6.8 with Kanu, Campbell and Cole on 6.4.
FA CUP
Oxford United’s Jamie Brooks will have mixed feelings tomorrow. He was invited to join Arsenal last Summer, only to be struck down by the devastating Guillain-Barre syndrome and the deal was off.
Oxford have gone eight games without defeat and beat the division leaders Rushden and Diamonds last week-end. Manager Ian Atkins was in charge when Arsenal beat Carlisle 1-0 in the FA Cup.
TRANSFER TALK
Arsene Wenger confirmed Arsenal are on the lookout for a new goalkeeper after the transfer window re-opened on Wednesday. Rami Shaaban broke a leg in training on Christmas eve and Stuart
Taylor has a broken finger.
The Express says Arsenal are to make a £2m move for Turkey goalkeeper Recber Rustu.
According to the People, Manchester City have lined up a £4m move for Ray Parlour.
Dave Lees writes in the Sunday Times that Ray Parlour is Arsenal’s most important player. He provides the steel lacking in some of his foreign teammates.
Some papers say Spurs are determined to hold on to £10m rated defender Stephen Carr and keep him out of Arsenal’s clutches.
Former Arsenal midfielder Gilles Grimandi, who has been without a club this season, could soon join up with American professional outfit Colorado Rapids. He’s been training with his local French club Gap.
MISCELLANEOUS
Man U director said that Sir Bobby Charlton has vowed that the club will never follow the example set by Arsenal and Chelsea and put foreign signings ahead of English talent.
The Guardian says Tottenham officials are believed to have scrapped their idea to ground share with Arsenal because of its
unpopularity. Another paper says Arsenal didn’t want to share.