| "The draw is not kind, not unkind. PSV have experience of this level. They dominate Dutch football and every year now they are in the last 16, Quarter-Final, Semi-Final even of the Champions League against Milan. So it is a tough draw. Of course we have the experience of having been in the final last season. Also we have a little advantage with our first game being over there. It is like a game of 180 minutes where the first 90 decide the rest. But we also know that you look back one year before that and we didn't do well at Bayern in the first game and we went out. We did well at Real Madrid in the first game last season and we qualified, so psychologically we know how to handle it.” |
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It was good that the so-called bigger clubs were avoided but the Koeman's team are not be taken lightly. Eventhough they lost the likes of van Bommel, Ji-Sung Park, Johann Vogel and Young-Pyo Lee they still won the Dutch Championship last year under the leadership of Philip Cocu.
Wenger has none of his injured players returning to the squad this weekend. Eventhough he admits that Rosicky is actually fit he won't risk him against Portsmouth.
| "Rosicky is very close. I could have included him but I do not want to take another gamble with him and have a setback. He has practised the first day with us today and I found it too early. William is nowhere near. He’ll be back in 10 days.” |
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It was great to hear that Lauren played his first 55 minutes of football for almost a year today. In a friendly played behind closed doors a reserve team took on Hoang Anh Gia Lai from Vietnam. Young Dutchman Nacer Barazite gave Arsenal the lead after 35 minutes but the visitors equalised through Viet Anit five minutes later. Rhys Murphy put the gunners 2-1 ahead on 58 minutes but within three minutes John qualised for the Vietnamese.
The match ended 2-2 but the good news was that Lauren seemed to come through the match will no ill effects. Hopefully, he'll be pushing for a first team place soon. I'd welcome his tough tackling and no-nonsense approach back in the squad.
