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Slowly some of those long standing absences are working their way back into the Arsenal squad and not a moment too soon. The latest update has Kieran Gibbs ready and available for next week's Arsenal Champions League first leg against AC Milan if Wenger so desires. Thomas Vermaelen stuck at left back might finally get some relief and relocate to his more familiar centre back role with Laurent Koscielny.

Bakary Sagna also came back last week and it was good to see his strong, active self introduced against Bolton although against Blackburn last weekend it was Francis Coquelin doing the honours on the right channel. Carl Jenkinson should also be available next week and Abou Diaby (remember him?) is expected back by the end of the month. Andre Dos Santos is slated for a mid March comeback.

Jack Wilshere's rehab seems to be going smoothly and the midfielder is hoping he can get to see a good part of the remainder of the season. He will be a refreshing addition to the midfield with Aaron Ramsey looking burned out. Which brings us to the always vexatious question of whether like Theo Walcott before, now Wilshere, and possibly Alex Oxlade Chamberlain in the future, of injuries through overexposure stymieing their full potential.

Wenger talked about putting the brakes on the Ox's appearances capping it at 25 appearances. But with his performance against Blackburn, the teenage phenom appears to be fast tracked to the national team which could potentially overload his participation by an extra 20 games. There is another reason for bringing him on slowly and Arseblog talks a lot about potential nipped in the bud by swollen head syndrome. Think David Bentley.

With a name like Bentley, it was always going to be downhill, from the cusp of regular national appearances, to Blackburn and White Hart wasteland (that was a waste of £15 million good ones), and now on loan to West Ham and cheese with Sam Allardyce. Bentley like Tim Treadwell thought he was indestructible after one Bergkampesque goal inducing Treadwellian like delusions.

There is a reason to bring Ox on slowly, through a mentoring process, and to shut down the media hype that has them comparing him to Rooney, to Bergkamp, and to the man on the silver mountain. It is the David Bentley parable.

On the downside, Emmanuel Frimpong, whose Wolves loan has been an injury disaster is lost for the rest of the season with a torn ACL that will keep him out most likely till September. Nicklas Bendtner is out till the end of February with a repetitive facepalm injury (snark) after missing his twelfth goal opportunity for Stoke.

C'mon 'Arry break out in a smile now!

Harry Redknapp's been found to be as clean as a whistle. The three week trial which took place at Southwark crown courts came to an end as both Redknapp and his former Pompey boss, Milan Mandaric were cleared of tax evasion charges with the prosecution building their case around the Peter Crouch sale which involved two transfer amounts totaling £189,000. Redknapp and Mandaric were charged with not disclosing bonuses related to the sale which would have been subject to taxation.

The conclusion was that the money given by Mandaric was not job related and the first amount given was "seed money" to help his former manager capitalize from profitable investments. The second amount transferred to Redknapp's Monaco account reflected Mandaric's embarrassment at his friend losing money on his bad advice in the stock market.

Redknapp might rue that this case ever came to trial but at least in his case, he's been proven innocent and can now go forward with his ambitions to be England manager without a cloud over his head. In fact, it might happen sooner than later depending on whether the FA can arrest the growing rift between them and Fabio Capello over John Terry, whose racial abuse case should have gone to trial.

Mirandes, the giant killing third division Liga club bowed out beaten by Athletic Bilbao, 6-2, in the second leg of the Copa Del Rey (8-3 aggregate). Fernando Llorente showed why he's on the wishlist of some of the world's biggest clubs by scoring a brace. Athletic also got goals from Iker Muniain, Markel Susaeta and defender Jon Aurtenetxe. The last goal was an own goal by Fernandez Cesar Caneda.

Mirandes managed to claim a couple through Aitor Blanco. The third division club beat Villarreal, Racing Santander and Espanyol to make it to the semi-finals but were no match for Athletic who find the Copa Del Rey happy hunting grounds entering their 36th final of which they have won 23, second only to Barca's 25 titles.

Barca will meet Valencia in the second leg tomorrow having tied the first edition, 1-1 at the Mestalla.

The world's most over rated striker receives a three match ban for slapping Napoli's Salvatore Aronica. To be fair Aronica also indulged in some extra-curricular activities against Antonio Nocerino but Ibra's was a reputation call. He will miss crucial matches against Udinese and Juventus.

