Steven Gerrard has revealed what Brendan Rodgers said in the dressing room after the Liverpool captain's infamous slip against Chelsea.
Steven Gerrard admits he thinks about the infamous slip against Chelsea on a daily basis.
And now he has revealed what Brendan Rodgers said in the dressing room at half-time after Demba Ba capitalised on the Liverpool skipper's mistake.
The slip eventually lead to Chelsea winning 2-0 which ultimate cost Liverpool the title.
In his book, My Story, Gerrard recounts what Rodgers said to the rest of the team.
I had been straining the whole half to make something happen, so had Luis (Suarez). Chelsea just kept blunting us. And then I’d slipped. The dressing room was hushed.
“Look,” Brendan said, imploring the other players, “if anyone deserves to be bailed out it’s him.” His finger pointed at me. “Your captain needs you to all pay him back. The amount of times he’s pulled this club out of a mess and changed impossible situations and got players out of trouble are the stuff of legend.
Now it’s time you repay him. You’ve got forty-five minutes to do it.” Brendan looked at me. “Stevie, forget it,” he said. “It happens. Let’s all go out and win this game. We can do it.
While Rodgers ultimately had an underwhelming time in charge of Liverpool, many have come out in support of the Reds' former manager, and this incident gives a glimpse why.
Arsenal may have lost the battle at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, but many fans feel like they have won the war following the Football Association's decision to rescind Gabriel Paulista's red card.
The Brazilian centre-back was given his marching orders by Mike Dean after appearing to swing a back-heeled kick at Chelsea striker Diego Costa. It was the culmination of a large altercation that appears to have been sparked by Costa's decision to grab Laurent Koscielny's face as if it was the last turkey on Christmas Eve. After the match, Arsene Wenger even admitted that Gabriel deserved a red card but fumed at the referee's decision to let Costa continue in the game.
However, after Arsenal's legal team combed through TV replays, a dossier was handed over to the FA claiming that Gabriel did not deserve to be sent off, and they have been successful.
The defender, who could play against Tottenham Hotspur in tonight's Capital One Cup tie, took to Instagram to celebrate the delightful news.
He said: "God is always fair. I want to thank @arsenal for all they have done for me!
#gabrielisagunner".
In what will surely infuriate Jose Mourinho, Costa was given a three-match ban for his role in the 2-0 victory over the Gunners after a specialist FA panel decided he was guilty of violent conduct. He will miss the Capital One Cup tie against Walsall as well as Premier League games against Newcastle and Southampton.
Gabriel may yet face a ban himself, albeit a shorter one, after being charged with improper conduct for not leaving the pitch in a swift manner after being sent off.
The Chelsea winger saw a strike ruled out in the 2011 Copa del Rey final as Barcelona lost to Real Madrid, leading to the war of words involving the Catalanand Portuguese coaches It is one of football's famous feuds. Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho were friends and colleagues at Barcelona back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the former a midfielder for the Catalan club and the latter an assistant coach. But their relationship was damaged beyond repair in 2011 - and it all started, surprisingly, with Pedro.
The Spain winger is set to make his debut for Chelsea on Sunday against West Brom after sealing his move from Barcelona earlier this week - and he claimed Mourinho was one of the big factors behind his decision to join the Blues. Just a few years ago, however, theirs would have seemed an improbable alliance.
Pedro scored Barca's second goal in the Catalans' 5-0 drubbing of Mourinho's Madrid at Camp Nou in November 2010 - the worst defeat the Portuguese has suffered in his entire coaching career. But it was in April and early May later in that same season, as the two teams met four times within the space of 17 days, that the tension boiled over between Jose and Pep.
After a tense 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu in La Liga on April 16, Barca and Madrid met again four days later in the final of the Copa del Rey at Mestalla. And following a tight first half, Pedro thought he had broken the deadlock when he latched onto a pass from Lionel Messi and fired past Iker Casillas.
However, his strike was ruled offside, Guardiola waved his finger in disapproval on the sidelines, but replays showed the officials' decision was correct as Pedro was indeed a fraction beyond the last Madrid defender, Alvaro Arbeloa, and Real went on to win in extra-time as Cristiano Ronaldo headed home from an Angel Di Maria cross. In a packed press room after the match, Guardiola appeared to question the decision. "The assistant must have great eyesight to spot that Pedro was two centimetres offside," the Catalan coach quipped.
