Vela shines and scores as Mexico trounce Peru

By Aries

Mexico had to make a come back after that abject and disappointing defeat, or rout if you like, against Argentina last Wednesday.

What was missing in that game according to Jesus Ramirez, the Mexico interim coach until Sven Goran Erikkson takes over was forcefulness and above all the taking of chances.

"The truth is that we learned a lot from the game against Argentina. This time we had the opportunities and we took them”.

And they certainly did with Carlos getting involved in almost all the good moves that Mexico created.

He got the third goal by positioning himself between the two central defenders as he did against Argentina only on this occasion he raced past the goalkeeper, who had just slipped, to slot the ball into the net.

He nearly repeated the same routine but his shot from an acute angle went just wide.

And he was in there again as he was correctly placed to challenge for a cross from the left only for the loose ball to fall to Arce who duly slotted home.

You can watch Vela’s goal and the highlights of the game against Peru on the video on the right hand side of this page

Vela’s next games are for World Cup qualification in the double encounter against Belize in Houston, USA, Sunday 15th June and in Monterrey, Mexico, Saturday 21st June.

He will then, after a well earned summer holiday in Mexico with his family, join the rest of his Arsenal team mates at London Colney for pre season training in early July.


Vela and Santos like Fabregas and Messi: World stars in the making

Vela outpaces Argentinean defence but fails to have overall impact

By 1970’s Gooner

Mexico failed to impress last Wednesday night playing in front of 68,500 extremely vociferous fans in San Diego. They also played in front of a quiet and pensive looking new manager, a certain Sven Goran Eriksson.

They went down 4-1 as Argentina outplayed them in almost all areas of the pitch producing beautiful football creating and scoring goals as if form another planet.

The second and fourth goals, especially the second scored by Lionel Messi was pure poetry in motion.

The ball was moved around the Mexico penalty area and finally a low cross from the left was put into the box.

The oncoming forward dummied allowing the ball to run between his legs only to reach the oncoming Messi who just side stepped it into the net.

A truly wonderful goal and the type that you would expect to see Arsenal scoring.


Carlos Vela was played up front in a double pairing with Sergio Santana.

The partnership didn’t work as the two could not strike an understanding. They were described in the Mexican press as playing like a divorced couple!

The interim Mexico coach, Ramirez, also criticized the more creative aspects of his team especially the forwards:

“The score doesn’t reflect the level of play of Mexico and Argentina. “The different factor was the quality of forwards” he said.

Nevertheless Carlos had one great chance to open the scoring as early as the 7th minute.

He cleverly positioned himself in between the two Argentinean central defenders and received a through ball which enabled him to get a clear run at the defence.

He duly outpaced the defenders and the on rushing goalkeeper (who collided in their desperate attempt to catch up with him) only to see his diagonal shot at the unguarded goal go agonisingly just wide.

You can see the goals and Vela’s miss on the video on the right hand side of this page.

I can see what Arsene Wenger means when he says that Vela has more of a future as a central striker rather than a winger; like Eduardo he said.

Mind you he said that about Walcott yet he still played him mostly on the wing during this last season. And to my mind vela will probably feature on this side of the pitch rather than centrally.

Argentina opened the scoring in the 11th minute when Burdisso’s shot past goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez.

As mentioned above Messi added the second, Maximiliano Rodriguez the third from close in and Sergio Aguero the fourth in the 71st minute.

Vela’s mate Dos Santos signs for Spurs

By Aries

It’s now official. Giovanni Dos Santos the Mexican starlet has admitted that he is leaving Barcelona for Ramos’s Spurs.

Interviewed on Wednesday night in San Diego, California where he witnessed the encounter in which Mexico lost 4-1 to Argentina, he said: "I will play next season at Tottenham,"

Tottenham waited until his operation on his left ankle had been carried out making sure that the player was moving well before putting pen to paper.

Barcelona will receive £4.7m pounds for the transfer.

It is believed that Dos Santos was positive about Spurs above other Premiership teams that were interested in his signature due to his relationship with Ramos.

It is ironic that Dos Santos’s close friend in the Mexican national team and also in Spain, Carlos vela, is also coming to London but he will of course ply his trade with Arsenal!



Vela and Santos like Fabregas and Messi: World stars in the making

AC Milan’s Galliani denies agreeing terms with Adebayor

By Aries

Ac Milan’s vice president Adriano Galliani has commented today on the news reported by Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta Dello Sport that Adebayor had been in talks with AC Milan.

