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Arsenal v Liverpool, Premier League, 4pm Sunday 17 April

Arsène Wenger primed for threat of Liverpool's Andy Carroll

• Striker scored winner for Newcastle at the Emirates
• Wenger agrees to Far East tour in close season



  • Paul Doyle
  • The Observer, Sunday 17 April 2011 <li class="history">Article history
    Arsene-Wenger-007.jpg
    Arsène Wenger's Arsenal can move four points behind Manchester United with a win against Liverpool. Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty Images

    Arsenal have reason to beware the arrival of Andy Carroll at the Emirates Stadium: he will be intent on inflicting a home defeat for the second time this season. Last November, he scored the winner when Newcastle upset Arsenal 1-0, outjumping Lukasz Fabianski and headed into the Polish goalkeeper's vacant net from 16 yards.
    Arsenal will have a different keeper on Sunday &#8211; either Jens Lehmann or, more likely, Wojciech Szczesny, who resumed full training this week after the dislocated finger that he suffered during last month's Champions League defeat in Barcelona. But they will face the same problem: how to neutralise Carroll, whose two goals for Liverpool against Manchester City on Monday suggest he is primed to torment Arsenal again. "I particularly have in mind his second goal against City, where he showed good anticipation and got a good deflection on the ball," says the Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger. "We have to keep him quiet this time."
    It is difficult to imagine Wenger forking out the sort of fee Liverpool spent to recruit Carroll in January, even though the Frenchman says: "I do not rule it out, even if I haven't done it yet."
    Wenger's record outlay does not even amount to half the £35m that Carroll cost and he has stressed this week, in the wake of the super-wealthy American businessman Stan Kroenke taking control of Arsenal by increasing his shareholding to 62.89%, that he does not foresee the club's policy of prudence changing. In fact, with Uefa's new rules for financial fair play coming into effect this June, Wenger is more convinced than ever that it is other clubs who will have to alter their behaviour.
    "I read an article in a French newspaper this week that at Rayo Vallecano, who are [joint-]top of the Spanish second division, some players have not been paid for a year. Some players cannot pay their mortgages! We want to run our business properly, with income that is produced by our business. I want to sit here in September and see who respects the financial fair play."
    While the new rules restrict the amount that sugar daddies can pour into clubs, Arsenal nevertheless know that to remain competitive they need to raise their revenue. To that end Wenger will take the club on a tour of the Far East for the first time in his 15-year reign. "Ideally I wouldn't want to go, but it is a compromise with the commercial department," he says. "I'll go because we make some sponsorship and money from the games that is higher than we get in Europe. Unlike some clubs, we do not get income from sources other than what we produce, so we have to produce as much as we can. That is the real world."
    Another reality Wenger recognises is that Arsenal's season depends to a very large degree on the outcome of Sunday's match and Wednesday's derby at Tottenham Hotspur. Win them and Manchester United, who still have to visit the Emirates, could be caught. "These matches are vital. If we do not beat Liverpool and Tottenham, the season will not be over. But the championship race will be, that is for sure."
    Johan Djourou, the central defender, could be available after a fitness test yesterday on his dislocated shoulder.

 
Arsenal v Liverpool, Premier League, 4pm Sunday 17 April

Arsène Wenger primed for threat of Liverpool's Andy Carroll

• Striker scored winner for Newcastle at the Emirates
• Wenger agrees to Far East tour in close season



  • Paul Doyle
  • The Observer, Sunday 17 April 2011 <li class="history">Article history
    Arsene-Wenger-007.jpg
    Arsène Wenger's Arsenal can move four points behind Manchester United with a win against Liverpool. Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty Images