Fabio Capello showing what he thinks of the FA's decision to nix Terry's captaincy

The FA and Fabio Capello are increasingly at odds with each other over John Terry's captaincy. The Italian was vocal in his support of the Chelsea defender using the cover of the deferred legal case as a presumption of innocence till proven guilty. The FA increasingly under pressure for botching the whole racial abuse case from the get go sought a more moral imperative. Terry's continuation as a captain would prove divisive and distracting to the team.

The FA rode over Capello's objections and axed Terry. The England manager unsurprisingly did not take it well. He went on Italian TV and vented his frustration. Very unwisely, one might add.

"I told (the chairman) that I don't think someone can be punished until it becomes official," Capello told RAI. "The court will decide. It's going to be civil justice, not sports justice, to decide if John Terry committed that crime that he is accused of. And I thought it fair that John Terry keeps the captain's armband."

A public denouncement which did not go down well with the FA. They are in short very incensed.

"It is being taken very seriously by the FA because it may be that Fabio Capello has breached his contract," former FA executive director David Davies told the BBC on Monday. "You have to ask what his motive is. You have to suspect he wants to prevent John Terry retiring as a player before Euro 2012, but there are wider issues. You could have what some of the media are calling a morality circus while England are trying to win the second major tournament in football."

Today, Gordon Taylor, the CEO of the Professional Footballers' Association, called Capello's stance "bizarre and disappointing". Taylor also said that Capello should have held his counsel because the new captain would know he was not his manager's choice, creating a situation not conducive to locker room unity.

This is not the first ill conceived move made by Capello. His Capello index set up prior to the World Cup gave his own England players some very unflattering ratings which set off a firestorm of criticism and caused it to be yanked off forcing Capello onto the defensive. The current situation is far worse because he finds himself increasingly isolated and viewed with suspicion by many in the FA hierarchy. There is a familiar feel to these run of events just before one of the world's most prestigious competitions bringing back a reminder of why Capello's continuation was secured amongst uniform public disapproval.

It's quite telling that some of the more outspoken footballers have not come to his defense. But that would mean implicitly supporting a John Terry captaincy which one suspects is the last thing anyone wants.

A corollary to that would be if Terry would like to continue in the national team, which is possibly the reason why Capello made him captain heading off a potential retirement. Terry has not indicated he feels any differently, but a voluntary retirement would mean the FA and Capello get to save face. Otherwise, indications are Capello might have to re-consider his future as manager. The biggest thing in his favour is Harry Redknapp, the prohibitive favourite to take over as England manager could be a convicted felon by the time his court case gets over. Tomorrow, David Bernstein and Capello are set for a very important meeting to repair this breech.

Mohamed Abou-treika whose accomplishments as a humanitarian are as luminous as his accomplishments on the soccer pitch announced his retirement from his beloved Al Ahly club. He was joined by fellow icons Emad Moteab and Mohamed Barakat, all stalwarts of the club as they made their announcement on Ahly TV.

Abou-treika was specially shaken up by the violence as he saw a fan die in front of him in locker room.

Manuel Jose, Al Ahly's Portugese coach added to the deepening gloom by reportedly terminating his contract. He returned to Portugal and gives a harrowing account of what happened to him.

"I was beaten with fists and kicks to the neck, head and feet. [In the dressing room] I saw our fans die before us and we were unable to do anything. Nothing happened to any of the players but we feel overwhelming sadness and the return flight was made in silence, full of respect for the lives of our fans who died."

The deaths of so many, the loss of their popular coach, the retirement of three talismans, will surely sadden the hearts of many Al Ahly fans. A heavy price to pay for their part in the revolution. But they and the club will survive this tragedy, as painful as it maybe. It will take time to heal the wounds inflicted on Egypt's and Africa's most iconic side. In that context, good on Liverpool to lend their support to a fellow club in distress.

In the meantime, Egypt could also face suspension from a self-righteous FIFA and their clubs banned from further international competition. Sepp Blatter is doing his best outraged blathering from his soap box.

