With the fall-out from William Gallas’ tackle on Bolton Wanderers’ Mark Davies having barely subsided, Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal are bracing themselves for another bruising confrontation with Stoke City.
The Gunners face Tony Pulis’ side at the Britannia Stadium in the fourth round of the FA Cup, buoyed by their success in knocking Chelsea off the top of the Premier League following the 4-2 victory over Bolton in midweek.
Arsenal’s achievement in finally reining in the eleven-point deficit that had opened up between themselves and their title rivals at the end of November, however, was overshadowed by Gallas’ ill-judged challenge.
The centerback escaped punishment during the game, but referee Alan Wiley was widely criticized for failing to issue a red card to the defender.
Wenger, though, is anxious to put the matter to rest ahead of the trip to Stoke, where the Frenchman’s side can expect to face another full-on physical test.
“I do not want to develop any paranoia, but there was too much made about this incident,” Wenger said. “It was a mistimed challenge, but without any intention to harm the player. What is more funny is that, when we get kicked, some people say before the game: ‘We know how to play Arsenal, we have to kick them’ and nobody in the whole country is upset by that.”
“I am always absolutely amazed that people get away with it,” he said. “When we get kicked and lose the game, the question I get from the press is: ‘Oh, you did not fancy that,’ but nobody is upset or shocked by it.”
Wenger’s concerns appear to be vindicated by the comments of Stoke striker Ricardo Fuller, who made no attempt to disguise the tactics likely to be employed by the home side as they attempt to reach the last 16 of the tournament.
“It couldn’t be a better draw, because we did well against them here last year,” Fuller said. “The Britannia, it’s a like a fortress, and if we do play to our strengths, I don’t think Arsenal can deal with the aggressive play. It’s been proved in the past that Chelsea and Bolton have roughed them up, and tried to bully them. We can also be rough and aggressive when we need to, but we have quality too and so we can mix it up.”
With Arsenal set to enter the most important phase of their league campaign, Wenger will be extremely cautious about fielding some of his key players.
After this meeting, the Gunners face a quartet of fixtures — against Aston Villa, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool — that will go a long way toward determining whether they can last the pace in the title race.
Yet while Wenger has no doubt about which is the most important prize at stake, he is also anxious not to suffer a confidence-sapping defeat.
“The Premier League is a priority, but to win is the first priority and we want to keep the positive momentum by beating Stoke,” he said. “We need a team that is ready to fight and to play over there, so that is why we need some experience in the side. We will certainly use the squad.”
More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
Former world No. 2 Paula Badosa has withdrawn from this week’s Wuhan Open, organizers said on Tuesday, amid a racism row over an online photograph. Tournament organizers said the Spaniard had pulled out of the WTA 1000 tournament, citing a gastrointestinal illness, hours before her first-round match against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic. News outlets including Britain’s the Telegraph earlier reported that Badosa had posted a photo on Instagram in which she appeared to imitate a Chinese face by placing chopsticks on the corners of her eyes. The photo was taken last week in a restaurant in Beijing, where she reached the semi-finals of the
PREDICTION: Last week, when Yu’s father made a wrong turn to the former champions’ parking lot, he said that his son could park there after this year With back-to-back birdies on the 18th hole, Kevin Yu fulfilled his driving range-owning dad’s prediction that he would win the Sanderson Farms Championship and become Taiwan’s third golfer to claim a US PGA Tour title. The Taoyuan-born 26-year-old, who represented Taiwan in the Olympic golf at Paris, saw off Californian Beau Hossler in a playoff at the Country Club of Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday. Having drained a 15-foot putt to claw his way into the playoff, Yu rolled in from five feet on the first extra hole, ensuring he joined Chen Tze-chung (LA Open in 1987) and Pan Cheng-tsung (RBC
LeBron James and eldest son Bronny James claimed a piece of NBA history on Sunday after making their long-awaited first appearance alongside each other for the Los Angeles Lakers. The duo appeared together at the start of the second quarter in the Lakers’ 118-114 preseason defeat to the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert, east of Los Angeles. While LeBron James impressed with 19 points in just 16 minutes and 20 seconds on court before sitting out the second half, Bronny found the going harder with zero points in just over 13 minutes on court. The younger James attempted just one