Arsene looked a younger man!
Arsene Wenger hugged Mersut Ozil following the final whistle and Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Manchester City in the FA Cup semi final on Sunday. He hugged him again in the dressing room and I saw him close up and you could see the tension and tightness relax in his face as he celebrated what he knew was a desperately important game to win. Those tell tale worry lines across Arsene’s face and forehead seemed to recede into the background and the smile came back to his lips. He was very upbeat in his after-match press conference. I am sure all of you Arsenal fans were delighted to see the good times return for the Gunners. The fans also backed Arsene. Those calling for him to find employment elsewhere were suddenly the bad guys. As ex-Gunner defender and now TV pundit, Martin Keown, said after the game, “It means more for Arsenal to win through to the Cup final than to finish a mediocre fourth season after season. We have a great tradition in the FA Cup.” Arsenal turned up for this game...they played with spirit, fight and passion and after going 1-0 down they fought back like brave soldiers. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain repaid the manager’s faith in him as he ran tirelessly up and down the right wing creating chance after chance. He delivered a brilliant cross for Monreal to hammer home Arsenal’s first goal. Alexis Sanchez scored the winner of course and you could see pure delight in his face as he proudly pointed to the badge of Arsenal on his shirt. And again Arsene’s face lit up with the 1-0 win at home to Leicester on Wednesday evening and in his press conference he even made a few jokes. With two games in hand over Liverpool, they could still end up in the top four if results go their way as they have a superior goal difference. Is this the beginning of a resurgence for Arsenal after a season of disappointment and personal attacks on Arsene from many critics...I do hope so because the Premier League would be very sorry to see him go. It will be a double blow for Manchester United if they do not qualify for Europe next season. I have learned that Manchester United’s talismanic striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, will definitely consider walking away from Manchester United if they fail to reach any European competitions for 2017/18. He believes that, at age 35, he must continually focus on winning and he wants more glory before it is too late. That is what drives him. Realistically that leaves the Europa Cup as the way forward for United and they will automatically clinch a Champion’s League spot if they win the competition. As an extra incentive for United, their highly lucrative deal with sportswear company Adidas will be affected and failure to reach Europe means that Adidas will invoke a £50million fine on the Reds for not publicising their brand around the world during European Championship matches. Also, United’s accountants say that a further £25million will be lost through TV money, ticket and shirt sales around the world. Now you know why Jose Mourhino often looks worried!
At Chelsea, Cesc Fabrigas has decided to stay and fight for his starting place. Both AC Milan and Besiktas have made enquiries but manager Antonio Conte has gained respect for the Spaniard after initially freezing him out at training and bringing him into matches as a late substitute. At training Antonio constantly calls Cesc over for a private word, working out moves and discussing tactics. That is respect.
Rafa Benitez took a big gamble with his career and his reputation when he decided to stay at Newcastle United after they were relegated from the Premier League. But the gamble has paid off and Newcastle have won promotion along with Brighton and Hove Albion and will be back in the top tier next season. Rafa is already a hero on Newcastle’s Tyneside. But here is something you probably do not know. Rafa and his wife Montse still support charities back in Liverpool where he was manager from 2004 to 2010. Both have given time, money and support to raise funds for Our Lost Love Years, a children’s charity. Montse has even auctioned off her own clothes to help raise funds and she personally paid for 33 disadvantaged children to go to Disneyland Paris.
Speaking a few days ago to press and friends, Everton star forward Romelu Lukaku insisted that he would not change his mind about leaving because he wants to win silverware. He has turned down £130,000 a week and said he wanted to be one of Europe’s top strikers and that meant joining one of the elite teams. He explained his motivation, “I want to win trophies and I don’t think people should take that as arrogant. I want to be the best and I have to move to achieve that.” Congratulations to Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante on winning the Professional Footballer’s Association Player of the Year Award. At London’s Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane, his fellow professionals voted for him for a second year. This quiet, modest, highly likeable player has been superb this season and manager Antonio Conte is the first to say that N’Golo has been inspirational in keeping the Blues at the top of the table.