But six days later, ahead of the Champions League semi-final first leg clash between the two teams at the Bernabeu, Mourinho mocked the words of his Barca counterpart.
"We have started a new cycle," he began. "Up until now there was a very small group of coaches who didn't talk about referees and a very large group, in which I am included, who criticise referees. Now, with Pep's comments, we have started a new era with a third group, in which there is only him, that criticises the referee when he makes correct decisions. This is completely new to me."
The Portuguese's provocations had previously had little effect on Guardiola, but with his team beaten at Mestalla and a Champions League semi-final ahead, the former Barca boss chose to react this time with a statement of intent - in the Bernabeu press room of all places.
"Señor Mourinho has permitted himself the luxury of calling me Pep, so I will call him Jose," Guardiola said. "Which one is your camera, Jose? All of them, I suppose...
"Tomorrow at 8.45pm we face each other on the pitch. He has won the battle off the pitch. If he wants his own personal Champions League trophy away from the pitch, let him take it home and enjoy it.
"In this room, Mourinho is the f***ing chief, the f***ing boss. He knows all about this and I don't want to compete with him in here. I'd just like to remind him that I worked with him for four years [at Barcelona]. He knows me and I know him.
"If he prefers to value the views of the journalist friends who take their information in a drip feed from Florentino Perez more than the relationship we had for four years, then, that's his choice. I try to learn from Jose on the pitch, but I prefer to learn as little as possible from him off the pitch."
When he returned to his hotel dining room, the Barca players stood to greet Guardiola with a round of applause. And on the pitch a day later, the Blaugrana beat Madrid 2-0. This time, unlike in the final of the Copa days earlier, refereeing decisions went in Barca's favour. Mourinho had met his match.
The Portuguese was sent off for his protests after Pepe was dismissed for a wild challenge on Dani Alves and he decided against attending the second leg at Camp Nou, watching instead from his hotel in the Catalan capital as Pedro scored in a 1-1 draw that saw Barca progress to the final. In the first of the three images above, Pedro can be seen protesting the assistant's decision to disallow his strike in the 2011 Copa final - the action that led to Mourinho's mocking of Guardiola and then Pep's press-room rant days later. In the second picture, the two coaches shake hands but avoid eye contact prior to the Champions League semi-final first leg meeting between Madrid and Barca at the Bernabeu days later and in the third photograph, Pedro and Pep are all smiles after the winger scored to secure a 1-1 draw at Camp Nou and passage to the final thanks to a 3-1 aggregate win over Real.
The winger went on to net in the final too as Barca beat Manchester United 3-1 at Wembley with an extraordinary exhibition of attacking football.
And asked just a couple of months later if Guardiola was a better coach than Mourinho, the winger was in little doubt. "It's obvious that Guardiola is better," he said. "From the moment he arrived at the club he has responded. For me, he is the best coach in the world and he has been able to handle world-class players."
Pedro subsequently saw Mourinho at his worst as the Portuguese poked then Barca assistant Tito Vilanova in the eye as the sides' Spanish Supercopa series turned ugly a month later and the Clasico clashes continued to be marked by ill feeling and animosity.
But less than four years on, the winger will now work with the Portuguese at Chelsea and Pedro revealed Mourinho had played a pivotal part in his arrival at Stamford Bridge.
"Mourinho is one of the main reasons I'm here," he said. "He called me a couple of times and told me he needed me to strengthen the team."
It is quite the unexpected turnaround after all that went on during the Mourinho-Guardiola fallout that inadvertently started with Pedro's disallowed goal in Valencia. But football, as Jimmy Greaves famously used to say, is a funny old game.
Crystal Palace 3RD
Crystal Palace have won 0, drawn 2 and lost 4 of the last 6 stagings of this fixture, being outscored by their opponents by 10 goals to 3.
C.Palace have scored in 75% of their last 20 home games.
C.Palace have kept a clean sheet in 15% of their last 20 home games.