I leave you with Abou-treika's philosophy:

"Every athlete has a humanitarian role in society. He doesn't live solely for himself, but for others too. I like to participate in charity work and try my best to help the poor and penniless. I'm also seeking to use soccer in humanitarian work."

Meanwhile, Ultras groups in Cairo will convene to protest the lack of security that left Al Ahly supporters at the mercy of the Al Masry hordes that descended on the pitch and drove them to stampede. Many fans met their traumatized soccer brethren at Ramses station in downtown Cairo.

"Police are the thugs" and "Down, down with the military rule" were among the chants repeated by the heartbroken young fans as they congregated by the platforms.

A fan who saw the violence unfold on the pitch Twittered the chilling details.

"Police opened the way for hordes of Masry fans to reach us... when Ahly fans tried to run away they found exits which are normally open at the end of the match were locked. The fans found themselves stuck in a corridor "6 x 10 metres in size" crushing many. "

Many of them voiced their suspicions that this was an orchestrated event.

"The police deliberately absented themselves from this match to increase the violence," says Mahmoud Hani, 21, who lost friends in the clashes. "It is clear that the fight was arranged and the security forces participated in this, to take the spotlight away from the revolution. The state needs people to be focused on something else."

Pro-democracy activists have seized this moment to demand that the newly elected Parliament which will hold an emergency meeting today withdraw support from the Kamal El-Ganzouri led government backed by the military. Their demands also include the ruling military council speed up holding Presidential elections to ensure a transition to civilian rule much before June.

Meanwhile, the draconian emergency laws implemented by the Interior Minister to tamp down ostensibly on "thuggery" are being challenged by the human rights committee of the Parliament who see this as a political tool to put away opponents behind bars. The laws seem to be narrowly focused on punitive measures and not protecting civil rights and economic justice.

The Egyptian Revolution celebrated its one year anniversary a week ago, as hundreds of thousands descended on Tahrir Square with renewed calls for the military to step down. They replaced their chants of " Mubarak must go" with " Down with military rule". The Al Ahly and Zamalek Ultras in a historical moment reached across their bitter divide and were instrumental in leading the charge in the 18 day standoff that brought the Mubarak regime. Ironically, just six months before Alla Mubarak manipulated the bloody Algeria Egypt World Cup playoff imbroglio that ended tragically in Khartoum to test the waters for a continuation of the Mubaraks in power.

The revolutionaries have also reached across borders in solidarity with the Syrian struggle for independence from the Basher Al Assad regime that has cracked down on activists with heavy handed brutality killing thousands. They are also forcing a rethink in Egyptian Israeli relations, always delicate with Egypt the only Arab country recognizing Israel, by voicing their support for a Palestinian state.

Arsenal can confirm that Jack Wilshere has suffered a small stress fracture to the right foot which is in a different location to his original injury. He will be reassessed in two weeks by Arsenal's medical team. If all goes well (keeping fingers crossed), Wilshere might be back in time for Arsenal's Ides of March schedule.

Meanwhile, today we have a match against Bolton, who are coming in with some real momentum including a shot in the arm performance against Liverpool. The Thierry Henry - Tim Ream match up we were looking for might not materialize because of Ream's work permit issues. He was summoned by Owen Coyle to plug the gap left by Gary Cahill.

The FA Cup gave a snapshot of all of Arsenal's vulnerabilities which Bolton will try and exploit at the Reebok. A set piece goal and a counterattack that left Arsenal exposed at the back. The positive is Bakary Sagna, sorely missed on the right could make his first start. Wenger also has Arteta and Henry to fall back on.

The most we can say off this midfield is Song's emergence as creator du jour. Something that Rosicky, Ramsey, and Arshavin should be doing in their sleep is being taken over by the crab legged Cameroonian who is also our main disruptor. Actually the spine of the team so far has been RVP- Song- Kos- Szcz with the Verminator getting back from injuries to stake his claim. And we have the Ox who is probably the reason why Walcott had a improved game against Villa. Something about competition and comparison that can light a fire under you, eh??!!

A win is an imperative. In fact, all of February's fixtures are before we move to Milan for the Champions League second round. Yesterday, Wolves did not do us any favours as Liverpool went ahead, Chelsea in danger of slipping up were able to salvage a draw against Premiership darlings Swansea.

