Mascherano was breathing on me & they refused to play

[Rory Fitzgerald]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtm...6/sfnfab106.xml

 

Cesc Fabregas was so frustrated with Blackburn Rovers' negative tactics in the goalless FA Cup fifth-round tie with Arsenal at the Emirates last season that he confronted Rovers manager Mark Hughes on the touchline at the end, sarcastically inquiring if he had really once played for Barcelona, an act for which he swiftly apologised. But after Liverpool's ultra-cautious approach in Wednesday's 1-1 Champions League quarter-final first leg, Fabregas seemed in the mood to ask Anfield boss Rafa Benitez if he really once coached Real Madrid's youth team.

 

Fabregas, whose own approach to football could not be more flamboyant if he played while flourishing a cape, was disappointed that Liverpool did not show more ambition at the Emirates. And having achieved their target of stealing an away goal, Fabregas expects them to be even more defensive in Tuesday's second leg at Anfield.

 

 

He says: "They defend very well and at 1-1, I think all they will want to do is defend and try to catch us on the break. We have to stick to our policy of playing football, attacking and trying to create opportunities. Just because the other team refuses to play doesn't mean we have to do the same thing. We want to stick to our football and that's what we will do." In the ultimate compliment to Fabregas's constructive abilities and his eye for a killer pass, Benitez detailed Argentinian bulldog Javier Mascherano to mark him out of the game, a task he stuck to so enthusiastically that when they clashed in the full glare of the floodlights, their bodies only formed one shadow.

 

"I could feel his breath on my neck all the first half," Fabregas said. "For me, I think he is an amazing player. Defensively, he's very good and with the ball, he knows what he is doing. He reminds me a little bit of Mathieu [Flamini] as well."

 

The Football Association's disciplinary committee's decision to give Mascherano an additional two-game ban following his reaction to being sent off against Manchester United at Old Trafford a fortnight ago gave Fabregas a day off from him yesterday, even though Liverpool have appealed, but he can expect more heavy breathing down his neck on Tuesday.

 

Arsenal's splendid performance against AC Milan in the San Siro after a goalless draw at the Emirates in the first leg gives them optimism for their Anfield visit. So does the statistic that shows Liverpool have only once prevented Arsenal scoring in their past 19 meetings and the Gunners, of course, scored nine goals in four days at Anfield last season.

 

advertisementThose games, a 3-1 FA Cup win followed by a 6-3 Carling Cup triumph, were among the highlights of the season for Arsenal's Manuel Almunia, then second-choice goalkeeper, whose only Premier League match last season was in the 3-0 home win over Liverpool. So, after yesterday, he has a record of three wins, three draws and no defeats against them.

 

No wonder he sounds optimistic about returning to Merseyside as the Gunners' established first choice, saying: "If we score, then all the windows are open and in the league and the cup, we have always scored at Anfield. So we're not totally happy but a bit happy. We have to show the same spirit as in Milan but at the moment, Liverpool are stronger than Milan.

 

"We played fantastically in those two wins at Anfield last season. That's the way to beat Liverpool, on the counter attack. It is difficult to control the game up there because they like to go forward looking for a goal so playing on the counter is not a problem for us. Maybe we will watch a video of last season's wins before the match."

 

Chelsea's players have shown signs of being intimidated during their two Champions League semi-finals at Anfield in the past three seasons. But Almunia, perhaps because he is used to the noise, confusion and considerably more danger during the running of the bulls in his home town of Pamplona, says he loves playing in front of the Kop. He says: "For me, the atmosphere there is the best in the world. I like so much to play at Anfield. It's unbelievable how the team and the crowd act in the same way together."

 

Almunia, a B-team player at Osasuna when Benitez was first-team coach, also faced Fernando Torres in La Liga and can attest to the remarkable improvement he has made since moving to England. He says: "I played against him a couple of times in Spain but here he's playing much better. In Spain he had to make and score goals but here he's got a better team behind him that gives goals to him. I think it's easier for him to play here than in Spain."

 

When Arsenal reached the Champions League final in 2006, Almunia was summoned from the bench in Paris against Barcelona after Jens Lehmann was sent off.

 

Now, after four years fighting for the No 1 jersey - even though he actually wears 24 - he knows that Tuesday at Anfield could be the defining moment of his Arsenal career.

 

It will be a crucial evening, too, for Fabregas, who will need to win his personal battle with Mascherano if his team are to defy the odds.

 

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I think Cesc Fabregas is in for a shock when the game gets going on Tuesday - I expect we will be making him defend for his life. FWIW, its good that Mascher had the day off and he played the full 90mins, I have ultimate fate in Mascher, more than I did in Didi because he is faster and more mobile - and that is the ultimate compliment I can pay him after only 14 months - pure MONSTER !

[Maldini]

Ultra cautious? in what universe, maybe for the last twenty minutes, but before that it was 50/50.

[passater]

We go through on tuesday and there will be all sorts of articles about the directon of the 'beautiful game' and whether we are throttling it etc. If we lose then the beautiful game won and we need to follow Arsenal's example. Its so predictable really.