    Arsenal have reason to beware the arrival of Andy Carroll at the Emirates Stadium: he will be intent on inflicting a home defeat for the second time this season. Last November, he scored the winner when Newcastle upset Arsenal 1-0, outjumping Lukasz Fabianski and headed into the Polish goalkeeper's vacant net from 16 yards.
    Arsenal will have a different keeper on Sunday – either Jens Lehmann or, more likely, Wojciech Szczesny, who resumed full training this week after the dislocated finger that he suffered during last month's Champions League defeat in Barcelona. But they will face the same problem: how to neutralise Carroll, whose two goals for Liverpool against Manchester City on Monday suggest he is primed to torment Arsenal again. "I particularly have in mind his second goal against City, where he showed good anticipation and got a good deflection on the ball," says the Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger. "We have to keep him quiet this time."
    It is difficult to imagine Wenger forking out the sort of fee Liverpool spent to recruit Carroll in January, even though the Frenchman says: "I do not rule it out, even if I haven't done it yet."
    Wenger's record outlay does not even amount to half the £35m that Carroll cost and he has stressed this week, in the wake of the super-wealthy American businessman Stan Kroenke taking control of Arsenal by increasing his shareholding to 62.89%, that he does not foresee the club's policy of prudence changing. In fact, with Uefa's new rules for financial fair play coming into effect this June, Wenger is more convinced than ever that it is other clubs who will have to alter their behaviour.
    "I read an article in a French newspaper this week that at Rayo Vallecano, who are [joint-]top of the Spanish second division, some players have not been paid for a year. Some players cannot pay their mortgages! We want to run our business properly, with income that is produced by our business. I want to sit here in September and see who respects the financial fair play."
    While the new rules restrict the amount that sugar daddies can pour into clubs, Arsenal nevertheless know that to remain competitive they need to raise their revenue. To that end Wenger will take the club on a tour of the Far East for the first time in his 15-year reign. "Ideally I wouldn't want to go, but it is a compromise with the commercial department," he says. "I'll go because we make some sponsorship and money from the games that is higher than we get in Europe. Unlike some clubs, we do not get income from sources other than what we produce, so we have to produce as much as we can. That is the real world."
    Another reality Wenger recognises is that Arsenal's season depends to a very large degree on the outcome of Sunday's match and Wednesday's derby at Tottenham Hotspur. Win them and Manchester United, who still have to visit the Emirates, could be caught. "These matches are vital. If we do not beat Liverpool and Tottenham, the season will not be over. But the championship race will be, that is for sure."
    Johan Djourou, the central defender, could be available after a fitness test yesterday on his dislocated shoulder.
 
Arsenal v Liverpool, Premier League, 4pm Sunday 17 April

Andy Carroll on song and in tune with Luis Suárez as Liverpool visit Arsenal

&#8226; Record signing is in goalscoring mode after opening double
&#8226; Kenny Dalglish 'delighted' with progress of his new forwards



  • Simon Burnton
  • The Observer, Sunday 17 April 2011 <li class="history">Article history
    carroll-scorer-007.jpg
    Andy Carroll celebrates his first goal for his new club, which came against Manchester City last weekend. Photograph: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images

