Carling Cup Final:Chelsea v Arsenal
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Carling Cup Round F
Millennium Stadium
Sun, Feb 25, 2007, 3pm
Thierry Henry believes ArsenalÂ’s youngsters CAN beat Chelsea in the Carling Cup Final on Sunday.
The Club captain is highly likely to watch the game from the stands at the Millennium Stadium because Arsène Wenger has vowed only to use players who have featured in the previous rounds of this season’s competition.
However the 29-year-old feels Arsenal’s side — expected to be a mixture of first-teamers, squad players and youngsters — can compete with a full-strength Chelsea side.
“Arsenal in the Carling Cup have the capacity to beat anyone,” he said. “Winning at Everton and at Anfield is never an easy task but they did it and did it in style.
“The team we put out at Stamford Bridge was also a young team and we got a draw. They had an amazing game against us but couldn't put the ball in the back of the net. So anything can happen.
“It's a competition we don't win very often at Arsenal but I feel it is a great competition. When you look at the clubs who have won it you know that teams take it seriously even though Arsène sometimes plays the kids. And of course Chelsea-Arsenal is always exciting whoever is going to play.”
Henry denied he was unhappy to miss out on a Final. He argued it would be unfair to parachute him into the side and, anyway, it is a competition in which he had rarely participated.
“Some people wrote that the boss is snubbing me,” he said. “But if you look at how many games I have played in the Carling Cup that will tell you why I am not playing on Sunday. Since I'm at Arsenal, the boss has always rested players in the Carling Cup and even in the first rounds of the FA Cup.
“If you look at my stats, since I have been here I’ve never played in the Carling Cup. I played last season at home against Wigan only because all the strikers were injured and I think I played once at Middlesbrough in my first season because I was short of games.
“It would have been hard if the team was not playing well but when you win at Everton and Liverpool and knock out Tottenham in the Semi-Final then whoever played there should play.
“So I will be cheering the team on Sunday. I will be there in the dugout or something like that. And, as ever, the most important thing is to bring the trophy back for the fans.” -
Clichy backs Traore for Cup Final berth
Gael Clichy is hoping to be selected for the Carling Cup Final but admits that Armand Traore deserves the left back berth in Cardiff.
The 21-year-old’s only starting appearance in the run to the Final came at West Brom in October. It was his first 90 minutes of the season after two separate breaks in his foot had kept him out almost a year — barring two games at the back end of last season.
Like Clichy, Traore was plucked from a south-coast French side before he had made his mark. However, along with Denilson, he has established himself as Arsenal’s ‘find’ of this season’s Carling Cup with impressive displays against Everton, Liverpool and Tottenham.
“Yes he had done well when he has come in,” said Clichy. “And I think he deserves to play against Chelsea.
“But if the boss wants me to play I will be more than happy. The Carling Cup Final is the Carling Cup Final and, when you are at Arsenal, you want to play every game.
“Perhaps it means more to me than others because I was away [injured] for a year. It would be amazing for me and if I have to play one more game this week then I will do my best.” -
The first domestic silverware of the English season will be settled on Sunday when Arsenal's young guns are pitted against Chelsea's expensively assembled superstars in the Carling Cup final.
The first ever all-London final in England's second cup competition is gearing up to be a memorable affair, with no love lost between the two sides in the two-and-a-half seasons since Jose Mourinho's arrival in English football.
Arsene Wenger has angered the two-time Premiership champions with accusations of 'financial doping' under Roman Abramovich's reign, with the Frenchman's own antidote being a carefully cultivated youth programme which has paid real dividends this season.
Arsenal's emerging stars have secured memorable victories over West Brom, Everton, Liverpool and Tottenham en route to the final, but a meeting with Mourinho's quadruple-chasing side will be the ultimate test of their talent.
Whilst cracks have appeared in Chelsea's formidable facade this season, they remain a daunting prospect and will give no quarter in their bid to match their success of 2005 - Mourinho's first trophy in English football.