Arsenal will also be keeping any eye on the Toons as they face Blackburn away. Newcastle is further weakened in midfield after Yoann Cabaye was suspended with a three match ban for violent conduct. Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse will not be back in time from their ACN duty.

Come on ye Gunners!! Make Owen Recoyle!!

Gunners, waiting for Götze? No longer, Thomas Eisfeld, 19 years old, who's supposed to be even more Götze than Mario Götze and comes from the same club arrives at the Emirates for a princely sum of £420,000. Which means dear Gunners, if you're waiting for the real thing, you're doing it at your own hazard. And he's not coming too.

Eisfeld's childhood idol is Tomas Rosicky, also a Dortmund protege which should give an inkling of what to expect on the pitch. He has already started training with the Arsenal reserves.

Arsene Wenger has been tracking Eisfeld at Dortmund's youth team where he has been in impressive form. Six goals and six assists in 12 matches or some eye popping stat like that. He was supposed to have come at the end of the season but his contract was over, necessitating a preemptive move. Wenger on him:

"He is young but has proven to us that he can play, that he has the attitude and technical ability to be a valuable addition to our squad."

Eisfeld is listed as a attacking midfielder but can "can play in a variety of positions" which is nice because of the number of injuries Arsenal suffer.

Did we say injuries? Because he also comes with an Arsenal prerequisite: Injuries. A cruciate ligament injury almost brought his short career to an end in 2009. Arsenal have certified he's healthy and disease free which in retrospect is a poor prognosticator at a club that has had 11 players out this season with injuries. You get the word bubble.

Here is a short clip. Make what you can >>

szólj hozzá: Everton v Man City 1:0 MOTD

Darron Gibson, did his former club Man Utd a huge favour by striking the one lethal blow last evening. Landon Donovan continuing his great assist work. City were undone before one could say Denis Stracqualursi.

Goodison Park is not exactly happy hunting grounds for City, winning only two of their last 15 encounters in that venue. The result leaves City on top edging out Man Utd on goal differential even as they draw level on points.

There was some fond hope that the man handcuffed to the goalpost was making a grandiose statement about the unholy sums of money destroying football (read City). Or maybe he had tried handcuffing himself to a badger the previous evening with unsatisfying results and wanted something different.

It turned out he was protesting Ryanair unfairly terminating his daughter in 2010. John Foley is his name and he had staged other such protests around this issue, just not as bizarre as this.

Anyway, it made for good theatre, but it got Roberto Mancini in a tizzy and he made a sending off gesture which got Wayne Rooney all mad. He later twittered about Mancini being against working class men. The last part is all rubbish. But it could be true.

A few months ago, everything was going swimmingly for City. All they seemingly had to do was to show up for win after lopsided win. But then there was a gradual slide in theor fortunes. At the end of January their season is but a litany of thwarted ambitions. Out of the Champions League in December and by last week, the Carling Cup and the FA Cup, their accelerated program to win the Premiership title seems to have hit a wall and in danger of being snatched by those other pesky Mancunians and the upstart Spurs.

To add insult to injury, today's loss to Everton was at the hands of Darron Gibson, a former Man Utd midfielder, at a reported £2 million providing with one swing of his leg, a lot more value for money than Edin Dzeko, Samir Nasri, David Silva, and Sergio Aguero combined at £115 million. Roberto Mancini's future now rests on the narrow case of winning the Premiership but the momentum has all but gone, stalled by inconsistency and patchy performances.

City's intransigence saw Carlos Tevez priced out of this transfer market. The earliest, he could move out would be this summer. The transfer negotiations with Milan which proved to the most promising fell apart because City balked at a loan deal and when the Serie club came with an improved deal it was deemed short. In the meantime, Tevez has lost £9.3m in wages, bonuses and fines. A tidy sum of money. He has served his two week suspension and is training with the reserves which is where Mancini envisions him staying till he leaves. That is being disputed by Tevez's man Friday, his agent, Kia Joorabchian who say's he should be integrated with the senior team.

Mancini has said Tevez will never wear the team's colours and the only way he would consider him for first team training is if he apologizes. However, Mancini is also confronted by the fact that his high priced transfers haven't materialized the way they should have. And there is no indication that they will.