    Kenny Dalglish has led Liverpool to victories over Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City since taking over in January, and is aiming to continue his impressive record against the sides above his own in the league at Arsenal on Sunday.
    Andy Carroll scored his first two goals for the club in their latest win, against City on Monday, while his combination with the club's other major purchase in the January transfer window, Luis Suárez, looks increasingly convincing. "Sometimes it takes a little time to settle down, but him [Carroll] and Luis have done very well and done brilliantly," Dalglish says. "We've been delighted with both of them.
    "Within the framework of the team there is always going to be combinations and Andy and Luis are getting to know each other better through every training session. The longer they are together the better they will be. That applies to everybody."
    With the 3-0 victory over City having followed an embarrassing 2-1 defeat at West Brom, Dalglish remains in search of consistency. With only 14 points won away from Anfield this season, Liverpool's away record is considerably worse than 17th-placed Blackpool's, while only Blackburn, Stoke and Wolves have lost more games on their travels &#8211; and Liverpool have never won at the Emirates.
    "Arsenal are a fantastic footballing side," Dalglish says. "Up until about a month ago they were in with a shout for four competitions. They just have the Premier League now, but it doesn't take away the fact they have players of fantastic ability and are a team a lot of people enjoy watching. We know it is a difficult game for us and we know what we are up against &#8211; but I think they'll be saying they will have a difficult game also."
    Dirk Kuyt, Liverpool's top scorer with 11 goals this season &#8211; seven of which have come since Dalglish took over &#8211; has signed a one-year contract extension that ties him to Anfield until 2013. "He has done brilliantly for the club and it is just reward that the contract has been extended," Dalglish says. "He always chips in with goals and he is never short of work-rate. We have a person who knows what the club is all about and somebody who is very happy here. We are very happy to have him."
    The Dutchman, meanwhile, is determined to mark his time on Merseyside with some silverware. "It feels like a privilege to help the club back to where they belong," he told the club's website. "It's great to play five years for a club like Liverpool, but you want to win trophies and that's what I'm aiming for. That's what I believe in and what I will be fighting for."
    The 30-year-old Netherlands international, who joined Liverpool from Feyenoord in 2006, has spent the past month negotiating new terms. He says "since the day I first walked in, I felt welcome. That feeling has never left".
    Terms of the deal were disclosed by Dutch consultancy company Sport-Promotion. Dalglish said on Liverpool's website that "the deal adds to the continuity of keeping people here that we want to keep".
    Kuyt scored his 11th goal of the season in the victory over Manchester City.

 
Arsenal v Liverpool, Premier League, 4pm Sunday 17 April

Andy Carroll on song and in tune with Luis Suárez as Liverpool visit Arsenal

• Record signing is in goalscoring mode after opening double
• Kenny Dalglish 'delighted' with progress of his new forwards



  • Simon Burnton
  • The Observer, Sunday 17 April 2011 <li class="history">Article history
    carroll-scorer-007.jpg
    Andy Carroll celebrates his first goal for his new club, which came against Manchester City last weekend. Photograph: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images

    Kenny Dalglish has led Liverpool to victories over Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City since taking over in January, and is aiming to continue his impressive record against the sides above his own in the league at Arsenal on Sunday.
    Andy Carroll scored his first two goals for the club in their latest win, against City on Monday, while his combination with the club's other major purchase in the January transfer window, Luis Suárez, looks increasingly convincing. "Sometimes it takes a little time to settle down, but him [Carroll] and Luis have done very well and done brilliantly," Dalglish says. "We've been delighted with both of them.
    "Within the framework of the team there is always going to be combinations and Andy and Luis are getting to know each other better through every training session. The longer they are together the better they will be. That applies to everybody."
    With the 3-0 victory over City having followed an embarrassing 2-1 defeat at West Brom, Dalglish remains in search of consistency. With only 14 points won away from Anfield this season, Liverpool's away record is considerably worse than 17th-placed Blackpool's, while only Blackburn, Stoke and Wolves have lost more games on their travels – and Liverpool have never won at the Emirates.
    "Arsenal are a fantastic footballing side," Dalglish says. "Up until about a month ago they were in with a shout for four competitions. They just have the Premier League now, but it doesn't take away the fact they have players of fantastic ability and are a team a lot of people enjoy watching. We know it is a difficult game for us and we know what we are up against – but I think they'll be saying they will have a difficult game also."
    Dirk Kuyt, Liverpool's top scorer with 11 goals this season – seven of which have come since Dalglish took over – has signed a one-year contract extension that ties him to Anfield until 2013. "He has done brilliantly for the club and it is just reward that the contract has been extended," Dalglish says. "He always chips in with goals and he is never short of work-rate. We have a person who knows what the club is all about and somebody who is very happy here. We are very happy to have him."
    The Dutchman, meanwhile, is determined to mark his time on Merseyside with some silverware. "It feels like a privilege to help the club back to where they belong," he told the club's website. "It's great to play five years for a club like Liverpool, but you want to win trophies and that's what I'm aiming for. That's what I believe in and what I will be fighting for."
    The 30-year-old Netherlands international, who joined Liverpool from Feyenoord in 2006, has spent the past month negotiating new terms. He says "since the day I first walked in, I felt welcome. That feeling has never left".
    Terms of the deal were disclosed by Dutch consultancy company Sport-Promotion. Dalglish said on Liverpool's website that "the deal adds to the continuity of keeping people here that we want to keep".
    Kuyt scored his 11th goal of the season in the victory over Manchester City.
 