Arsenal 19TH Arsenal have won 4, drawn 2 and lost 0 of the last 6 stagings of this fixture, outscoring their opponents by 10 goals to 3.
Arsenal have scored in 90% of their last 20 away games.
Arsenal have kept a clean sheet in 30% of their last 20 away games.
By Meghna Sengupta Gabriel Paulista may have not gotten much chance to play yet, but Arsene Wenger is extremely positive about the Brazilian centre-back’s future at the club. A focused, dedicated and skilled defender, he seems like someone who might initially struggle to get accustomed, but if he can fit in, he will end up turning into a top-notch player. Per Mertesacker’s place may come under threat, if a regular partnership between Gabriel and Laurent Koscielny formulates by the end of the campaign.
If statistics are to be considered, Gabriel has enjoyed a superb start to life in English football. Despite having only five outings, he has managed to do pretty okay.
It’s not as if he hasn’t been tested though. So far, he has been forced to take 11 defensive actions per game—the highest of any Arsenal player. It’s clear the Brazilian does not shy away from a challenge, which can only be hugely beneficial for Arsenal.
He has managed to come out on top even if he contests against other players. Gabriel has won an average of 73 per cent of his one-on-one duels, which is also the single highest success ratio among Arsenal’s entire squad of outfield players. Arsene Wenger seems like he has hit the jackpot with Paulista in his team.
Watching highlights of his old plays, it is safe to say that most of his WOW moments were aerial. The former Villarreal man has won an incredible 86 per cent of his headed contests to date despite coming up against physical adversaries such as Everton forward Romelu Lukaku. To provide some context, the giant German Per Mertesacker can only boast of winning 71 per cent of his aerial battles, so score one for Paulista again.
Gabriel has aggression required to dominate his opponent. It’s possible that with a bigger sample of games behind him these numbers might dwindle, but so far, he looks like he has good potential.
Perhaps this new season will see him progress further as a player and evolve into a great defender. Or it might end up being as disastrous as Falcao at Manchester United. Let’s wait and watch!
Lots of football fans attend matches dressed like complete wally-brains these days – even Spurs supporters – but few can reach the heights hit by those who follow the Woolwich.
To prove it here are four pictures of fans who attended Arsenal’s friendly victory over Chelsea in some meaningless pre-season match. All are wearing various pieces of replica nonsense which make them look completely ridiculous, with at least three looking as if they’re grown men.
Let us know which one gets the prize for the most foolish looking.
Arsène Wenger faced the media after Arsenal beat Chelsea 1-0 to win the Community Shield. You can read a full transcript of the press conference below:
on the win…
It was an intense game. We scored the first goal and after that you could see two teams playing with full concentration, full commitment. Maybe in some parts during the game we just tried to protect our lead but you could see that my team was really determined not to give a goal away. Sometimes we lost offensive potential by focusing on our defensive side, but every time we attacked we had chances. We had many chances today and the best chances were on our side. We won against a good team, we won another trophy… so that’s positive.
on whether Arsenal abandoned their philosophy… We abandoned nothing. We defended well. Our game is based on togetherness, on solidarity, and defending and attacking well. I believe that we defended because there was maybe a bit of a psychological hurdle ahead of my players. They were more concerned with protecting our lead against Chelsea rather than playing attacking football. We have to accept that and I don’t think that’s giving up your philosophy, it’s a punctual fact that we wanted to win a game like that. I’m quite proud of that.
on whether it is satisfying to beat Jose Mourinho… There’s an extra satisfaction because we won a game between two very good teams, and we also didn’t concede a goal against the offensive potential that Chelsea has. At the end we wanted to win and we won.
on beating Mourinho for the first time… I must honestly say that it didn’t play on my mind at all. As long as I get it served every time in press conferences it can have an impact on the team. Certainly the way my team behaved during some periods in the game, it helped. It was important for them to get that hurdle out of the way.
on whether he is still hurt by Mourinho’s comments… We live in a job where you have to respect people and respect everybody. It’s a difficult job and we just think it’s vital - and I’ve said this many times in managers’ meetings - that managers respect each other.
on Jack Wilshere… He couldn’t take part in the game today because of an ankle problem he sustained yesterday. It happened at the training ground. We don’t think it’s bad at all but I haven’t been told whether it will be two days or five days. I don’t know how long he will not be available for. It’s a matter of days.
on Arsenal’s confidence going into the season… Confidence-wise it’s good, it’s positive, and it allows you to focus on your next game with belief. It shows your players that they’re doing something right and apart from that, now the Premier League starts. We have to turn up with the needed and demanded performance in every single game. We have a tricky start against West Ham United, Crystal Palace - the two derbies - and then Liverpool straight after. We need to keep a high level of urgency to start well because last year we had that problem.