The hugely talented Mario Balotelli provides cameos of what he's capable of but more often that not, is overshadowed by his on and off pitch implosions. Both Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero have cooled off their hot streak, Samir Nasri has been disappointing, and with David Silva, the only consistent creative spark, City is leaving a lot of loose ends. The attack needs a proven and consistent goalscorer which Carlos Tevez always has been which ever club he's joined. Plus, he's always been that clutch player who digs his club out of trouble.

Last season, he was the top scorer and in his 63 league appearances he scored 44 goals, better than anyone else. From Tevez's perspective, the longer he remains away from the pitch, the more he takes himself off the market. And deny he might but Tevez is losing a lot of good money he could squirrel away for a nice retirement nest egg. It is in the interest of both to start a dialogue and with a third of the season still remaining there is still plenty of time for Tevez to be productive and help put those creeping doubts away for good. The more Mancini and City make heavy weather, the louder the calls for kiss and make up. That sounds better than the axe, leaving City to pursue Jose Mourinho. Now that would be galling.

Arsenal have signed this guy to partner RVP. Alive and kicking?

If you are an Arsenal fan, your level of excitement should be deader than a dodo.

Wayne Bridge goes to Sunderland and Arsenal can heave a sigh of relief. Ravel Morrison, the Man Utd teenager with a self destructive streak but the skills of a young Paul Scholes, goes to West Ham.

Louis Saha is set to join Spurs as per the buzz if he can get out of bed. Peter Odemwingie, out of favour at West Brom maybe on his way to Fulham to replace Bobby Zamora who is being courted by QPR. Zamora is demanding £90,000 per week which will only happen if they're are bought out by City and PSG together or Mitt Romney, who will want to cement QPR's evangelical vote in time for today's Florida primary.

The chicken farmers at Blackburn are copying Wenger's moves on transfer deadline for those bargain basement deals and have signed Bradley Orr and Marcus Olsson, who they hope will bring them the Champions League.

Andy Carroll, skulking in the basement of his mother's house, has been told he's not wanted at Liverpool but he's also not wanted at City, who are developing a Stockholm Syndrome vis a vis Carlos Tevez. They are set to unveil him as their new signing after consulting with Wenger who reassures Mancini, a player out through injuries or suspension for four or more matches, counts as a new signing. However, they might have to fight Inter who have a sprung a big leak after being dinged badly by Lecce. No, sorry it is the other city club as per Sky Sports who are re-opening talks with City over Tevez.

Hot prospect Wilfried Zaha might not be leaving for Bolton. He obviously does not relish playing for another Championship side. Ryo Miyaichi, the Arsenal teenager will however be joining the Reebok. If he does not break a nose or suffer a facial fracture which is the current craze amongst these Arsenal loaners. Anzhi Makachkala is reportedly in hot pursuit of Andrey Arshavin which should be easy enough. He gets the ball, dashes down the sideline, cuts in to goal, loses ball and interest .... repeat.

For more Jelavic, De Bruyne, and a day that should lighten some purses and add to others, the Guardian has the skinny. They also are having lots of fun dinging Sky Sports.

Dan Borislaw hijacking the magic out of women's professional soccer

What a blow to women's soccer after that magnificent exposition by the US national team at the CONCACAF Olympics qualifiers. The WPS has decided to cancel the 2012 season after running into a retaliatory lawsuit bought by the former owner of the magicJack, Dan Borislow. From Philly.com:

" The Board voted on Monday morning to suspend the 2012 season. Over the last year the league has faced significant challenges, including a lengthy and expensive legal battle with a former owner. The litigation has diverted resources from investment in the league and has forced the Board to take action, suspending the 2012 season in order to address the legal issues head-on before moving forward with competition."

During Borislaw's tenure as magicJack owner, the franchise earned the dubious distinction of being named as the worst run franchise in pro-sports. He ran it like a sweat shop without any adherence to rules or regulations. Borislaw fired coach Mike Lyons after three games and took over coaching duties with the help of Christine Rampone.