The Blues have disposed of Blackburn, Aston Villa, Newcastle and Wycombe on the way to Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, and personal pride - along with Mourinho's ongoing spat with Wenger - means Chelsea will be keen to hand Arsenal's kids a footballing education.
However, they will have to do so without inspirational captain John Terry after the England star damaged his ankle ligaments in Wednesday's UEFA Champions League game with Porto.
Khalid Boulahrouz's dislocated shoulder means the backline will have a makeshift feel to it again, with Michael Essien expected to slot in alongside Ricardo Carvalho.
Ashley Cole has an outside chance of facing the side he left under a cloud in the summer, but the left-back may take a place on the bench after marking his comeback from knee ligament damage in the reserves in midweek.
Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Porto also saw Arjen Robben pick up a muscle strain so the Dutchman is doubtful for Sunday, with midfield companion Joe Cole a long term absentee due to a foot injury.
John Obi Mikel could accompany Michael Ballack, Claude Makelele and Frank Lampard in midfield, whilst Andrei Shevchenko will be hoping for another start alongside Didier Drogba after claiming five goals in his last seven games.
Arsenal's starting XI is much harder to pre-empt, although Wenger has insisted he will keep faith with the players that have taken The Gunners to the final as he chases the only domestic silverware to have eluded him in England.
That means William Gallas will not play against his former employers, with captain Thierry Henry, Freddie Ljungberg and Jens Lehmann (suspended) also watching from the sidelines.
Wenger may have selection problems in defence as Emmanuel Eboue is out with an ankle problem, whilst Gael Clichy (foot) and Justin Hoyte (hamstring) require late fitness tests.
Clichy's participation is in some doubt, meaning 17-year-old Armand Traore could well start the biggest game of his career to date.
Wenger is expected to garnish his side with more than a liberal sprinkling of experience so the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor could all start in Cardiff.
However a substitutes' role would be harsh on young hopefuls such as Denilson, Theo Walcott and Jeremie Aliadiere who have started every game in the competition so far.
If Wenger's proteges are to overpower their London rivals then Julio Baptista could be the key after claiming six goals in the cup already this season, but even The Beast will be aware of the monstrous task facing his young team-mates.
Arsenal have demonstrated a deep reservoir of talent though their Carling Cup campaign this season, but it remains to be seen whether Chelsea's all-conquering side will prove to be a bridge too far for the young guns. -
Arsenal_________Team_________Chelsea
5_________Games Played_________5
Goal Attempts
14_________Goals_________12
2.80_________Ave Goals per game_________2.40
64_________Shots (excl blocked shots)_________62
47%_________% Shots on Target_________45%
22%_________% Goals to Shots_________19%
Defending
6_________Goals Conceded_________1
1.20_________Ave goals conceded per game_________0.20
46_________Clearances_________42
9_________Blocks_________11
Discipline
75_________Fouls_________76
10_________Yellow Cards_________9
0_________Red Cards_________0 -
i wonder about this match..
all things being equal, Chelsea should win it.. but there is a hunger in the younger side.. trying to break into the senior squad.. what better way than to make a good game of it?
Chelsea seems kind of jaded lately... overdependence on a few players has seen them become very shaky.. there isn't this air of invincibility anymore..
and with Terry out due to his wonky ankle.. Cole could be a detriment if he plays.. he's not very disciplined as a defender as he likes to go up and sometimes forgets to return, and he was an ex-Arsenal player who left under a disgraceful cloud, it could spur on Arsenal to play even better with him on the pitch..
who knows?
i won't put money on this match, i'd just watch it
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The bear, i've guess that this match shouldn't really bet on it.. Just watch the match as a joyful thing without splashing big $$$ in it..
Cheers,
turbo -
I hope Cashley Cole kena pwned tonight.Originally posted by the Bear:i wonder about this match..
all things being equal, Chelsea should win it.. but there is a hunger in the younger side.. trying to break into the senior squad.. what better way than to make a good game of it?