He did well. Maybe he had an influence on the Chelsea players as well because they felt that to score against him they had to score the perfect goal. When you have that sometimes you want to try too hard. It happened especially with Eden Hazard when he had that chance in the box.
on attacking options… It depends on the games. I tried to see the options I have through the season. I felt today that I wanted to use Theo’s pace to go in behind. In the first half he worked very hard, didn’t get too much service, but he worked very hard. In the second half when Giroud came on I think he gave us a physical presence that was needed at that time as well.
on Karim Benzema rumours… No, nothing is happening. Honestly no. I don’t know who brings that up. Is it Spanish media or English media? I don’t know.
Walcott, 26, is Arsenal’s longest-serving current player, making his 300th appearance for the club last season. He has scored a total of 76 goals since joining the Gunners in 2006.
Theo finished last season in outstanding form. The England forward netted a first-half hat-trick against West Bromwich Albion in the final Premier League match of the season, before scoring the opener in the FA Cup final victory over Aston Villa the following week.
As well
Cazorla, 30, enjoyed another excellent year for Arsenal in 2014/15. Playing in a deeper midfield role for the Gunners, he made 53 appearances in all – more than any other player.
In total, the gifted Spaniard has featured 148 times for Arsenal since his arrival from Malaga in 2012. His tally of 27 goals includes many important strikes, most notably in the 2014 FA Cup Final victory over Hull City.
An experienced international, Cazorla has won more than 70 caps for his country and was part of the squad that won the European Championship in 2008 and 2012.
Arsène Wenger said: “We’re delighted to have extended the contracts of Santi and Theo. Both are top quality players who are hugely important and influential to our squad.
"As well as their huge contributions on the pitch, they both have a great deal of experience and are very popular off the pitch. We’re very pleased with them both signing contract extensions, as it provides our squad with further stability of quality.”
Everyone at the club is looking forward to the continued contributions of Santi and Theo in the seasons ahead.
The striker has long been on Arsene Wenger's wishlist and
has suggested he could be moving clubs with a cryptic Instagram message as he
departs los Blancos' pre-season tour early
Karim Benzema appears to have dropped a huge hint that
he could be leaving Real Madrid, with the Frenchman pictured aboard a private
plane as he left the club's pre-season tour.
While the rest of the squad flew to Shanghai for the next stage of their
International Champions Cup campaign, where they take on AC Milan, Benzema
headed in a direction of his own.
As revealed by Goal in May, Arsenal have long been laying the
foundations for an ambitious bid to sign the France international, who played
no part in Madrid's most recent friendly, a 3-0 win over Inter, and has been
speaking cryptically about his future.
Using Verlan slang, which inverts syllables in a word, Benzema wrote on his
Instagram page "#directionturfu", which, rather than being a typing
error, translates as 'Next stop: the future'.
He
also wrote "let the past remain in the past", which adds further fuel
to the speculation that Benzema is on the verge of calling time on his six-year
stay at the Santiago Bernabeu.
New Madrid boss Rafa Benitez has previously insisted the 27-year-old would remain at the club, while his agent said it was "1000 per cent" likely he would line up for
the Spanish giants next summer.
But the striker's latest comments, and Benitez's plans to use Cristiano Ronaldo
or Gareth Bale up front, give fresh hope that Arsenal can pull off an audacious
deal, with Wenger known to want a new forward this summer with a £200 million
warchest at his disposal. Source: www.goal.com
The Arsenal boss believes the PFA Player of the Year needs to decide matches more consistently if he is to be considered alongside the two best players in the world
Hazard was one of the stars of the 2014-15 Premier League season and claimed the PFA and FWA Player of the Year awards as he helped the Blues claim their first title since 2010.