The franchise ran afoul of the WPS players union and magicJack team members who filed a grievance with the league that accused Borislaw of a number of charges, most seriously a " clear failure to behave in a dignified manner. They also demonstrate his practice of bullying and threatening players, and his creation of a hostile, oppressive, and intimidating work environment which adversely affects players' ability to perform."

The WPS decided to dock the franchise a point and a draft pick for not meeting league standards. On October 28th, 2011, the WPS decided to terminate the magicJack for a whole host of violations ranging from, "unprofessional and disparaging treatment of his players to failure to pay his bills."

The WPS has said that they are determined to be back for the 2013 season.

" WPS has established its plans to return to play in 2013, and all five owners of the League's existing teams - Atlanta Beat, Boston Breakers, Philadelphia Independence, Sky Blue FC and Western New York Flash - will remain active with the CEO, Jennifer O'Sullivan, in the governance of WPS throughout the current year."

A year could be out of sight, out of mind. Unless Borislaw changes his mind. If not, many of the US players could relocate to the European leagues which would welcome their talent and offer lucrative contracts. This would also keep them match fit for the Olympics and beyond. But once again, the question remains, does women's professional soccer have a future in this country? It's a strange conundrum to see the WPS filled with some of the best contemporary talent in the world shrink, while the MLS attracting the second tier and the reinvented, adds franchises year after year.

Lowly Lecce knock of Inter leaving it reeling. Here is the reaction to their loss. Great commedia dell'arte! No milk of human kindness from Massimiliano Benassi who was immense in goal for Lecce. Here is a clip of the match >>

Fabio Cannavaro will begin his Indian journey this February

This Monday, the six franchises of the new IPL styled soccer league put down bids for the marquee players. Fabio Cannavaro, the 38 year old former Ballon D'Or defender drew the highest bid of $830,000 and was sold to Siliguri. Roberto Pires, the former Arsenal winger most recently seen at the Emirates in yesterday's FA Cup fixture against Villa went for $800,000 to Howrah.

Hernan Crespo, the former Chelsea striker touted as the player who would draw the highest bid was accepted by Barasat after receiving no bids. Jay Jay Okocha, familiar to the Premiership while at Bolton also received no bids was snapped up by Haldia, while Robbie Fowler of Liverpool and Cardiff was taken by Durgapur.

There were a number of coaches on the auction block, chief amongst them Peter Reid, the former City and Sunderland manager who was sacked by his most recent club Plymouth Argyle in League 2 after helping pay the club's heating bill and salaries of some of the staff from his own pocket. Samson Siasia, the former coach of the Super Eagles, the Nigerian national team as well as Marco Etcheverry, the Bolivian midfielder and long time staple of DC United, were part of the group.

The most eye popping figure. Barasat franchise which was listed at a base price of approximately $162,000 was bought by Uro Infra Reality India Ltd for $50 million. That is an indication of the bustling Indian economy.

Each franchise will have one icon players, one icon coach, two overseas players, and one overseas player of Asian origin. The rest of the squad will comprise of six Indians from the U21 squads, and six 'catchment' (local) players and nine to 14 top Indian players. The auction for the top Indian players begins on Thursday.

What about monikers like the Haldia Oilers, Howrah Breezers, or the Durgapur Steelers? To jazz up the names and to bolster the franchise's identity with the place.

For more details >>

szólj hozzá: a3-2av

Today was a must win for Arsenal. Not just to reverse the perception of a club descending into a familiar and vicious cycle of self inflicted wounds and low self esteem. But to resurrect the career of a manager under fire.

A defeat would have tipped the scales between the two camps, the AKB and the ASG (Arsene Should Go) resting at a precarious 50-50 irrevocably in favour of the latter. The first half saw an Arsenal bolt out of the gates in the first 15 minutes but as the game went on, Villa came on strongly, with a corresponding sense of trepidation at the other end. With Fabianski in goal, opposing teams always look to exploit his history of self immolation and early on there was plenty of signs that would happen.

Arsene Wenger mercifully did not take the is "Arshavin better off playing in center midfield" debate seriously, preferring to start Tomas Rosicky who can protect the ball a lot better than the Russian. All that movement and recycling of the ball did not pay off as Arsenal succumbed to a familiar failing, the set piece killer, this time Villa going short as Robbie Keane collected Stilian Petrov's back heel and floated the ball to Richard Dunne, who just like Antonio Valencia a week ago, rose above an Arsenal defense which went asleep at the right moment to put them on the board. It was their first set piece as Arsenal at the other end poured in corner after corner and free kick after another in a familiar pattern of futility.