Adebayor is said to be top of coach Carlo Ancelotti's transfer targets as he looks to build a team capable of challenging for the Serie A title.

He is reported to have met with Milan officials over the past few days and shaken hands on a move to the Italian club.

Gazzetta dello Sport reported that a fee of around £32 million for Adebayor could prove a stumbling block for AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi.

However Galliani, although admitting that AC Milan are on the look out for top striker, has moved swiftly to deny the rumours.

When asked if the transfer is likely to come from England he said:

“I do not know. For now, there is also Paloschi which is excellent”

When pressed further whether an agreement has been reached with Adebayor he replied:

”We can not be make agreements with players”.

However Galliani would not be so foolish so as to admit to making an illegal approach to a player would he?

And if this statement may be true there is nothing to stop them speaking to Adebayor’s agent is there?

This may also be linked with the recent pay rise offered to Adebayor by Arsenal which looks like an attempt to close the barn door before the horse bolts out!

A major concern however is the fact that Adebayor has not come out to categorically deny the link.

Mourinho doesn’t fancy Hleb but his bride does!

By Aries

Alexander Hleb had set his heart on leaving the cold climate of London, which he never came to terms with and join Inter in Milan where the weather is sunny and they serve better ice cream.

But how things change so fast. Just as Alexander and his agent begun to prepare the ground for his contractually premature departure from Arsenal taking all the flak that was coming their way, in comes a managerial change at Inter.

The new chief Jose Mourinho doesn’t seem to fancy him much. Agent Vincenzo Morabito said:

"I'm sorry that we won't be able to take him to Italy, he liked Inter a lot but obviously Mourinho has made some different choices and has gone for some other names."

However Morabito, who had been discussing the proposed move to Italy, confirmed that Hleb is close to agreeing terms on a switch to Barcelona instead.

"A deal is close. He has been a Barcelona target for some months," Morabito said

So it’s just as well, as Hleb actually got married last Saturday to his ….wife, pop star Anastasia Kosenkova otherwise known as Nastya.

Well, they got married behind closed doors last year but on this occasion they had more than the two witnesses they needed last time round.

They publicly tied the knot in a Belarusian ski resort with a lot of relatives and close friends attending.

Alexander Hleb was dressed in classic black suit and white shirt and Nastya in a chic pink dress "Versace".


They danced to Bryan Adams song “Everything I do, I do it for you” and they both agreed that they preferred their first born to be a boy.

I don’t like the way Hleb’s impending departure has been managed by himself and his agent but as long we get a hefty transfer fee then I would have to accept it.

If the transfer to Barcelona, or to any other club, materialises then I wish Alexander good luck and thank him for some amazing trickery and football skills displayed during his time with Arsenal.

The woman behind Nasri!

By Aries

You know the saying: “Behind every successful man there is a woman”.

This has certainly been the case with Alexander Hleb as we revealed on this site back in December of last year.

Everyone was revelling, but also trying to fathom out the reason for his newfound rigour and fantastic effectiveness on the football pitch.

And Hleb had revealed the reason: His wife Nastya (Anastasia Kosenkova).

" My wife has helped me a lot. I married a year ago and since she came over to live with me, everything seems easier to me.

“Every goal, every decent pass gives me new power. Then, I feel easy and free, as if I could fly.”

Nastya as you may know is famous pop star and sings for the pop group “Topless”

It seems that Nasri’s performances on the pitch both for his club, Marseille and for the France national team as of late have been similarly boosted.

The woman behind the man in this case is famous tennis star Tatiana Golovin.

She has confirmed to the French press that the two are now a pair!

Tatiana did it showing a little embarrassment but smiling.

She could no longer hide it as the photos of the two embraced in a tender kiss, published in the press left little room for doubt.

Tatiana Golovin (born January 25, 1988) is a French professional tennis player of Russian descent.

She is best known for winning the 2004 French Open mixed doubles event with her countryman Richard Gasquet.


She also reached the singles quarterfinal at the 2006 U.S. Open, losing to the eventual champion Maria Sharapova.

The 20-year-old's highest singles ranking to date is 12.

Let’s see if Nasri’s performances, hopefully on the Emirates pitch next season, continue on the same path.



Wenger: "Thanks Nastya for Hleb's resurgence"

Ghanaian wonderkid invited for trial rejects Arsenal for Spanish club

By Aries

It seems that Arsenal’s reluctance to part with £700,000 in order to secure the signature of Tawrick Jibril has come back to haunt them.