He told reporters ahead of Sunday's Community Shield clash against Chelsea: "It is all about opinions. You have to compare the numbers. I must say players like Messi and Ronaldo still score 50 goals and that is exceptional.
"He [Hazard] can decide the games and you put the top players in this kind of calibre when they can decide the games with something special.
"Hazard is in this category, now to reach the other two or three that are dominating world football at the moment I think it demands consistency which he is still to do." Source:www.goal.com
The Chelsea boss said the Frenchman should "get a calculator" when looking at his side's signings over the last few years
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has defended his spending in the transfer market in recent seasons after Jose Mourinho claimed the Frenchman spends more than his reputation suggests.
The Chelsea manager said Wenger should "get a calculator" following their substantial outlay on the likes of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez over the past two years - signings the Portuguese says should make the Gunners title challengers.
When asked for his response to the former Real Madrid boss's comments, Wenger refused to bite back after suggesting his spending has been justified by the way his players have developed at the Emirates Stadium.
He told reporters: "One day you will look at the players we have developed here compared to the spending of other clubs and you will be surprised.
"I get different reproaches - that I don’t spend enough then I spend too much. I let other people talk."
Wenger was also asked about his pursuit of Eden Hazard before the Chelsea winger joined the Premier League champions from Lille and insists that he was "a few millions" short of being able to take the Belgian to Arsenal.
PAYING UP Arsenal are ready to up their offer for Real Madrid striker Karim Benzem
The Frenchman is reportedly top of Arsene Wenger’s summer shopping list as he hunts for a ‘marquee’ addition.Gonzalo Higuain has also been linked with a move, but according to a report in the Telegraph, the north Londoners will bid again for Benzema after being turned down in their first approach last week.
Real Madrid want to keep the player and rejected Arsenal’s opening offer of €43.4m.But the Premier League giants are said to be prepared to up that offer to €49m, or even break their transfer record to sign the player.The current most expensive player is Mesut Ozil, who arrived at Arsenal from Real in a €58.8m deal two years ago.
Wenger also tried to sign Benzema that summer, but the Spanish giants wouldn’t do business.
The Bernabeu side want to make a high-profile signing this year, and could cash in on Benzema to finance a deal for Borussia Dortmund star Marco Reus.Source:Irish daily star
Arsenal will host the Emirates Cup for the eighth time this weekend with Wolfsburg, Villarreal and Lyon joining the Gunners for the traditional pre-season tournament.
Arsène Wenger's side will be aiming to win the trophy for the fourth time since its inauguration while fine-tuning their preparations for the 2015/16 season.
2007 winners: Arsenal
Paris Saint-Germain, Valencia and Inter Milan were the guests for the inaugural competition in 2007 and Arsenal kicked off their campaign with a 2-1 win against the French giants courtesy of goals from Mathieu Flamini and Nicklas Bendtner. PSG's 3-0 victory over Valencia on the Sunday had left the Gunners in the knowledge that a win against Inter Milan would see them lift the trophy in front of a packed Emirates Stadium.
David Suazo's goal on the hour mark left Arsenal's fate in the balance but a quick reply from Alex Hleb and a stunning 85th-minute winner from Robin van Persie handed Arsenal the trophy.
Arsenal won the inaugural Emirates Cup in 2007
2008 winners: Hamburg
In 2008, European heavyweights Real Madrid and Juventus were the opponents alongside Hamburg. David Trezeguet's first-half winner condemned Arsenal to their first defeat in the tournament and just their second at their new home. The result, combined with Real Madrid's 2-1 win over Hamburg on the opening day, meant Arsenal needed a big win over the Spanish club and a favourable outcome in the other game if they were to retain the trophy.
An Emmanuel Adebayor penalty was enough to beat Bernd Schuster's team in an entertaining game but Hamburg's 3-0 win over Juventus earlier that afternoon saw the German side lift the cup.
Abou Diaby in action against Real Madrid
2009 winners: Arsenal
Arsenal welcomed PSG, Rangers and Atletico Madrid to N5 in 2009 and opened up with a late winner against the Spaniards. Substitute Andrey Arshavin looked to have won it for the Gunners when he volleyed in Cesc Fabregas' cross but German Pacheco levelled seconds later. However, the Russian forward wasn't finished and in stoppage time he flicked over Sergio Asenjo and slotted home from a tight angle to give Arsenal the points.
