Gooner Talk

Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas has been confirmed as a participant in July’s A:3K Football tournament, in which six of the world’s best players will compete in a series of gladiatorial games of skill at the 02 Arena.

The footie stars will battle it out in a tournament testing their skills in front of a huge live audience and millions of TV viewers.

A:3K – which stands for Arena 3000 – involves five “gladiatorial” soccer challenges which will be staged on a black pitch against the backdrop of a hi-tech set, above.

The aim is to determine which player is the most skilful, with the A:3K hero crowned being crowned at the end.

Fabregas, 22, told The Sun:

“It is a very good opportunity to play individually against some of the best players in the world.”

After his theatrics at the Emirates and most notably at the Nou Camp, Barcelona’s Sergio Busquets has done it again. The Spanish defensive midfielder, once an Arsenal target, used a mixture of diving and play acting against the Gunners over the two-legged tie. Tonight, as Barca faced Inter Milan, he did it again.

Busquets’ attempts to win cheap free-kicks and cards for Arsenal players was bemoaned by fans alike, yet the media took no notice. Yet as the GIF imagine above clearly shows, it’s in his nature. This cheeky look to see if former team mate Thiago Motta had been dismissed epitomised the blatant cheating which was not stopped. A firmer line is a must in European football.

A whole array of European talent will be on show during July’s Emirates Cup competition after Celtic, AC Milan and Lyon were announced as the participating teams in the tournament.

The event takes place over the weekend of Saturday, July 31 and Sunday, August 1, and looks likely to attract a massive support for the prestigious pre-season competiton.

The tournament kicks-off at 2pm on Saturday, July 31 with Celtic taking on Lyon, followed by hosts and current Emirates Cup holders Arsenal playing AC Milan.

Sunday’s fixtures also start at 2pm, when a Ronaldinho-inspired AC Milan take on Champions League semi-finalists Lyon, with Arsenal and Celtic bringing the competition to an exciting climax with a Battle of Britain match which is the later game.

Leave your thoughts on the Emirates Cup fixtures in the comments section below.

When dawn broke on April 25, 2004, Arsenal had yet to lose after 33 games of what would be an historic Premiership campaign. The title would surely be heading to Highbury; it was just a matter of where Arsène Wenger’s side completed the formalities.

White Hart Lane would have been the choice of most Arsenal fans and, after second-placed Chelsea were beaten by Newcastle in an earlier kick-off, Arsenal’s task became clearer. They would need just one point in the North London derby to be crowned champions.

The visitors raced out of the blocks and took a third-minute lead. Thierry Henry carried the ball out of danger after a Tottenham corner and, having made inroads down the left, slid a perfect pass for Dennis Bergkamp to run on to. The Dutchman crossed low and Patrick Vieira slid in to open the scoring.

Bergkamp set up the second with a beautifully-weighted pass for Vieira as the skipper surged into the penalty area. The Arsenal captain cut the ball back for Robert Pires to provide a clinical finish. A little over half-an-hour had elapsed and Arsenal were cruising to the title.

To their credit, Spurs responded. Jamie Redknapp lashed in a long-range shot to reduce the deficit and, after Pires had struck the bar, Robbie Keane netted a late penalty to earn the hosts a point. Spurs had restored some pride but still had to look on as their rivals celebrated a thoroughly-deserved title.

The Arsenal fans have been reminding White Hart Lane regulars of it ever since.

Robin van Persie never forgets.

And as you can see below, Emmanuel Adebayor was made well aware of that when Arsenal’s Dutch frontman took him out during yesterday’s game.

Meanwhile, things also boiled over when Craig Bellamy picked a fight with Alex Song. Check out both videos underneath.

Enjoy!

Fabianski
Sagna – Campbell – Silvestre – Clichy
Nasri – Song – Diaby
Walcott – van Persie (c) – Rosicky

Substitutes: Mannone, Traore, Eboue, Eastmond, Eduardo, Vela, Bendtner