Arsenal had decided that they wanted to have a close look at Jibril by giving him a trial at London Colney during this summer period rather than pay the asking price outright.

Well, the young man along with his agent, Prince Umar, have today traveled to Spain for a medical at Atletico Madrid and if successful sign on the dotted line!

“Because the laws of the game recognise the player as a minor, I would be embarking on the journey with him. We hope to go through the medical examination successfully in order to seal the deal.

If everything goes through as expected, we would return to Accra after two weeks before the player goes back to Spain to commence his professional career.” Umar said.

It is believed Hearts (Jibril’s club) have released a letter of consent to Atletico Madrid officials suggesting they are in full support of the player's trip to Spain.

Umar went on to say that Arsenal were not “forthcoming” so they were left with no option but to accept Atletico’s offer.

“We accepted the 1m euro offer from Atletico because Arsenal were not forthcoming and I did not want this opportunity to slip through our fingers. I am happy for Jibril because as part of the agreement he would stay with the first team and not the junior side as is being speculated”.

Hearts of Oak prodigy, Tawrick Jibril, had been handed a two-week trial period by Arsenal which was announced at the beginning of last month.

Jibril is reported to have been recommended to Arsenal by the scouting agent Steve Rowley who watched the youngster play in one of the inaugural African Nations Championship qualifier against Niger. He was due to begin his trials in July.

The 16-year-old midfielder has been a target of some European clubs after breaking into the Hearts of Oak senior team this season. His impressive performances have resulted in his call-up into the national team.

Jibril will sign a three year deal if he passes the medical in Spain.

Wenger: “Nasri has a considerable margin for improvement”. But what about his wages?

By 1970’s Gooner

Samir Nasri came on as a substitute for France in their Euro 2008 preparation game against Paraguay last Saturday and almost immediately had an impact on the game.

Watching it I could clearly see why Arsene Wenger is quite ready to part with £12.5 m of Arsenal’s (tight) cash. This was a much improved performance than in his last outing against Equador a few days before.

Nasri is not yet 21 yet he showed against Paraguay that he has the football nous along with the skills that may make him a big hit in the Premiership.

He came on in an advanced midfield position between the front players and the defensive midfielders (in the Bergkamp area)and was very good at turning with the ball and dribbling past players.

He was thus able to advance menacingly at opponents, opening avenues for his forward players to make the runs behind the defence so as to receive his often incisive passes.

He is, in other words, a typical Wenger attacking midfielder and one that would perform a similar role that Hleb does (or did).

No wonder the Marseille newspaper “La Provence” is today quoting Wenger as saying that Nasri has a considerable margin for further improvement:

"At 21 years old his whole future is ahead of him and he has (quite) a margin for progressing further. He has in any case the qualities needed to assert himself at the highest level".

Ed: Nasri will be 21 in June 26

As I wrote in my previous posting (Arfa, Gomis and Diarra impress more than Nasri), Nasri does have one major positive difference to Hleb and that is his thirst and quest for shots and goals.


This boy will not dilly dally when a shooting opportunity unfolds. And he proved it against Paraguay.

He will have a pot, like say Frank Lampard does, so expect some nice deflected goals coming Arsenal’s way next season.

If he does get to join that is!

Because it seems that although the deal has been agreed between the two clubs the player’s personal terms have not.

This is apparently why, as we reported on Arsenal Analysis (Nasri transfer to Arsenal hits a snag?) the transfer has not yet materialised.

Nasri’s agent Jean-Pierre Bernès said as far back as May 20th that:

“Nothing is done. There is no hurry. We actually are studying a proposal from Arsenal for Samir Nasri, but I also received other offers."

Arsene Wenger has admitted as much when he said only yesterday:

“It is more complicated now because the wage differences (between the French and the English league) are not as big as they used to be.

“It is very difficult (to transfer players from the French league) but England is considered one of the two top leagues and the best players want to play against the best players.”

“La Provence” is further reporting today that the deal will be completed after the Euro ends so that the player can concentrate on the important matter of helping his country win the trophy rather than worry about transfer matters.

This may prove risky for Arsenal for if the player has a good tournament then who is to say that either the player or his club may come back with renewed demands?

Christiano Ronaldo to journalists: "My favourite song is: I believe I can fly”. To Real?