[Guz]

He says we will be defensive but then goes onto say it's difficult to control the game at Anfield becaus we like to go forward looking for a goal. Strange really.

 

Not too bothered about comments about the way we play in europe, particularly last wednesday. It's the sort of performance that I'm sure we've turned in many a time on the way to five european cups and one that has given us a slight advantage in our hunt for a sixth. Not arsed how we do it

[Extraordinary Swindle]

Funny how the are holding up their two victories against Jerzy Dudek as testimony to what they are capable of doing at Anfield and ignore the 4-1 demolition at the hands of Crouch.

[Maldini]

He says we will be defensive but then goes onto say it's difficult to control the game at Anfield becaus we like to go forward looking for a goal. Strange really.

 

Not too bothered about comments about the way we play in europe, particularly last wednesday. It's the sort of performance that I'm sure we've turned in many a time on the way to five european cups and one that has given us a slight advantage in our hunt for a sixth. Not arsed how we do it

 

That type of performance is the main reason we have as many European Cups as the rest of the country combined.

[mercury]

so everyone supposed to crouch and worship at the alter of Arsenal, just because of the football tehy play

[The_MC]

so everyone supposed to crouch and worship at the alter of Arsenal, just because of the football tehy play

 

Exactly. Theres a reason tottenham for instance have never quite reached the level of others, despite financial backing. Playin to only play attacking football doesnt work. Some fans feel entertainment is the most important thing in football, to me that BS. Football is a COMPETITIVE sport... its about winning. Theres no prize for playing good footie (although skysports will prob give arsenal one at the end oif the season knowing them). What makes the Premiership the best league in the world is that every team seems to play its own unique style of football. Some attack, some defend, some play long, some are physical... but at the end of the day, whoever wins are the best. (nb, especially in Europe cos its us who always win )

[muleskinner]

Good player but an arrogant little f***. I look forward to his tears this week when we knock them out.

[Guest Prongsy]

Mascherano reminds me of Flamini in the same way Kelly Brooke reminds me of John Merrick

Edited April 6, 2008 by Prongsy

[lawrie]

Mascherano reminds me of Flamini in the same way John Merrick reminds me of Kelly Brooke.

 

haha thats what I thought

[Ste M]

You have to admire Wenger for sticking to his footballing philosophy no matter what, in all honesty. But there comes a time when it's not about the performance but more about the result.

[Falconhoof]

You have to admire Wenger for sticking to his footballing philosophy no matter what, in all honesty. But there comes a time when it's not about the performance but more about the result.

 

I'd suggest thats day 1. Its page one of football management.

I'm getting a little annoyed at the suggestion from Fabregas, Wenger, Arsenal fans and pundits that its unfair that they aren't being allowed to play their football. Its an insult to suggest that you don't have to earn the right to play. They aren't being kicked, they aren't subject to a different set of rules to the other teams. Sooner or later, they have to grow up and accept that you earn the right to play football. Every team that has won trophies before them has grafted just to win the time and space on the ball to win football matches and win trophies.

[Bailo]

I'd suggest thats day 1. Its page one of football management.

I'm getting a little annoyed at the suggestion from Fabregas, Wenger, Arsenal fans and pundits that its unfair that they aren't being allowed to play their football. Its an insult to suggest that you don't have to earn the right to play. They aren't being kicked, they aren't subject to a different set of rules to the other teams. Sooner or later, they have to grow up and accept that you earn the right to play football. Every team that has won trophies before them has grafted just to win the time and space on the ball to win football matches and win trophies.

Exactly. The implication appears to be we're cheating Arsenal. I f***ing hate it.

 

Wenger, at the end of the season, is going to have to justify his small squad and his policies of not buying and playing the same brand of football to quite a few Arsenal fans. Am hearing a lot of murmurs about his ego having a detrimental effect on the team.

[jon_hall]

So we played our far weaker team yesterday and a win would have been the right result for us.

 

Maybe he's forgotten that it's a two legged tie and we don't have to go all out attack in the first game.

[Chili Palmer]

Fabregas is a great great player, not a genius or wizard or whatever else Andy Gray says about him, but he is a definate rent a quote, he is an arrogant fecker who needs to learn a little respect...hopefully Masch will have a word while breathing down his neck on tuesday.

[Dominus Maximus]

Fabregas is a great great player, not a genius or wizard or whatever else Andy Gray says about him, but he is a definate rent a quote, he is an arrogant fecker who needs to learn a little respect...hopefully Masch will have a word while breathing down his neck on tuesday.

 

Fabregas is a dirty little c***...

[ali]

Fábregas warns of Liverpool's 12th man - the fans

 

 

Benítez has recent history on his side for Anfield return - and that crowd too

 

Duncan Castles

Sunday April 6, 2008

The Observer

 

Whisper it around north London, but Arsenal's players may be happier playing in the maelstrom of an Anfield European night than at Ashburton Grove - to rid themselves of the pressure generated by some of their hyper-critical supporters.

