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Robin van Persie's injury is not as serious as first feared, and the Arsenal striker should now be fit enough to join up with the Holland squad for their opening World Cup qualifier against Macedonia.
The 25-year old and The Gunners played some of their most irresistable football on the way to a 3-0 drubbing of Newcastle United on Saturday, but the impressive win was marred by a serious-looking injury to the forward.
The mesmorising international released a venomous shot that skimmed off the bar, but in doing so appeared to injure his troublesome ankle and limped off the pitch, with club officials fearing it could spell yet another lengthy lay-off.
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger admitted that the club were anxiously awaiting the results of an x-ray in order to assess the damage, but news from the club suggests the player suffered just bruising.
www.goal.com
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This is what Wenger said about Robin and his injury at arsenal.com:
"He can be that link between midfield and the strikers, and it is the way we want to play. i think you could see he was in shape and when he is like that he is very important player for us.
"He is having an x-ray and we have to check his ankle. Hopefully nothing is broken but I dont know yet."
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Arsenal striker Robin van Persie scored a brace as his side found some of their irresistible form to beat Newcastle.
Van Persie powered in a spot-kick after Charles N'Zogbia handled an Emmanuel Adebayor cross as Arsenal overwhelmed a depleted Newcastle.
Michael Owen shot wide for the Magpies but Emmanuel Eboue's clever backheel left Van Persie to slide in and score.
A Nicky Butt header hit the Arsenal woodwork but Denilson added the home side's third after an intricate move.
Arsenal were clearly out to prove a point and back up boss Arsene Wenger's claim that, despite their youth and relative lack of experience, they have the qualities to be successful.
They burst out of the blocks and could have had a penalty after just two minutes when Van Persie ran on to a Cesc Fabregas pass only to be brought down by Fabricio Coloccini.
The decision should have been insignificant minutes later but William Gallas sidefooted embarrassingly high from point-bank range after Bacary Sagna flicked on a Gunners corner.
Arsenal's trademark fluent football was in full flow after a stuttering start to the season and it was proving too much for Newcastle to handle.
Magpies keeper Shay Given palmed away a long range powerful Kolo Toure strike before Arsenal's pressure inevitably reaped reward.
N'Zogbia was punished for blocking an Adebayor cross with his arm and Van Persie hammered in the spot-kick.
Newcastle would have to make the most of any chances they were afforded but failed to do so when a rare opportunity came begging.
Jonas Gutierrez crossed low into the Arsenal box and Owen - put off by team-mate Shola Ameobi - sidefooted wide in front of watching England boss Fabio Capello.
Arsenal resumed normal service as they continued to carve out chances and Eboue's creativeness set up Van Persie for his second.
The visitors improved after the break and Butt glanced a header against the crossbar but Arsenal heeded the warning and responded in style.
A triangle of Samir Nasri, Adebayor and Denilson combined to find a way through the Magpies defence.
Denilson added the finish with an angled shot before Van Persie lashed a strike against the underside of the bar, which bounced clear to Newcastle's relief.
Arsenal failed to add to their lead, despite a number of chances, as they eased to victory.
Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan brought on Joey Barton to a chorus of boos late on before the visitors' misery was ended.
Arsenal: Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Gallas, Clichy, Eboue (Walcott 72), Fabregas, Denilson (Song Billong 69), Nasri, Adebayor, Van Persie (Vela 63).
Subs Not Used: Fabianski, Ramsey, Djourou, Bendtner.
Booked: Fabregas, Nasri.
Goals: Van Persie 18 pen, 41, Denilson 59.
Newcastle: Given, Coloccini, Jose Enrique (Bassong 44), Taylor, Gutierrez (Barton 89), Guthrie, Butt, Beye (Edgar 89), N'Zogbia, Owen, Ameobi.
Subs Not Used: Harper, Tozer, Donaldson, Ranger.
Booked: Coloccini, Given.
Att: 60,067
Ref: Rob Styles (Hampshire).
www.bbc.co.uk
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Liverpool winger Ryan Babel is the only change in Bert van Marwijk's Holland squad for next month's World Cup qualifiers against Macedonia.
The 21-year-old was not selected in Van Marwijk's first squad for the friendly against Russia because he was with the Olympic team at the Beijing Games.
Orlando Engelaar has been left out but may still join up with the 20-man squad next week if he shakes off a knee injury.
