Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says defender Gabriel is still struggling to grasp the English language. Usually in the Premier League you know who is going to be in the top positions.
Advertisement
“I’ve had to adapt little things, but the pace and aggression has always been there since I remember playing football, because nine times out of 10 I’m playing football against people that are bigger than me so I have to put my weight around a bit more”. With the attacking presence that the Magpies now possess, they should be able to give draw specialists Chelsea a good game, so I’m tipping a fifth straight home league draw here.
Leicester City captain Wes Morgan claims that his side’s unlikely title challenge this season will have an effect on the Premier League in years to come. Leicester were already top of the table at that stage, but few would have expected them to be back in that spot in February.
“And that could be their undoing again – they don’t have enough mettle in their team”. We created many chances against Southampton.
“This is important. To speak about the past is not fair because we have shown we can get success from the season”.
As much as he loves his team, he’ll be rooting for the Foxes when they meet…
But as they face Man City on Sunday, it’s their defence that deserves plaudits with the meanest defence in the league with just 19 conceded in 25 games.
“I think it will be hard for him to recover soon”, manager Manuel Pellegrini said.
Arsenal, who finished third and won the FA Cup last season, take on Barcelona in the last 16 of the Champions League later this month.
“You want everybody there when the game starts”, the Frenchman told reporters on Friday.
“Time to think can be a disadvantage if you don’t use your thinking in a positive way, and the pressure is on”, Wenger said. “It is true that sometimes the less time you have to wait for the next game, the better it is”.
Last week we saw Manchester United, a club in the hunt for a top four finish, take a second half lead against Chelsea only for Diego Costa to equalise late on.
In his first year with Leicester he has stuck with the same formation and the same starting XI for the majority of the season.
‘We will of course try to stop their counter-attacking.
Leicester City is very lucky with injuries, or absence of them, so Ranieri will have his full crop of players to choose from for the trip to London. “But certainly their belief has been strengthened”, Wenger said.
Advertisement
Although Arsenal have had a relatively frugal season, signing only Petr Cech last summer and Mohamed Elneny in January, they are expected to field a team including the likes of £42.5 million midfielder Mesut Ozil and £35m forward Alexis Sanchez on Sunday. That dynamic has changed and I think it will continue. And it goes against the usual practice of our game, which is spend, buy big stars.
