Wenger: Arshavin can be like Messi or Ronaldo

Arsène Wenger has charged Andrey Arshavin with the job of becoming Arsenal’s talisman.

The manager believes his Russian playmaker will rank alongside world greats like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo if he can help the North London side win a trophy this season.

Arshavin helped to elevate Zenit St Petersburg to European honours before arriving at Emirates Stadium in February and Wenger argues that the time is right for a repeat at Arsenal.

"I believe he has a big challenge in front of him,” said the 59-year-old. “He made his team in Russia win and if he manages to make Arsenal win he will become an all-time great.

"That is the real challenge he faces and I am convinced he has all the potential to do it.”

Of course, potential has been present at Arsenal for a few years now,
maximising it has proved more difficult. Wenger believes Arshavin can exist in the same category as Messi and Ronaldo, he just needs the trophies to prove it. [Read More]

Van Persie reaction to Adebayor incident

Robin van Persie has issued the following statement following an incident with Emmanuel Adebayor at Saturday's game:

"I am sad and disappointed by my former team-mate Emmanuel Adebayor's mindless and malicious stamp on me during today's match.

"We are both professional footballers and I know that the game is physical, I too have made hard and sometimes mis-timed challenges but never with the intention of hurting an opponent. He set out to hurt me today.

"I knew he was aiming for a collision because he changed the angle of his body to allow contact to be made. He moved backwards when his natural momentum would have taken him forward. I find that deeply disrespectful. He has shown a real lack of class today, to me and the fans.

"I do feel lucky that I have not suffered a greater injury. The contact was only centimetres from my eye. I have not received an apology from him, there were no words exchanged afterwards. He had his own agenda today and that is bad for football. It's bad for the game we all love.

"I want to make it clear that this has nothing to do with the result of today's match. We do not hide from that disappointment but I need to speak out about his behaviour."

Wenger: Clean sheet good for our confidence

Dear Supporter,

I was delighted with the result on Saturday and it was good to keep a clean sheet too.

It's good for the confidence of the team that we did not concede against Wigan. Conceding goals is a little bit the price we pay for our style of play. We had maybe 10 chances on Saturday and gave two away. But I think we'll be more and more solid when we get used to the way we want to play.

Thomas Vermaelen is now our top scorer after his two goals against Wigan! What is good since the beginning of the season is that we have scored goals from all over the pitch. We scored four on Saturday but we could have scored more. Even in the away games - Manchester United and Manchester City - we could have scored more. That shows we have the potential.

As for Thomas, I thought he could adapt quickly to English football but not as quickly as that.

It is difficult to know who should claim the third goal because Eduardo took the shot and Emmanuel Eboue deflected it past the keeper. Spirit-wise I give it to Eduardo because the shot was on target. If this ball was deflected by a Wigan player would you give it to Eduardo?

We had this debate at UEFA. If the shot is on target but is deflected by the defender you give it to the striker. If the ball is missing the target, you give an own goal.

Eboue played well, he did what you have to do after the problems he encountered during last season's game with Wigan. You have to shut up, play and do well. Let people talk but shut up yourself. This is a job where you have to respond mentally. The supporters are behind him now because he plays well and with the right spirit.

He is a sensitive boy and an extrovert. He plays as a defender but he is a creative spirit in my opinion. That is why I used him in midfield because he has good acceleration and a good dribble. I believe he was a bit too nervous at the start but age will help him. He will get less excited and his vision will get better in the final third. He shows that now already.

Tomas Rosicky was another positive on Saturday and 'touch-wood' his problem is sorted. He had not played a game for 18 months. Now he has played with the Czech Republic and us. I did not leave him on the bench against Wigan because I was cautious. He was ready to play and for me he looks completely over his injury.

Thanks for your continued support.

Arsenal - Moscow , November 1, 2006.

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Gunners' Greatest 50 Players - the results

Arsenal's fans have spoken.

Tens of thousands of supporters had their say in our Gunners' Greatest 50 Players poll. Now it's time to reveal the results.

We'll announce two players a day for the first three weeks and then one per day as we reach the top 20. The Gunners' Greatest Player will finally be revealed on Friday, July 18.

Remember, there will also be a weekly wrap-up show broadcast every Friday night on the Arsenal TV channel.

Who is he?

In August 1996, the name Arsene Wenger meant absolutely nothing in north London. "Arsene Who?" ran the Evening Standard headline that greeted his appointment. It was the story of his life, from the moment he took charge of his own team at Nancy 12 years earlier. In every new job, he didn't just have to prove himself; he had to introduce himself. "I remember when Rioch was sacked, one of the papers had three or four names," says Nick Hornby. "It was Venables, Cruyff and then at the end Arsene Wenger. I remember thinking as a fan, I bet it's fucking Arsene Wenger, because I haven't heard of him and I've heard of the other two. Trust Arsenal to appoint the boring one that you haven't heard of."

Few people had heard of Arsene Wenger when he came to Arsenal in 1996. He remains an enigma - a cultured, media-shy Frenchman who neither looks nor behaves like a football manager. But now he is probably the most influential figure in the English game! For months Arsenal had played what may even have been the best football ever produced by a British club. Power, in Wenger's prediction, was sprinting south.

The idea is that this was uncharacteristic behaviour. In fact that's not quite true. The truth is that Wenger chooses, where possible, not to reveal his character on the touchline. According to him, he doesn't even reveal it in the dressing room. He wrote a book called Shosha No Esprit for the Japanese market. "As a manager," he says in it, "it is often necessary to suppress your own personal feelings. The feelings of the team must take priority. I have become accustomed to not showing my personal feelings. I have made it a habit to think always about the team."