Reading's Jimmy Kébé leaves Leicester ruing missed chances




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Championship

Reading 3
  • Kébé 19,
  • McAnuff 21,
  • Hunt 67
Leicester City 1
  • King 79




  • Conrad Leach at the Madejski Stadium
  • guardian.co.uk, Saturday 16 April 2011 18.56 BST
    Mathieu-Manset-007.jpg
    Reading's Mathieu Manset (right) and Leicester City's Darius Vassell tangle while competing for the ball during the Championship game. Photograph: John Marsh/Action Images

    Brian McDermott and Sven-Goran Eriksson were able to exchange post-match platitudes in the Swede's native tongue, thanks to McDermott having spent a couple of years in Scandinavia, but on the pitch the two sides speak different languages. McDermott's Reading have won eight consecutive league games to all but secure a play-off place. Eriksson's Leicester, on the other hand, are fading fast from the top-six picture.
    Yet it could have been different if Leicester had taken half their chances. Reflecting on the chances missed, Eriksson got as close to anger as he can. He said: "I'm not happy, that's for sure, but it's been our problem all season: we create chances but don't score the right amount of goals. You wonder sometimes whether it's worth playing good football."
    Both of these teams play attractive football but what sets them apart is that Reading are scoring almost at will. That certainly seemed the case for their first goal, after 19 minutes, which was almost all down to Shane Long. The Ireland forward was uncatchable down the left, working his way past two defenders before crossing to Jimmy Kébé, who had an easy job from only five yards out.
    The Royals doubled their lead two minutes later. Kébé found Jobi McAnuff, who had drifted over from the left wing, and once he had got the ball out of his feet he found the far corner of Chris Weale's goal for only his fourth goal of the season.
    It was only then that Leicester showed what has taken them to the fringes of the play-offs. Reading backed off in midfield and allowed Matthew Oakley, who on some days plays like the Xavi of the Championship, to dictate the game. Yet when his probing passing did find the gaps, Reading's defenders plugged them. Five minutes after McAnuff's goal, Richie Wellens had a shot blocked by Matthew Mills. In first half stoppage time, Sol Bamba saw his header kept out at the near post by Alex McCarthy.
    This match had given us the tantalising prospect of the Beast against the Yak. The latter everyone knows about, with Yakubu Aiyegbeni now on loan with Leicester. The Beast, aka Mathieu Manset, is a lesser-known quantity, having joined Reading from Hereford in January for £400,000. Manset, 21, apparently likes to keep goats and unfortunately his football skills are just as agricultural. On his full home debut, he was hauled off just after the interval.
    The Yak was scarcely more in evidence &#8211; one header glanced wide from close range was his best chance. His strike partner, Darius Vassell, once of England and Manchester City, should have given Leicester a lifeline three minutes just after the break, but he volleyed over from close range. Some things never change.
    Not that he was the only player on the pitch suffering from problems in front of goal: Kébé missed three good chances either side of the interval. He can run, however, and after 67 minutes he turned goalwards from inside his own half. He accelerated away from Diomansy Kamara all the way into the area. His cross to Long was not the best but the ball ran kindly for Noel Hunt, who had replaced Manset, and the Irishman found the bottom corner. This win puts Reading within three points of automatic promotion but McDermott refuses to think that far ahead. "I'm just thinking of Leeds on Friday," he said.
    He may also have been fearing an improbable comeback when Andy King scored 11 minutes from time. From 25 yards the midfielder nonchalantly sized things up and gave McCarthy no chance. It was the sort of sang froid that Eriksson normally shows and if more of his players had it in front of goal, they might even have won.