Wesley Sneijder and Wilfred Bouma miss out through injury but Khalid Boulahrouz is fit again.
The Oranje play Australia, who are coached by Dutchman Pim Verbeek, in a friendly in Eindhoven on September 6 before taking on Macedonia in Skopje four days later.
Squad: Maarten Stekelenburg (Ajax), Henk Timmer (Feyenoord); Khalid Boulahrouz (Stuttgart), Giovanni van Bronckhorst (Feyenoord), Tim de Cler (Feyenoord), John Heitinga (Atletico Madrid), Joris Mathijsen (Hamburg), Andre Ooijer (Blackburn); Mark van Bommel (Bayern Munich), Nigel de Jong (Hamburg), Demy de Zeeuw (AZ Alkmaar), Orlando Engelaar (Schalke), Ibrahim Afellay, Rafael van der Vaart (Real Madrid); Robin van Persie (Arsenal), Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Ajax), Arjen Robben (Real Madrid), Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink (Celtic), Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool), Ryan Babel (Liverpool).
www.sportinglife.com
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Arsenal will play FC Porto, Fenerbahce and Dynamo Kiev in the Group Stage of the Champions League.
Arsène Wenger's team will travel to Portugal, Turkey and Ukraine after beating Dutch side FC Twente in the Third Qualifying Round.
Arsenal were among the eight top seeds when the draw took place in Monaco on Thursday.
The first two matches are already added to our agenda.
www.arsenal.com
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Arsenal cruised past Steve McClaren's FC Twente to reach the lucrative Champions League group stage.
Theo Walcott was in outstanding form and he set up Samir Nasri for a composed finish after 27 minutes.
William Gallas added a second in the 52nd minute, scrambling in after Nicklas Bendtner's shot was saved.
Walcott slid home a solo effort after 66 minutes and Bendtner took advantage of a flick from Denilson to score from close range in the dying seconds.
It was a miserable return to London for former England coach McClaren, who saw his side outclassed by Arsenal as they made amends for their poor performance in the defeat at Fulham on Saturday.
Arsene Wenger can now plot another assault on the trophy that eluded him in the 2006 final against Barcelona.
Cesc Fabregas returned after a hamstring injury to make his first start since Spain's Euro 2008 final victory against Germany - and he enjoyed a first-half stroll as Arsenal dominated.
Walcott terrorised FC Twente down the right flank, and both Johan Djourou and Gael Clichy came close before summer signing Nasri put Arsenal ahead after 27 minutes.
The England youngster, inevitably, was the creator with another direct run, and when his cross fell to Nasri via Robin van Persie, he slid in with ease.
Walcott showed great unselfishness to carve out an open goal for Van Persie after 38 minutes, but the Netherlands striker took an age before shooting wide of the unguarded goal.
Wenger took Nasri off at the interval and sent on Emmanuel Eboue, but the pattern of Gunners' domination continued.
Gallas doubled their advantage seven minutes after half-time when FC Twente keeper Nicolay Mihaylov - on loan from Liverpool - parried Bendtner's shot and the Arsenal captain bundled home from close range.
Walcott got the goal his outstanding display deserved after 66 minutes, this time doing damage on the left flank before cutting in and slipping a precision finish inside the far post.
Bendtner had endured a mixed evening despite all his endeavour, but he got some reward with a minute left when took advantahe of a superb flick by Denilson to beat Mihaylov from eight yards.
It crowned a comfortable evening's work for Arsenal and left McClaren having to continue his European journey with FC Twente in the Uefa Cup.
Arsenal: Almunia, Sagna, Gallas, Djourou, Clichy, Walcott, Fabregas (Song Billong 68), Denilson, Nasri (Eboue 46), Van Persie (Adebayor 65), Bendtner.
Subs Not Used: Fabianski, Toure, Vela, Ramsey.
Booked: Clichy.
Goals: Nasri 27, Gallas 52, Walcott 66, Bendtner 89.
FC Twente: Mihailov, Wielaert, Tiote, Franco, Braafheid (Rajkovic 87), Denneboom, Heubach (Wellenberg 46), Brama, Janssen, Elia, Huysegems.
Subs Not Used: Paauwe, Zomer, Gerritsen, Chery, Reimerink.
Booked: Wielaert, Braafheid, Tiote.
Agg (6-0)
Att: 59,583
Ref: Terje Hauge (Norway).
www.bbc.co.uk
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Brede Hangeland's first-half goal gave Fulham their first win of the season against a disappointing Arsenal.
