Match Preview - Arsenal vs Sunderland
， 描述： 抢先登场！！
Match Preview - Arsenal vs Sunderland 抢先登场！！
A few years ago, Arsène Wenger could have used many words to describe Roy Keane but “calm” would not have been one of them.
The Irish midfielder was the clenched-fist captain of the Manchester United side which fought toe-to-toe with Arsenal at the top of the Premier League for the best part of a decade. His battles with Patrick Vieira, relatively recent memories, are already becoming the stuff of footballing folklore.
Having retired and taken the managerial reins at Sunderland, Keane will be locking horns with Wenger for the first time on Sunday. The Black Cats won promotion last season but have already begun their predicted struggle in the top flight. They’ll need an injection of Keane’s energy on the pitch and the maintenance of his new-found serenity in the dug-out if they want to survive.
“I was impressed with what he did last year,” said Wenger at Friday’s press conference. “He took on the club in a difficult position and turned it round in an extremely convincing way. This year the challenge will be different. It is very tough for a young manager and if he copes with that he will certainly have a great career in management.
“I always felt he had the kind of charisma to lead the team as a player and that is a big asset. As a manager, I didn't know how he would get on with dealing with the press and the directors, but I was sure he could handle the players.
“Would he have enough patience for all the rest? You don't know. But he looks surprisingly calm.
As a player he was a more impulsive guy, but in the final part of his career he tried to change that. You could see he was trying to dominate his impulsive side. That certainly helped him to start as a manager."
Wenger will draw from the same squad that scrapped so hard for a win at Steaua Bucharest. However a number of others are very close to fitness. Jens Lehmann (elbow), William Gallas (groin), Tomas Rosicky (hamstring) and Alex Song (calf) will have returned to full training by the time Arsenal kick-off at Emirates Stadium on Sunday. Eduardo (groin) will follow a few days later.
So far Arsenal have played 12 games this season — 11 have been victories and the only draw came at Blackburn on August 19. Tuesday’s win at Steaua was not only their ninth in a row but it was the first time the famous Romanian club had lost at home to and English side.
Inevitably, the manager is already being forced to field questions about going unbeaten throughout 2007/08. Given he was misquoted on the same issue in 2002/03 but then achieved it a season later, you can understand his caution.
“The comparison is that we have not been beaten for nine games and no more than that,” he said. “The comparison is about us showing consistency and going game by game, not be complacent and very highly focussed on what we want to achieve. Certainly there is potential and the belief is stronger than on the July 4 when we started training.
"It is a matter of how hungry we are and how long we can sustain it.” |
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發表於 2007-10-6 12:56 PM
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