THE BOLTON GAME proved that Arsene Wenger should sign Ricardo Gardner.
Ashley Cole has gone and Arsene needs a left back of Champions League quality.
He needs a player who is 27-29 and already performing well in the Premiership.
Gardner is 27 and was born in Scotland. He is a readymade left back who knows how to defend and could have played for George Graham.
Positionally, he is superior to Ashley Cole.
On Saturday Ricardo Gardner was superb. He made four passes in the move for Nolan’s goal. He started the attack by intercepting Diaby’s pass to Adebayor. Later he blocked a Senderos shot, headed Henry’s lob off the line at the death, and skipped nimbly over Flamini’s crude two-footed lunge for a ball the Frenchman had miscontrolled.
Arsene should sign him and give him a four-year contract on more dosh than he earns now. He should not confuse himself by looking at Latins and Latvians and Belarussians.
He has holes in his team and Gardner can plug one hole overnight.
Don’t ignore the obvious, Monsieur !
LOSING JOSE REYES for Anfield is a severe blow to a team without a left back.
It was Larsson’s hospital pass that started Reyes on his way into that ambulance on Saturday. Yes, Faye should have been sent off but the pass from Larsson put Reyes in trouble.
The distance between Larsson and Gardner was as big as the distance between London and Barbados.
If Gardner had been playing for Arsenal they would have won 4-0.
PATRICK VIEIRA was average for Juventus at Inter last night.
I’ve been wondering if Inter can do anything in the Champions League. They look quite powerful.
But I fancied Juve and had a bet on the Asian Line Handicap, where you also win if it’s a draw.
All the big stars started the game except Del Piero, Mancini still had his sky blue scarf and Capello still has the best dye-job I’ve seen since Ronald Reagan.
First 20 was exciting stuff, a high-tempo game, a real football match.
Veron raked his studs across the thigh of Emerson as he lay in the ground by the touchline. Emerson got up as if nothing had happened.
The combinations between Nedved, Trezeguet and Zlatan Ibrahimovic looked likely to create a goal and I thought about having another Bet In Play.
Just as I became convinced the game was all about Zlat, Ned and Trez, Inter got three corners quickly and Stankovic sent a power header skimming over the bar.
Thuram at 34 is still awesome and Cannavaro made a fantastic tackle on Adriano just outside the box.
Then Chiellini got to a 50-50 first on the edge of the box and cleared the ball and clattered into Stankovic.
It wasn’t a foul but the ref booked him and gave a free-kick and Adriano whipped it over the wall and into the corner.
But the goal was disallowed. The referee, splendid in his elegant yellow uniform, said it was INDIRECT !!!!
“Look at the ref,” I said.” Even the refs have stylish shirts.”
“It’s Italy, Myles,” said Jan amiably. “I could never take you to Italy, they’d think you were a vagrant.”
Second half, Figo got a nasty kick on the knee from the follow-through of a Chiellini clearance and then Camoranesi clipped an early cross, a deadly ball, low across the goalmouth and Zlatan scored from seven yards.
Samuel equalised with a header from a corner and then sub Del Piero scored the winner with a sublime free-kick over the wall.
Cambiasso smacked a vicious knee into Vieira’s back as they jumped together, a shocking foul in any league.
JUVENTUS have won 21 of their 25 league games.
They are a serious football team. A team that gamblers can rely on.
Did I mention that Juventus have won 21 of their 25 league games?