This aspect of the game consistently eludes this club even though they win so many. Why? It would take the pressure of RVP immensely. Rosicky in particular was guilty of swinging in a number of ineffectual corners. That Swede who analyzed how many refereeing decisions go against Arsenal would be better off doing a more useful study as to why Arsenal are just useless when it comes to delivering on set pieces.

It got a lot worse as Darren Bent broke loose in a counterattack started by Keane and just before half time unleashed a shot that Fabianski was able to parry but only straight back to the striker who did better with his acute angle. Arsenal down two and the boo birds descended on the Emirates. It was not as if they had lacked ambition at the attacking end but it was familiar shortcomings resurfacing. The headlines were writing themselves. Arsenal on a death spiral. Wenger admitted to a safehouse in a strait jacket.

What happened in the locker room at half time is anyone's guess but Wenger might have questioned the legitimacy of their births. The first 15 minutes of the second half were all Arsenal and in a now famous (yes, even it is just a couple of hours old) turnaround starting with Alex Song's amazingly prescient pass which led to Aaron Ramsey brought down by Dunne.

The foul led to RVP's spot kick sparking Arsenal's revival. A few minutes later, in a huge lucky break, Theo Walcott breaking down the right had his shot parried by Shay Given but the ball rebounded off him into goal as he remained blissfully unaware of it all. Arsenal went ahead finally as Koscielny in an immense charge galloped down the left and was brought down by Bent. RVP collected his second PK and in a span of 7 minutes, Arsenal had swung the game around a 180 degrees.

Would this mean Wenger would take off Ox and introduce Arshavin? The thought did cross many a mind. But in an indication that the Frenchman might not have given into the voices in his head, opted for Arteta, a safer choice to replace Rosicky. Arsenal gradually took the foot of the accelerator allowing Villa to give them a few anxious moments. The last few minutes saw both Thierry Henry and Bakary Sagna being introduced, the latter to a standing ovation after months of injury. Welcome back, Bac!!

These are the sort of soul searching wins where teams who finds themselves at the doorstep of the devil, reeled in by glossy brochures of an indulgent life, check themselves, and then do the right thing, climbing back to ugly and imperfect reality. This is not a win as much as it is back to square one. But we reset to start February to take on Bolton, Blackburn, and Sunderland in our upcoming fixtures before traveling on the road to Milan for the CL knock out round with some wind on our back. Wenger on the win:

" I was very impressed because I felt that when you come out of a bad period like we are, and you are 2-0 down, you can feel sorry for yourself or you can show you have the mental qualities to play for this club. I was very proud that the team came out and showed they are not ready to lie down. "

Rosicky was industrious and sharp although his passing could do with more incisiveness, Song showed his eye for a telling outlet while continuing his disruptive presence, Koscielny in that third goal was immense along with some stellar defending, and the Ox continues to grown in strength. Walcott was far more assertive although his performance was still a bewildering mix of the sublime and the ridiculous. Fabianski was shaky but had an improved second half.

In a showdown between two of the USA's best attackers, Landon Donovan prevailed providing both the crosses that resulted in two perfect strikes as Everton beat Clint Dempsey and Fulham. The man from Nacogdoches had a quieter evening.

Donovan has had an instant impact on Everton making the best of his two month loan and Dempsey is on par to repeat last season's success, most recently scoring a hat trick against Newcastle. It is great to see both make waves and equally tempting to frame this as a contest to decide who is the USA's best attacking player. All this of course benefits a nascent sport with an increased visibility in the big European leagues.

The smart money is on Donovan making a permanent move to the EPL once his contract with the LA Galaxy enters its final year in 2013.

szólj hozzá: BRIGHTON v NEWCASTLE 1:0 GOAL

Gareth Bale, sorry, Will Buckley hares down the left showing gut busting pace and plenty of footy skills to elude Danny Simpson and Yoann Cabaye. He then unleashes a left footed shot which deflects of Mark Williamson and past Tim Krul for a famous Brighton and Hove Albion victory. Good news after a pretty sordid last week when five Brighton players were arrested on sexual assault charges.