The giant defender stabbed in Jimmy Bullard's cross from close range after 21 minutes.
Emmanuel Adebayor headed Bacary Sagna's cross against the post shortly afterwards, but Arsenal rarely turned possession into clear chances.
Bobby Zamora almost added a second after the break as Fulham's commitment earned a deserved three points.
Arsenal were unsettled by Fulham's physical approach, and it was clear how much they missed the composure and class of the injured Cesc Fabregas in midfield.
But for Fulham, it was the perfect response to their disappointing opening day defeat at newly promoted Hull City.
Arsenal were able to recall Kolo Toure and Robin van Persie - but Fulham's record signing Andrew Johnson was still sidelined by a thigh injury.
It did not stop Roy Hodgson's side showing a greater sense of urgency and a highly charged approach in the first 45 minutes.
John Pantsil was fortunate to escape a red card in the 13th minute for a nasty challenge on Arsenal's Emmanuel Eboue.
Arsenal almost broke the deadlock six minutes later when Van Persie fired Samir Nasri's pass just wide - but it was Fulham who took the lead two minutes later.
Fulham worked a short corner and Bullard whipped in a cross that allowed Hangeland to steal in ahead of William Gallas to poke home from close range.
Arsenal responded and Adebayor almost levelled instantly when he directed a superb header against the post from Sagna's cross.
Fulham new boy Zamora has proved a tormentor of Arsenal in the past, and he was almost at it again on the hour when he turned a driven centre from Seol Ki-Hyeon inches over the top with Manuel Almunia beaten.
Arsenal needed greater attacking thrust, and it was no surprise when Arsene Wenger made a change with 25 minutes remaining, sending on Nicklas Bendtner for the subdued Theo Walcott.
It made little difference, with Arsenal enjoying plenty of possession but failing to carve out any clear-cut chances.
Adebayor had a shot from outside the box with six minutes left, but it was saved with the minimum of fuss by Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer.
It was a rare moment of danger for Fulham and they survived in relative comfort.
Fulham: Schwarzer, Pantsil, Hughes, Hangeland, Kallio (Baird 74), Davies, Bullard, Murphy (Teymourian 81), Gera, Zamora, Ki-Hyeon (Dempsey 77).
Subs Not Used: Stockdale, Nevland, Stoor, Milsom.
Goals: Hangeland 21.
Arsenal: Almunia, Sagna, Toure (Song Billong 77), Gallas, Clichy, Walcott (Bendtner 65), Eboue, Denilson, Nasri, Adebayor, Van Persie.
Subs Not Used: Fabianski, Ramsey, Wilshere, Djourou, Gibbs.
Att: 25,276
Ref: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire).
www.bbc.co.uk
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Holland coach Bert van Marwijk has named his provisional 20-man squad for the upcoming friendly against Australia and the World Cup qualifier against FYR Macedonia.
The Dutch take on Australia in Eindhoven on September 6 before kicking off their qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup against Macedonia in Skopje four days later.
Van Marwijk will name his final squad next Friday.
Provisional Holland squad: Maarten Stekelenburg (Ajax), Henk Timmer (Feyenoord); Khalid Boulahrouz (Stuttgart), Tim de Cler (Feyenoord), John Heitinga (Atletico Madrid), Andre Ooijer (Blackburn Rovers), Joris Mathijsen (Hamburg); Ibrahim Afellay, Mark van Bommel (Bayern Munich), Giovanni van Bronckhorst (Feyenoord), Orlando Engelaar (Schalke), Nigel de Jong (Hamburg), Demy de Zeeuw, Rafael van der Vaart (Real Madrid); Klaas Jan Huntelaar (Ajax), Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool), Robin van Persie (Arsenal), Arjen Robben (Real Madrid), Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink (Celtic), Ryan Babel (Liverpool).
www.sportinglife.com
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According to local daily Sport, Barcelona retain an interest in three forwards ahead of the new season. These are Arsenal's Robin van Persie, Boca Juniors' Rodrigo Palacio, and Andrei Arshavin of Zenit.
The newspaper indicates that, with ten days left of the transfer market, the 'Guardiola Project' is nearly at its conclusion.
However, the side still requires a left forward, apparently, with Ronaldinho having since departed for AC Milan.