 

That was the suggestion of Cesc Fábregas in the wake of Wednesday's 1-1 draw with Liverpool in the home leg of their Champions League quarter-final. The game had been marked by a significant percentage of the home fans loudly criticising their own players for perceived errors in passing, control and finishing, or demanding personnel changes from Arsène Wenger. The limited vocal support contrasted sharply with that coming from the away section.

 

Talking to Spanish television station Antena 3, Fábregas drew a contrast between the two supports. 'It is incredible the passion with which Liverpool fans live their games,' he said. 'Even the smallest cup game has a great atmosphere there, it is as if they played with 12 men. 'Let's see what happens [in Tuesday's return leg]. The good thing about playing away is that we don't have the pressure from our fans. Sometimes you don't get one or two passes right and...'

 

The value of Liverpool's support was a common theme among the participants last week. 'For me, the atmosphere there is the best in the world, it's unbelievable how the team and the crowd act in the same way together,' said the Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia. 'I think our supporters could help pull us through,' argued the Liverpool left-back Fábio Aurélio, while his manager laid the ground for a continuation of the tactics that delivered away-leg success.

 

Rafa Benítez's side are at their best when frustrating more talented sides, then picking them off in moments of over-commitment. He is keen for Anfield to back patiently a repeat of such methods. 'The fans must be key for us,' Benítez said. 'In terms of pushing the team and also to understand how we play.'

 

It is a style that has regularly frustrated Arsenal this season. The groundwork laid by Sir Alex Ferguson in a 2-2 Premier League draw in November was built upon by Tottenham's Juande Ramos in three carefully plotted encounters culminating in January's 5-1 League Cup semi-final annihilation. Since then Aston Villa, Birmingham City and Middlesbrough have successfully adopted the strategy of dense eight-man defending coupled with rapid counter-attacks.

 

Benítez admitted to taking notes. 'We were watching them. Two or three things you can learn from the other teams, but at the end of the day, it depends on your players. You can learn how they play with [Cristiano] Ronaldo or [Dimitar] Berbatov, but after you will have [steven] Gerrard and [Fernando] Torres so you need to use your players.

 

'Arsenal have a style that everybody knows. They can have plenty of possession, they can play long with Fábregas, they can play in between with [Robin] van Persie or [Alexander] Hleb. So we knew we needed to work hard.

 

'We knew they would have possession, so we needed to control, regain and play counterattack. Sometimes if you don't have the pace or ability they have in some players, you have other qualities you need to use - the pace of Torres, the quality of Gerrard and the rest of the team needs to work hard.'

 

Aurélio, who nullified the threat of Emmanuel Eboue and Theo Walcott in London, expanded on the group defending required to frustrate Arsenal's passing. 'When you play teams like that it's very difficult to mark them because they move the ball very quickly,' said the Brazilian. 'So what you have to do is to close the gaps between your lines. That's what we look for - being really compact and organised so they don't have any spare space.'

 

It is in neither Wenger nor Arsenal's make-up to adapt their style to the opposition, preferring to hold to their 'beliefs' and trust in their football to prevail. On this, Fábregas toed the party line. 'I think it's going to be very difficult because they defend very well. Even more now with 1-1, I think all they'll want to do is catch us on the break.

 

'We want to attack. Just because the other team refuse to play we don't have to do the same. We want to stick to our football - that's what we'll do, even if we lose.'

[Guest JV]

Little prick.

[kop205]

Bottom line is that nobody old enough to remember George Graham's sides can keep a straight face when lectured by anyone to do with Arsenal about 'the beautiful game' or when listening to their fans shouting 'hoof'.

 

Their reputation prior to Wenger for pretty much the whole of their history from what I can gather has been as a club who produced pretty workmanlike sides.

[Swipe]

Said before - him and Flamini are horrible, cocky, spiteful wee pricks.

 

Fabregas is worse off the pitch though - no respect. Can't believe he said that to Hughes.

 

He's excellent, but for Andy Gray to call him "a little genuius" is laughable.

 

He's been average lately as well

[Dominus Maximus]

f*** off to Spain and let the big boys play real footy... Or flag football or something...

[Stanley Leisure]

All the gooners i know also seem to have scant memory of the workmanlike, result-grinding sides that defined arsenal for so long, the hoof thing must be born out of being starved of decent football for so long.

 

Players like Fabregas can go on about the beautiful game all they want - winning tropies is what it's about - come back to us when you're used to that - presumably that'll be after he's signed for Barca.

[Hieronymus Bosch]

Arsenal bang on about playing football the proper way only because that's all they can do. That they can't dig in when the going gets tough is a massive flaw in their game. Rather than try to address it, to add some steel, nouse to their performances, they try to take the moral high ground, which may win over the press, but it won't win them trophies.

[L19red]

Funny how the are holding up their two victories against Jerzy Dudek as testimony to what they are capable of doing at Anfield and ignore the 4-1 demolition at the hands of Crouch.

or the fact they havent won in the league at anfield for 7 or 8 years now.

 

Those mean boys at Liverpool wont let us play. f***ing grow up you crybaby Wah! Wah! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Edited April 6, 2008 by L19red