Buckley, growing up was a Newcastle fan and Gus Poyet, the Brighton coach was something of a Toon killer as a Chelsea player scoring six goals in 8 matches including a pair in the 2000 FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley.

szólj hozzá: l2-1mu

The subtext was Luis Suarez watching from the stand with Patrice Evra getting booed by the Anfield crowd and all the lovely chanting between the two sets of fans about the existence of racism. At the end, the Reds had the greater satisfaction of beating Utd, the second Manchester club to suffer at their hands in three days. Andy Carroll, the subject of a transfer deal that would see him relocate to City in exchange for Carlos Tevez, created both goals. The first time effectively cornering David De Gea (Yes, he was back. No, he wasn't much better) with his physical strength for the leaping Daniel Agger to head from a corner.

Utd answered through Park Ji Sung's first time shot from Rafael's cross after the Brazilian blistered down the right channel. Utd dominated possession with Valencia continuing his impressive form after he jinked his way muscularly for a golden opportunity to possibly end the match but his smashed shot hit the upright. The script said Liverpool would run out late winners and so it happened as Pepe Reina's goalkick was flicked beautifully forward by Carroll through a seam and Dirk Kuyt running free to the left of De Gea was able to finish well. The good vibes returned to the Kop after victories over City and now Utd.

Liverpool march onto the 5th round while Utd crash out of yet another competition and now only have the Premiership left to possibly add to their Community Shield silverware.

Is Jose Mourinho putting out feelers for a return to England at the end of the season?

According to a report in The Sunday Times (subscription required), an unnamed source close to Mourinho intimated that the Real coach could leave. "He was sick and tired of this situation at Madrid. It doesn't matter if he wins this season or not. It's not about the money. He's decided to come back to England and he will go in the summer."

Mourinho didn't particularly look like he was in a funk on the sidelines as Real eased past Zaragoza today, 3-1. The body language looked good and the players seemed in good spirits. In fact, the remedy to this artificially created situation was discovered at the Camp Nou in the Copa Del Rey second leg, as a Real team outplayed Barca with attacking and creative football creating a whole host of chances and even matching possession. There was wholehearted praise from all quarters including their bitterest rivals even though they went out on aggregate.

The tangle of bitter feelings left in the wake of the first leg defeat was noticeably lifted. Mourinho also made peace with Sergio Ramos following their infamous training session verbal spat went viral. After the right back was sent off against Barca, the Real coach was observed to pat him on the shoulder and whisper into his ear, reportedly these words "You played a great match, you did not deserve your sending off, thank you."

As coach of the most storied club in the world, there is undeniable pressure and with Mourinho the expectations for instantaneous results naturally skyrocketed. In reality, his stay has been quite conflict free. He has been accommodated enough by Florentino Perez, who got rid of Jorge Valdano, after the Real legend voiced his displeasure at Mourinho's negative tactics. This week Perez also played the role of conciliator after his coach conveyed his anger at the training session leak. He's promised a thorough investigation and instituted a gag order.

There is another reading. Mourinho, of course is a master of messaging. One wouldn't put it past him to use a foreign outlet to threaten his resignation as a way of getting the Spanish media, one of the most predatory in the world, to back off. The good vibes generated by the Barca second leg was continued today as Real went 7 points clear of their nemesis.

What happened to the Taranga Lions? They went out with a whimper. One of the ACN's most formidable teams on paper boasting names like Demba Ba, Moussa Sow, Mamadou Niang, and Papiss Cisse, were unceremoniously dumped out by co-hosts Equatorial Guinea. The Lions lost their first encounter, 1-2 to the unfancied Zambians. This was a must win.

The Nzalang Nacionals were given the lead by Iban Randy Iyanga in the second half after which the Senegalese mounted a desperate rearguard action and a minute before close substitute Moussa Sow scored the equalizer. But there was added time heartbreak for his team when David Alvarez scored a 25 metre thunderbolt. Where was the defense?

The silver lining is the Toons get back Ba and new recruit Papiss Cisse ahead of schedule.