Chelsea seems kind of jaded lately... overdependence on a few players has seen them become very shaky.. there isn't this air of invincibility anymore..
and with Terry out due to his wonky ankle.. Cole could be a detriment if he plays.. he's not very disciplined as a defender as he likes to go up and sometimes forgets to return, and he was an ex-Arsenal player who left under a disgraceful cloud, it could spur on Arsenal to play even better with him on the pitch..
who knows?
i won't put money on this match, i'd just watch it
Anyway, Arsenal need some silverware to console themselves for losing out on the EPL title race. -
Wenger's View
Match Report
Chelsea2 Drogba 21, 84
Arsenal1 Walcott 12
Yellow Cards
Michael Essien (36)
Neves Denilson (29)
Ricardo Carvalho (49)
Emmanuel Eboue (8
Lassana Diarra (52)
Francesc Fabregas (90)
Frank Lampard (90)
Red Cards
John Mikel (90)
Emmanuel Adebayor (90)
Kolo Toure (90)
Carling Cup Round F
Millennium Stadium
Sun, Feb 25, 2007, 3pm
On his Cup Final regrets...
"I felt we had an outstanding performance and my only regrets are that, one, we had the chance in the first half to kill the game and we didn't do it. We should have done more with the chances we created, especially with the final ball. Two or three times we had clear opportunities and the game should have been beyond Chelsea. Another regret is that we lost our nerves with seven minutes to go and we must always keep our nerve. We should have taken the free kick, that was the best way to come back. My third regret is that the referee made some very bad decisions, vital decisions which you cannot afford to make in a game of that importance. The equaliser for Chelsea was offside and Adebayor was clean through without being offside. That is minor for [the media] but not for me."
On losing another Final to a late goal...
"Overall I am happy with the performance. We did not lose a game until the final part of the Final. It's a repeat of the Champions League last year where we did not lose until the final part of the Final."
On the stoppage-time brawl...
"I am very disappointed because it did not reflect the quality of the game. I know the media will speak more about that than the quality of the game but I think people will keep in their brain that they saw a good football game today and we are proud of that. It was a brawl, a few punches were exchanged but not only from our side. It was just tense, both teams wanted to win, Kolo was pulled back, the ball was kicked away."
On why he went onto the pitch...
"I went on to make sure nothing major happened. I wanted to calm things down. Basically I am not strong enough to do that. I overestimated my power a little."
On why his players must learn from the incident...
"We have had a great team spirit since the beginning of the season in this squad. The young players have responded every time and my regret today is that we had enough energy and mental resources to come back but that [brawl] killed our last chance to come back to 2-2. After that you don't get into the game any more. I feel until now we are more lambs than wolves. I think in a young squad you need aggression in a positive way but you want to control it and not lose our nerves. We will learn from this."
On his youthful midfield quartet...
"It is a learning process of course. They are intelligent, they are very young and they produced an outstanding performance. In the midfield we had Walcott, 17, Denilson, 19, Fabregas, 19, Diaby, 20. The average in the centre of midfield was 19 and they marshalled the middle of the park in an outstanding way against world-class players."
On whether Arsenal's best chance of silverware has gone...
"We wanted to win the trophy but we are full of hope with what we have produced in the Carling Cup. We have a good chance in the FA Cup and the Champions League. "
On his approach to the Carling Cup...
"I had my vision of this competition and I stuck to it until the last minute. I don't regret any second of what I did. "[/b] -
why did they fight ??? didnt catch tt part
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Because emotions were running high as Arsenal were 1 down and needed an equaliser to force an additional 30 minutes to be played.Originally posted by jay_rocks:why did they fight ??? didnt catch tt part
It is nobody's fault. Everyone wants to win. -
Terry almost got his head ripped off.. goodness.. totally horrific.. hope no spinal or head injuries..
Reminded me of crouch as well.. kana smacked also.. -
Apparently Terry was fine. he returned for the post-match celebration.Originally posted by Gackt247:Terry almost got his head ripped off.. goodness.. totally horrific.. hope no spinal or head injuries..
Reminded me of crouch as well.. kana smacked also..