Three names are prominent in the shortlist for this position. First is Rodrigo Palacio of Boca Juniors. His main attribute is versatility; as well as playing out wide, he can play as a second striker or as a pure 'number 9'.
Next up, Anderi Arshavin's move to Tottenham Hotspur has collapsed, leaving Barcelona in the clear to land the Russian. However he could cost up to 20 million euros - a hefty sum for someone unproven outside Zenit.
Finally, according to Sport Van Persie of Arsenal is seen as the "purest" option and the one that would fit Guardiola's system "like a glove." However, given that he is a major Arsenal stalwart, his arrival seems unlikely at best.
Sporting director Txiki Begiristain has conspicuously failed to rule out any more signings and an approach for any one of these three is far from impossible within the next week or so.
www.goal.com
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A Konstantin Zyryanov penalty cancelled out Robin Van Persie's opener as Russia and Holland played out a friendly draw in Moscow.
Barely two months have passed since Russia famously dumped Holland out of Euro 2008, yet Wednesday's friendly signified the start of a new era for the Dutch and their coach Bert Van Marwijk.
That match in Basel proved the last in the famous orange colours for Edwin Van Der Sar and Ruud Van Nistelrooy, who both retired from international football after the finals, while coach Marco Van Basten has since taken over the reins at Ajax.
And Van Marwijk's reign got off to a good start as Arsenal striker Van Persie put the Dutch ahead on 24 minutes.
A free-kick from Mark van Bommel, back in the Dutch set-up for the first time in two years, caused confusion in the Russian box, the ball eventually falling to Johnny Heitinga.
The Atletico Madrid full-back's shot was blocked with the ball eventually knocked back to Van Persie, who took a touch before expertly bending a shot past goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev and into the top corner of the Russian net.
Prior to the goal the clearest opportunity in an otherwise static opening 20 minutes fell to Russia midfielder Igor Semshov, who volleyed wide from 20 yards after a fine run and pull-back from Roman Pavlyuchenko.
A goal to the good, the Dutch attack, led by the lively Arjen Robben on the left, now had their tails up and Akinfeev had to be on guard to prevent the Dutch grabbing a quick second.
Real Madrid newcomer Rafael Van Der Vaart tried a cheeky chip from the edge of the box that the Russian goalkeeper scrambled to tip over, and from the resulting corner Van Persie saw his firm header superbly pushed over the bar by the CSKA Moscow shot-stopper.
At the other end midfielder Vladimir Bystrov was causing Holland problems on the right flank and was the instigator of Russia's best chance of the half, providing a dangerous low cross across the Dutch penalty area that eluded his Spartak Moscow team-mate Pavlyuchenko by a whisker.
Pavlyuchenko's participation ended prematurely after landing awkwardly on his right ankle and was replaced on 38 minutes by debutant and another Spartak team-mate, Nikita Bazhenov.
Russia started the second half strongly and had an opportunity to level just moments after the restart when Yuri Zhirkov, celebrating his 25th birthday, picked up a clever pass by Andrei Arshavin only to scuff his shot, which was saved comfortably by Maarten Stekelenburg.
Akinfeev however remained the busier of the two goalkeepers, saving from Holland substitute Jan Venegoor of Hesselink in the 74th minute and moments later fisting clear a 25-yard stinger from Heitinga.
The equaliser came when Dmitri Torbinsky, scorer of the crucial second goal in Basle and on as substitute on Wednesday, went down under a clumsy challenge by Giovanni Van Bronckhorst.
Swedish referee Peter Frojdfeldt awarded a penalty despite Dutch protests, and Zenit St Petersburg midfielder Zyryanov coolly tucked the ball past Stekelenburg for 1-1.
The Dutch had the chance to restore their lead with seven minutes to go, with Van Persie and Dirk Kuyt both seeing shots blocked, while Akinfeev saved a Venegoor of Hesselink shot from point-blank range in stoppage time.
The real work of World Cup qualification begins on September 10 for both sides, with Russia at home to Wales while the Dutch face a trip to FYR Macedonia.
www.sportinglife.com
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Today was Hollands first training in the new season. Robin's wife Bouchra and son Shaqueel visited the training at the Amsterdam Arena. There's a Dutch movie of this visit. You can see Shaqueel walking with the ball in a little Arsenal shirt. He's really cute and looks a lot like his father. They even have the same hairstyle.
http://www.voetbalzone.nl/doc.asp?uid=64655
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Next week will be the first time that Robin will work with his former Feyenoord manager Bert Van Marwijk.
