By Myles Palmer
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SOL CAMPBELL is expected to return at Manchester City, where Arsene’s champs will be trying to defend set-pieces better than they did against Bolton.
Sol and Senderos were among squad players who trained on the pitch after the Bolton game, and had a little four-a-side.
Anelka is in lethal form. Sol and Kolo Toure will know that and be ready for his tricks.
Toure was magnificent against Bolton.
He gives away so few free kicks. If he can’t get the ball he pressurises his opponent without fouling him, often forcing him to give the ball away.
Without Bergkamp, Arsenal were not as fluent as usual.
Maybe they need Febregas when Dennis isn’t playing.
Cesc, like Dennis, has the instant vision and early passing skills to keep attacks flowling at high speed.
Shaun Wright-Phillips is a player Arsenal need, so it will be interesting to see what the lively winger can do against the world’s best left back.
THREE WEEKS AGO I heard that chief scout Steve Rowley told Arsene, “I’ve found you a right back.”
It seems that Angulo, known mainly as a wide midfielder, can also play right back.
On Monday I heard that Angulo was cool with the idea, but changed his mind about joining at the last minute.
VALENCIA are top of La Liga today and Claudio Ranieri may be be the maverick of this season’s Champions League.
Sacked after reaching a semi with Chelsea, Claudio has a point to prove.
SVEN-GORAN ERIKSSON is a canny politician who will wait for the FA to come to him.
We know that “There has been no contact from Real Madrid” is the most common lie since “Your cheque’s in the post”.
Sven reckons we want him out, but don’t wanna pay him £13 million to go.
He knows that Perez does not want to buy him from the FA.
And he knows that there is no chief excutive at the FA able to make a decision, so he will wait to see if they come to him and say, “Actually, Sven, we would prefer you to leave.”
I SAW DAVID BECKHAM on Tuesday.
Caroline said we could spend a day together, before she goes to uni, and we decided not to go to the Tate Modern.
We went to the National Portrait Gallery instead.
Obviously, any portrait gallery will divide opinions.
With Mo Mowlam it was “Yes!” but with Helen Mirren and Germaine Greer it was, “Do I not like that!”
Graham Greene is superb. Looks just like his photos, which I loved.
Caroline asked the attendant where Tony Benn was and the woman led us to a Benn portrait, but it was not the one she likes.
We had a good look round an exhibition about women travellers.
Then we saw a small semi-darkened room, as you have in museums and galleries, and went in to investigate.
On a TV screen, a video loop of Beckham sleeping.
It’s quite weird, and strangely compelling, to be in such intimate “contact” with the handsome superstar.
I kept watching to see if Becks would open his eyes, even though I knew he would not.
Then we ambled up Charing Cross Road, popped into Sportspages and Borders to sign some copies of The Professor, had some herbal tea in the cafe of the Photographers Gallery, where Caroline and her pals invariably end up during shopping excursions.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE is back next week.
I’m most interested in Rosenborg v Arsenal, Werder Bremen v Valencia, Chelsea v Porto, Olympiakos v Liverpool, Kiev v Leverkusen, and the sparkling Barcelona v the under-rated Shakhtar Donetsk.
When I’m watching Kaka, Ronaldinho, Shevchenko, Reyes and Xabi Alonso, I don’t think about man’s inhumanity to man.
I forget about torture, hostages, invading countries who have not attacked us.
I prefer football and the Champions League is my favourite entertainment.
It’s a vivid distraction from the real world.
September 23rd 2004.