 
Reading's Jimmy Kébé leaves Leicester ruing missed chances






Championship

Reading 3
  • Kébé 19,
  • McAnuff 21,
  • Hunt 67
Leicester City 1
  • King 79




  • Conrad Leach at the Madejski Stadium
  • guardian.co.uk, Saturday 16 April 2011 18.56 BST
    Mathieu-Manset-007.jpg
    Reading's Mathieu Manset (right) and Leicester City's Darius Vassell tangle while competing for the ball during the Championship game. Photograph: John Marsh/Action Images

    Brian McDermott and Sven-Goran Eriksson were able to exchange post-match platitudes in the Swede's native tongue, thanks to McDermott having spent a couple of years in Scandinavia, but on the pitch the two sides speak different languages. McDermott's Reading have won eight consecutive league games to all but secure a play-off place. Eriksson's Leicester, on the other hand, are fading fast from the top-six picture.
    Yet it could have been different if Leicester had taken half their chances. Reflecting on the chances missed, Eriksson got as close to anger as he can. He said: "I'm not happy, that's for sure, but it's been our problem all season: we create chances but don't score the right amount of goals. You wonder sometimes whether it's worth playing good football."
    Both of these teams play attractive football but what sets them apart is that Reading are scoring almost at will. That certainly seemed the case for their first goal, after 19 minutes, which was almost all down to Shane Long. The Ireland forward was uncatchable down the left, working his way past two defenders before crossing to Jimmy Kébé, who had an easy job from only five yards out.
    The Royals doubled their lead two minutes later. Kébé found Jobi McAnuff, who had drifted over from the left wing, and once he had got the ball out of his feet he found the far corner of Chris Weale's goal for only his fourth goal of the season.
    It was only then that Leicester showed what has taken them to the fringes of the play-offs. Reading backed off in midfield and allowed Matthew Oakley, who on some days plays like the Xavi of the Championship, to dictate the game. Yet when his probing passing did find the gaps, Reading's defenders plugged them. Five minutes after McAnuff's goal, Richie Wellens had a shot blocked by Matthew Mills. In first half stoppage time, Sol Bamba saw his header kept out at the near post by Alex McCarthy.
    This match had given us the tantalising prospect of the Beast against the Yak. The latter everyone knows about, with Yakubu Aiyegbeni now on loan with Leicester. The Beast, aka Mathieu Manset, is a lesser-known quantity, having joined Reading from Hereford in January for £400,000. Manset, 21, apparently likes to keep goats and unfortunately his football skills are just as agricultural. On his full home debut, he was hauled off just after the interval.
    The Yak was scarcely more in evidence – one header glanced wide from close range was his best chance. His strike partner, Darius Vassell, once of England and Manchester City, should have given Leicester a lifeline three minutes just after the break, but he volleyed over from close range. Some things never change.
    Not that he was the only player on the pitch suffering from problems in front of goal: Kébé missed three good chances either side of the interval. He can run, however, and after 67 minutes he turned goalwards from inside his own half. He accelerated away from Diomansy Kamara all the way into the area. His cross to Long was not the best but the ball ran kindly for Noel Hunt, who had replaced Manset, and the Irishman found the bottom corner. This win puts Reading within three points of automatic promotion but McDermott refuses to think that far ahead. "I'm just thinking of Leeds on Friday," he said.
    He may also have been fearing an improbable comeback when Andy King scored 11 minutes from time. From 25 yards the midfielder nonchalantly sized things up and gave McCarthy no chance. It was the sort of sang froid that Eriksson normally shows and if more of his players had it in front of goal, they might even have won.
 
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