New coach Bert van Marwijk named an 19-men squad on Friday and included Van Bommel, his son-in-law, who played his last match for the Dutch team during the 2006 World Cup finals.
After that tournament, Marco van Basten dropped Van Bommel. When he recalled him months later, the midfielder announced that he would no longer be available for the national team while Van Basten was in charge.
For the match against Russia, who eliminated the Netherlands in the quarter-finals of Euro 2008, the Dutch will be without Edwin van der Sar and Ruud van Nistelrooy, who have both retired from international football.
Midfielder Wesley Sneijder is also not available as he is recovering from a knee injury.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Maarten Stekelenburg (Ajax Amsterdam), Henk Timmer (Feyenoord)
Defenders: Khalid Boulahrouz (VFB Stuttgart), Tim de Cler (Feyenoord), John Heitinga (Atletico Madrid), Joris Mathijsen (SV Hamburg), Andre Ooijer (Blackburn Rovers),
Midfielders: Ibrahim Afellay (PSV Eindhoven), Mark van Bommel (Bayern Munich), Giovanni van Bronckhorst (Feyenoord), Orlando Engelaar (Schalke 04), Nigel de Jong (SV Hamburg), Rafael van der Vaart (Real Madrid), Demy de Zeeuw (AZ Alkmaar)
Forwards: Klaas Jan Huntelaar (Ajax Amsterdam), Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool), Robin van Persie (Arsenal), Arjen Robben (Real Madrid), Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink (Celtic Glasgow).
www.reuters.com
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New season, new hero, same old result.
It may have been the first game of the Premier League campaign but Wenger’s men had already played nine pre-season fixtures this summer plus Wednesday’s Champions League qualifier. That, and Euro 2008, had taken a toll.
Nine players missed the game at Twente in midweek and just Nasri (thigh/knee) returned to the starting line-up this afternoon. Kolo Toure had only half-recovered from his hip injury and was left on the bench. He was joined there by Robin van Persie, who was rested, so Nicklas Bendtner was paired with Emmanuel Adebayor up front.
Within four minutes, the hosts had the lead. Nasri collected the ball in the left-hand channel and he nudged it to Bendtner who in turn found Gael Clichy on the left-hand byline. The Frenchman spotted Denilson racing towards the byline. The Brazilian reached the ball and cut back for Nasri to steer home a low shot from the corner of the six-yard box.
Arsenal were already looking rampant. Adebayor set up Walcott to nod a header towards the far post. It was blocked by a West Brom body but not, according to referee Howard Webb, a hand.
Soon afterwards, Gallas cracked a venomous long-range drive just wide from fully 30 yards. It was one of those piercing shots that retain its pace and flat trajectory throughout their journey.
Sagna tried his luck from the right flank minutes later but the deflection off Abdoulaye Meite saw the ball balloon just beyond the far post.
Midway through the half, Bendtner sent a steepling header wide. Although Do-Heon Kim did force Manuel Almunia to pull off a fine one-handed save just after the half-hour and then Djourou foiled Ismail Miller 12 yards out, Arsenal were still in control.
Before half-time, Nasri, Adebayor and Denilson all had long-range efforts to add to the lead.
The home side went into the interval cruising. The only issue was an old one – had they scored the goals they deserved?
And would it come back to haunt them.
The answer, as we found out four minutes in, was ‘nearly’. Miller escaped on the left and shot at Almunia’s legs from a tight angle. The ball rebounded to James Morrison who fired into the heart of a frantic area. Almunia got a touch on the shot but Djourou’s presence on the line was the main reason the ball was scrambled wide.
Adebayor might have settled the nerves a couple of minutes later when he burst clear only to sidefoot his shot wide.
However, you sensed Arsenal had started to lose their way. The muscular Miller was causing problems for the defence, and attacks from the home side were now fleeting.
Before the midway point of the half, Walcott had a shot charged down and Eboue blazed wide. With 23 minutes left, Adebayor had the ball in the net only to be flagged offside.
However the overwhelming Arsenal of the first half had waned. To liven up his side, Wenger brought on Van Persie and Toure for Walcott and Bendtner with around 20 minutes left.
Ten minutes from time, Adebayor’s long, arching cross was met by the Dutchman at the far post. His header was held by Carson.