By Mancgunner

Christiano Ronaldo invited all this speculation about his future with the statements he came out with right after the Moscow triumph revealing a lifelong desire to play in Spain.

This awakened Real Madrid to the possibility opening before them that they can prize Ronaldo away from Manchester United.

Last week Real pushed United to breaking point when coach Bernd Schuster gave an interview which alluded to the fact that deal had been all but completed.

In 2001 Real managed to lure a certain Zinedine Zidane from Junentus in the most expensive transfer in history for £48m. On this occasion the fee, should it at all come to that, is believed to break that record at around £70m.

The player himself has not come out to quash all speculation. Should he declare that he has no desire to leave the European champions it will at least draw a line under a saga that is threatening to dominate the summer.

He has in fact gone one step further and when asked by a Portuguese journalist on his way out of Portugal’s game against Georgia which was his favourite song he replied:

"Why did you ask me that?".

"I'm doing a story about you and I need that information," replied the journalist.

The answer was very revealing: "My favorite song is I believe I can fly”

And the question is: Does he believe that he can fly to Real Madrid?

When pressed as to his future he said: “Let's see. There will be news soon. In two or three days I will decide my future"

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson claimed the Glazer family would rather keep the player even if he refused to play for the Red Devils.

Ferguson said: "Their attitude is, 'To hell with them'. They'd sit a player in the stand, I'm telling you, absolutely no doubt about it, just to prove a point. Not to give in to these people.

"They've got balls, I can tell you. I've been delighted with them in that respect."

Manchester United strangely find themselves in the same situation as Arsenal do with important players wanting away. The big difference is that Manchester United are actually winning trophies.

If Ronaldo does decide he wants to leave will the Glazers, in this increasingly money obsessed business that football has become, take what some call “a courageous decision”?

Will they be willing to forgo the huge fee offered and also continue paying his awesome wages without playing him?


"I Believe I Can Fly"

This is a 1996 song by R&B singer R. Kelly. The song is credited to being produced, written and also arranged by R. Kelly.

The song has been number 1 on the UK charts. It is featured on his 1998 album R. It was the theme song of the movie Space Jam.

"I Believe I Can Fly" has also won 3 Grammys, and ranked 406 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Ronaldo to journalists: "My favourite song is: I believe I can fly”. To Real?

By Mancgunner

Christiano Ronaldo invited all this speculation about his future with the statements he came out with right after the Moscow triumph revealing a lifelong desire to play in Spain.

This awakened Real Madrid to the possibility opening before them that they can prize Ronaldo away from Manchester United.

Last week Real pushed United to breaking point when coach Bernd Schuster gave an interview which alluded to the fact that deal had been all but completed.

In 2001 Real managed to lure a certain Zinedine Zidane from Junentus in the most expensive transfer in history for £48m. On this occasion the fee, should it at all come to that, is believed to break that record at around £70m.

The player himself has not come out to quash all speculation. Should he declare that he has no desire to leave the European champions it will at least draw a line under a saga that is threatening to dominate the summer.

He has in fact gone one step further and when asked by a Portuguese journalist on his way out of Portugal’s game against Georgia which was his favourite song he replied:

"Why did you ask me that?".

"I'm doing a story about you and I need that information," replied the journalist.

The answer was very revealing: "My favorite song is I believe I can fly”

And the question is: Does he believe that he can fly to Real Madrid?

When pressed as to his future he said: “Let's see. There will be news soon. In two or three days I will decide my future"

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson claimed the Glazer family would rather keep the player even if he refused to play for the Red Devils.

Ferguson said: "Their attitude is, 'To hell with them'. They'd sit a player in the stand, I'm telling you, absolutely no doubt about it, just to prove a point. Not to give in to these people.

"They've got balls, I can tell you. I've been delighted with them in that respect."

Manchester United strangely find themselves in the same situation as Arsenal do with important players wanting away. The big difference is that Manchester United are actually winning trophies.

If Ronaldo does decide he wants to leave will the Glazers, in this increasingly money obsessed business that football has become, take what some call “a courageous decision”?

Will they be willing to forgo the huge fee offered and also continue paying his awesome wages without playing him?


"I Believe I Can Fly"

This is a 1996 song by R&B singer R. Kelly. The song is credited to being produced, written and also arranged by R. Kelly.

The song has been number 1 on the UK charts. It is featured on his 1998 album R. It was the theme song of the movie Space Jam.

"I Believe I Can Fly" has also won 3 Grammys, and ranked 406 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.