A 1-1 draw between PSG and Atletico in day two's opening game meant Rangers were the only side who could overtake Arsenal going into the final game. However, the Scottish champions were blown away with two goals inside the first 15 minutes from Jack Wilshere and Eduardo. Wilshere, who was voted man of the match in both of the Gunners' games, volleyed home a third 18 minutes from time to cap a memorable weekend for the teenager.
The Gunners regained the cup in 2009
2010 winners: Arsenal
Arsenal retained the Emirates Cup for the first time in 2010 after drawing with AC Milan and beating Celtic. New signing Marouane Chamakh scored his first Emirates Stadium goal to give Arsenal the lead against Milan but they were pegged back by Alexandre Pato with 13 minutes remaining.
The Gunners lifted the trophy for the third time in four tournaments after surviving a late fightback from Tony Mowbray's side on the Sunday. Carlos Vela's early goal set them on their way before strikes from French duo Bacary Sagna and Samir Nasri either side of half-time seemingly put Wenger's men in cruise control. But Daryl Murphy pulled one back for Celtic and Ki Sung-Yueng's goal seven minutes from time set up a grandstand finish, but Arsenal held on.
The trophy is retained in 2010
2011 winners: New York Red Bulls
Emirates Cup 2011 had a more global feel to it with the New York Red Bulls and Boca Juniors joining regulars PSG in north London. Arsenal looked set to open their tournament with a win after Van Persie and Aaron Ramsey goals had given them a two-goal cushion against PSG. But quickfire strikes from Lucas Viatri and Pablo Mouche pegged Arsenal back and left the tournament wide open going into the second day.
PSG's 3-0 win over Boca Juniors meant Arsenal needed a win against the Red Bulls to clinch a fourth Emirates Cup. Van Persie's first-half header looked to have secured the silverware for Arsenal for another year but a late Kyle Bartley own goal, with Thierry Henry the catalyst, was enough for the American side to lift the cup.
Gervinho takes on the Red Bulls
2013 winners: Galatasaray
The 2012 Olympics in London meant the Emirates Cup had to be put on hold for a year but the competition returned in 2013 with Napoli, Galatasaray and Porto visiting the Emirates.
Arsenal opened their tournament against Rafael Benitez's Napoli, who they would later face in the Champions League group stage. Two goals in the first half from Lorenzo Insigne and Goran Pandev put the Italians in the driving seat but Arsenal launched a spirited comeback in the final 20 minutes. Olivier Giroud's instinctive overhead kick reduced the arrears before Laurent Koscielny headed Arsenal back on terms with four minutes to go.
With the advantage of playing second on the Sunday, Arsenal again knew that a win against Emmanuel Eboue's Galatasary would ensure they finished the tournament in first place. Theo Walcott's opportunist goal five minutes before the break sent the Gunners ahead but former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba was the scourge of Arsenal with two goals in the final 15 minutes to hand the Turkish side the trophy.
Theo Walcott curls in Arsenal's goal against Galatasaray
2014 winners: Valencia
After Germany's impressive summer in Brazil Arsenal were without several of their World Cup stars for the 2014 tournament, but the Gunners' youngsters stepped up to put on a show for those inside Emirates Stadium.
Yaya Sanogo - deputising for the absent Olivier Giroud - got Arsène Wenger's side off to a flying start by scoring four goals in a convincing 5-1 win against Benfica, with Joel Campbell adding another. Valencia and Monaco played out a 2-2 draw in the other opener, meaning Arsenal led the tournament going into the second day's game against the Ligue 1 side.
Radamel Falcao scored on his return from the knee injury which kept him out of the World Cup to deny Arsenal a fourth Emirates Cup triumph, before Valencia came from a goal behind to take the trophy back to Spain for the first time.
Valencia win the Emirates Cup Copyright 2015 The Arsenal Football Club plc
SOURCE: Read more at http://www.arsenal.com/news/features/20140730/emirates-cup#UdwhWIAjs8cFE4s6.99