A stumbling, turning Van Persie then prod a shot past the far post with five minutes to go.
At full time, the overwhelming emotion was relief. As at Twente on Wednesday, Arsenal had won the game, kept a clean sheet and done their jobs professionally.
However the trademark finesse may have to wait until their injured players return
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Robin van Persie has some mixed feelings about yesterdays match against FC Twente. "I expected that they would play as sharp as we've seen tonight. But I thought they search for the limits of meanness.
We're still not in the main stage of the Champions League. The second match is also important."
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Although the Twente questions had been searching, Arsenal managed to smuggle a vital 2-0 victory back from Arnhem on Wednesday night.
Arsène Wenger's weakened side were on the rack for most of this Champions League third qualification round first leg tie. Steve McClaren, in his first competitive game since England's defeat to Croatia last November, had asked his team to tear into Arsenal from the first whistle and they responded in style.
The visitors were on the back foot for most of the opening period and only really started to look the part when William Gallas turned in Robin van Persie's free-kick in the 63rd minute.
Eight minutes from time, Emmanuel Adebayor added another to give the result a gloss Arsenal's performance did not deserve.
But they do deserve credit for their tenacity determination and professionalism on a night when, for once, Wenger's men struggled to find their rhythm
This was the third time Arsenal have been in the qualifying stages, the third time they have been drawn away first and the third time they have brought a significant lead home.
However this was the third time Wenger's men have been in the qualifying stages, the third time they have been drawn away first and the third time they have won 2-0.
This result has paved the way to the group stages twice before and it should do so again this year.
But this had been by far the toughest test.
www.arsenal.com
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Arsenal must have Champions League football this season says Robin van Persie.
Arsène Wenger’s side face Twente in a qualification tie first leg on Wednesday. It is the third year in succession that Arsenal been forced to play preliminary games in order to make the main competition. On both occasions they have gained a pivotal 2-0 lead after the first leg away from home and have subsequently gone through in some comfort.
However Van Persie is taking nothing for grant on Wednesday in a tie he believes will be crucial for his side’s season.
“Arsenal always want to play in the Champions League and I think Arsenal need to play in the Champions League,” said the 24-year-old. “If you have good players and a big stadium then I think you need to play in the highest league in Europe.
“But this is football. If you don’t win these two games then you won’t qualify and you’ll play in the UEFA Cup.”
Twente are used to creating shocks. They reached this stage of the Champions League after beating Ajax in an Eredivisie play-off at the end of last term. Van Persie has studied them and, though they have changed key players and their manager since last season, he believes they’ll be highly competitive.
“I know them quite well as I have Dutch satellite TV at home,” said the striker. “They had a great year last year but they lost two of their best players. Karim El Ahmadi went to Feyenoord and Orlando Engelaar went to Schalke. They were the playmakers. But they got one good player back from Vitesse – Theo Janssen – so they are still in good shape with a good team.
“To be honest it was quite a big shock [when they won the play-off] because in Holland everyone expected Ajax to win. But in the end Twente played better than them. They had two good games – one I think they won 4-2 - so yes it was a shock but these things happen in football.”
Just not on Wednesday night, we hope.
www.arsenal.com
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Robin van Persie could not recall the last time Arsenal faced a side managed by Steve McLaren.
Speaking in the bowels of the Amsterdam ArenA at the weekend, the Dutch striker was already looking forward to Wednesday's crucial Champions League tie against Twente. But he just could not recollect Middlesbrough's famous 7-0 hammering at Highbury in January 2006
"No, really?" he said when the answer was revealed. "We won 7-0?
"Oh yeah I do remember that game but normally we had a tough time against his sides."
That memory lapse is probably down to the fact Van Persie did not play that day. There were five different scorers including the inevitable hat-trick for Thierry Henry. On Wednesday, Van Persie will be the main threat and he argues that, despite his battered reputation in England, McLaren is already proving a success at Twente.
"They are really happy with him because it was quite a strange move to come from being England manager to Twente manager," said Van Persie. "But Holland is very proud, especially Twente, and they are all saying they really like his style of coaching."
That reputation is in stark contrast to the one left behind in England where he was pilloried for failing to take the national team to Euro 2008.
