Europa League may grant Emery reprieve
LONDON • Arsenal will face Belarusian outfit Bate Borisov after yesterday's Europa League round of 32 draw and Unai Emery knows the tournament may just be his side's best chance of qualifying for next season's Champions League should there be more defensive horror nights like Sunday.
The Gunners' 22-match unbeaten run in all competitions ended after a shock 3-2 Premier League loss against struggling Southampton, falling three points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.
Right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner, midfielder Granit Xhaka and a half-fit Laurent Koscielny, playing only his second game after seven months out following Achilles surgery, formed a makeshift backline that struggled to cope with the Saints' aerial bombardment.
They conceded three headed goals at St Mary's and the Spaniard conceded afterwards his side had to defend with more composure if they were to clinch a place in the top four to end their two-season Champions League absence.
"If we won't win like today, we cannot be in the top four. Other teams, usually they are winning," he said after a sloppy display capped by an error by goalkeeper Bernd Leno for striker Charlie Austin's 85th-minute winner.
The Arsenal manager, however, refused to blame the one-game suspensions of regular centre-backs Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis Papastathopoulos, as well as the injury to right-back Hector Bellerin, who went off at half-time, for the error-strewn performance.
He said: "We haven't conceded a lot of chances but today, they (Southampton) scored three goals. We need to do some analysis on how we can improve and do better. We need to continue taking responsibility for the 90 minutes."
Â
Â
Â
Bellerin would likely be out for "some weeks" after suffering a calf strain and Emery admitted he might move for players in the January transfer window if Arsenal fall further behind in the top-four race.
He added: "Only if we think the players can't help us with a good performance. January is not a good transfer window for this reason, but we are going to look and the club is working on transfers in January."
However, the club also have a Plan B as winning the Europa League represents a direct route into European football's premier competition and they were given a boost after a comparatively easier draw which also saw the Blues paired with Sweden's Malmo.
The pick of the round was the tie between five-time champions Sevilla and Italian side Lazio. The first legs will be played on Feb 14, with return legs a week later.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
PARIS: Gianluigi Buffon said on Wednesday (Jun 5) that he will return to Italy after agreeing to leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the month, with the World Cup winner looking for "new
World Cup winner Buffon to leave Paris Saint-Germain
worldsoccertalk.com/2019/06/05/world-cup-winner-buffon-to-leave-paris-saint-germain/
World Cup winner Buffon to leave Paris Saint-Germain AFP June 5, 2019 AFP No Comments Paris (AFP) - Gianluigi Buffon will leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer after it was agreed to not renew the former Italy captain's contract, the French champions announced on Wednesday.
World Cup winner Buffon to leave PSG | Sport24
An ever-present for Singapore so far in 2004, Baihakki Khaizan's rise to prominence has been an extremely swift one. In the National Football Academy age-group squads, he caught the eye with his 1.9m stature, instinctive confidence and composure at the back.
Singapore Football : No.1 Source for SG Football Compilation
Crystal Palace vs Chelsea: Player Ratings as Kante strike scrapes three points The home side weren't far away from edging a point for themselves N'Golo Kante celebrates after netting the game
Crystal Palace 0-1 Chelsea: N'Golo Kante's goal sees off poor
Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa admits sending spy to Derby
Good afternoon, and welcome to St. Mary's for Mauricio Pochettino's post-match press conference after the 2-1 defeat at Southampton. Dele Alli made his return to training this week, and was put straight into the starting line up by Pochettino, while Kyle Walker-Peters was handed a rare start at right-back with Kieran Trippier missing out through injury and Serge Aurier rested.
The tactic that frustrates a lot of Spurs fans arguably the
Top 5 Best 9mm Self-Defense Ammo for Concealed Carry Reviews 1 Magtech Ammunition 9 mm 115GR FMJ Ammo. This ammo's main objective is to make sure that people can access the best and cheap ammo for the 9mm concealed carry. The company has been making the best ammo for years now, so you can be sure that this one will be great.
Lpc Printing
Tottenham 0-1 West Ham: Michail Antonio hits winner as Mauricio Pochettino's side lose for the first time in their new stadium and prepare for Champions League semi-final with narrow defeat
West Ham's Michail Antonio inflicts Spurs' first defeat at
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer boosted by Jose Mourinho's work, claims Louis van Gaal Description: Van Gaal's claims seem at odds with the more entertaining football played by United since Solskjaer started a reign that looks set to bring him the manager's job on a permanent basis.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer boosted by Mourinho's work, claims Louis
London, United Kingdom (AFP) — Liverpool powered back to the top of the Premier League as Xherdan Shaqiri inspired a 3-1 win over bitter rivals Manchester United, while Arsenal's 22-match
Liverpool back on top as Shaqiri sinks United - punchng.com
David de Gea has had a difficult few weeks for Manchester United, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer still has faith in him. London, April 26: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is not contemplating taking Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea out of the firing line despite some high-profile errors in recent weeks.
Solskjaer reaffirms De Gea faith after Romero injury
Injuries open way for Sanchez and Lukaku to shine for United. By. AFP - February 26, 2019 7:37 PM. "They've been part of our training for a long time now," said Solskjaer.
Injuries open the way for Lukaku and Sanchez to shine for
After spending a lot of time and points on PAP'ing the same gun.. Devs then said NO damage is increased only an added scope/attachment. Subscribe for more Zo
Pack-A-Punched Weapons - Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Wiki Guide
MADRID: Former Arsenal, Real Madrid and Spain star Jose Antonio Reyes has been killed in a car crash, his hometown club Sevilla said on Saturday.He was 35. Reyes, who shot to fame at Sevilla before a switch to Arsenal, followed by spells at Real and Atletico Madrid, was on the books with second-tier Spanish club Extremadura.
Football news - Jose Antonio Reyes killed in car crash at age
(Reuters) - Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa has admitted sending a member of his coaching staff to spy on Derby County ahead of their Championship (second-tier) match on Friday.
Soccer: Leeds manager Bielsa admits sending spy to Derby
Mourinho claimed ahead of the game that Liverpool have had luck on their side this season, but while there was fortune Mourinho concedes Man Utd incapable of living with Liverpool Sign in
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment