Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Billy can be a hero.. at Wembley
GILBERTO SILVA is finding it painful to watch Arsenal struggle less than two decades after he and his Gunners pals reigned supreme.
The Brazilian arrived in north London in 2002 as a World Cup winner and within two years had carved his name into English football’s history books as a Double winner and Invincible (right).
He went on to win a second FA Cup under
Arsene Wenger and helped the club reach the 2006 Champions
League final, where they were beaten 2-1 by Barcelona.
Arsenal supporters would give their right arm to be in Europe’s top cup competition these days, let alone reach the final. And many would give their left one as well for Gilberto to still be in their team because the quality, steel and quiet authority he brought as a defensive midfielder are exactly what they are lacking.
Speaking at the Collision From Home conference, Gilberto said: “In our time, we had many leaders in the team, on the pitch and off the pitch.
“Everyone spoke through their body language out on the field and, honestly, in the last few years this is something I have really missed seeing at Arsenal.
“It’s hard to say it’s about leadership because from what I understand they do have some guys who are leaders. But it is hard to see exactly how this leadership works out. It’s very hard to
but ‘I like Matteo Guendouzi he has to mind his temper. a little bit Sometimes I see him nervous, that’s unnecessary’
see the situation Arsenal are in and you can say that about the last few years. But I hope they can find a way to get back to the glory days. “It’s going to be very hard work for everyone at the club – the board, the staff and the players – and they all must work together if they are to change the situation.”
Gilberto was surrounded by players who backed up technical ability with bottle –
Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry,
Sol Campbell, Kolo Toure and
Dennis Bergkamp to name a few.
He added: “When things were not working well we expressed our frustration on the field, by running, tackling, giving everything. Even though I didn’t talk loudly, I talked with my attitude, my body language, my eyes.
“The way I looked at the guys, they knew when I was frustrated, they knew when I was demanding something from them. But if I had to receive any criticism from anyone else, it was all part of the game. I didn’t have the ability to score goals like Thierry but I understood my position and I always understood what my role was in the team.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta (left) has struggled to get the best from his squad and left midfielder Matteo Guendouzi out of the win at Southampton because of “internal issues.” That followed a bust-up in the defeat at Brighton last weekend. And Gilberto believes
Guendouzi needs to decide what he wants to be. The Brazilian, the first goalscorer at the Emirates Stadium, said he is confused over Guendouzi’s role in the team. “I like him. He seems a very interesting player. He has ability, he has pace to go forward,” he said.
“But sometimes I just feel a little bit confused about which position he plays. Does he want to be like a No.6, to protect the back four, or a No.8 to go box to box. If he wants to be a No.6 he has to play simply and hold his body on the field.
“And he has to mind his temper, sometimes I see him a little bit nervous, sometimes that’s unnecessary.
“He needs to just play his game – he has quality. Don’t pay attention to other things. When I see him play he suddenly starts to get nervous in some situations and he loses his focus.”
United have got to Wembley I have tried to be there. The worst one – and I still don’t like talking about it – was against Wednesday when Chris Waddle scored after about 36 seconds or something.
“It was a horrible day to be a fan, up there with Crystal Palace in the playoffs. We lost that 1-0. I still don’t know how David Hopkins’ goal went in.
“This is the furthest I have been in the cup as a player although I went to shout for Hull against Arsenal – and they lost as well!”
Sharp is hoping to spearhead Chris Wilder’s attack against the Gunners today. He said: “This is a big chance for us. We’ve shown we can beat Arsenal at Bramall Lane already this season. I’m 34 now and these chances don’t come around very often.”