"I think that [comes with the territory]," said Van Persie. "If you don't qualify [for a major tournament] as the national team manager you have some critical people waiting for you. This is what happened with Louis van Gaal, he was a top manager but he didn't qualify [with Holland] in 2002. They lost against Ireland that year, so that's the risk of the job."
www.arsenal.com
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As you can see on the homepage, we add the photos from this weekend to our gallery. We also found some older pictures from Bouchra at Euro 2008 and Robin at Goal 4 Africa . You can find them in 'Robin, Bouchra en Shaqueel' en 'Robin'.
You can find the fixtures for September in our agenda now and we updated the statistics (awards).
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Arsenal placed one hand on the Amsterdam Tournament trophy with a 1-1 draw against Sevilla on Saturday night.
Carlos Vela’s fourth-minute strike gave Arsène Wenger’s youthful side an early lead. A more senior Sevilla team responded impressively. They bossed the latter stages of the first half and all of the second. The Spaniards spurned a host of chances before Javier Chevanton finally converted from close range with nine minutes left.
Having played his ‘big gunners’ against Ajax on Friday night, Wenger understandably rotated for the game the following day. It was an entirely different — and entirely youthful - XI with Aaron Ramsey (17) and Mark Randall (18) in central midfield, Jack Wilshere (16) and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas (17) on the flanks. Kieran Gibbs (18) tucked in at left back with Justin Hoyte (23) opposite. They sandwiched the two Swiss centre backs — Philippe Senderos (23) and Johan Djourou (21). Nicklas Bendtner (20) and Vela (19) were up front. Fabianski, another 23-year-old ‘veteran’, was in goal.
Wenger’s men had nearly gone ahead against Ajax after 90 seconds with a well-crafted move. Ditto this evening. Vela’s raking pass found Wilshere on the right, he tucked a pass into the path of Bendtner whose drive was blocked by Javier Herras at the near post.
However this time the North London side followed that chance by taking the lead a couple of minutes later. Vela won the ball on the left, raced into the area and held off the attentions of Abdoulay Konko before steering a shot into the far corner.
The Mexican showed commendable strength and tenacity to complete a cool finish, something that bodes well as the 19-year-old tries to adapt to the physicality of the English game this season.
However Arsenal’s youngsters were never going to steamroller Sevilla this evening. Jose Crespo escaped down the left and cut the ball back for Luis Fabiano to stab a shot over the bar. Shortly afterwards Fabianski came out confidently to catch a cross from Jesus Navas with Spanish strikers waiting in the area.
On the quarter-hour, Senderos diverted Fabiano’s shot past the post. Sevilla continued to pressure but Arsenal continued to have chances. Wilshere and Ramsey both saw their drives blocked by bodies in the area.
As half time approached Sevilla started to flex their muscles and created a host of chances. Navas sliced over the bar from a narrow angle, Arouna Kone saw his drive blocked by the body of Fabianski and Fabiano was dispossessed by Djourou at the vital moment.
But perhaps the clearest opportunity of all came three minutes before the break. Diego Capel reached the left-hand byline and clipped the ball back for Fabiano in space on the edge of the area. He paddled a header wide when he should have scored.
Djourou blocked Capel’s shot in the dying seconds as Sevilla piled on the pressure and in injury time Fabiano nodded wide from Enzo Maresca’s far-post corner.
The pattern continued after the break. Navas set up Fabiano who tricked himself some space before firing over. In the 53rd minute Kone bolted clear but a heavy touch allowed Fabianski to slid out and smother the ball.
Mounting pressure form Sevilla saw Randall’s divert a cross narrowly over his own bar then Fabianski tipped over a thunderbolt of a shot from Javier Chevanton.
It was turning into one-way traffic now. Sevilla was throwing countless balls into the area. What Djourou and Senderos did not clear, Fabianski blocked.
With 22 minutes left, Wenger added some experience in the form of Denilson and Bacary Sagna. Djourou and Emmanuel-Thomas went off.
As the half wore on, you began the get the impression Sevilla would never score. Aquivaldo Mosquera nodded over on 70 minutes, Chevanton headed wide on 72.
Then on 74 minutes, a corner was only half-cleared and Sebastien Squillaci found the ball at his feet five yards out. He managed to get his shot off but again Fabianski smothered.
Eventually the pressure told. Nine minutes from time, Navas had acres of space on the left flank and this time his low cross found Chevanton on the edge of the six-yard area. He swept home in style
Sevilla kicked on for the winner. With three minutes left Navas nodded against the outside of the post from the acutest of angles.
But Arsenal held on.
www.arsenal.com
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