| LEAGUE:
champions |
| FA
CUP: winners |
| WORTHINGTON
CUP: fifth round |
| CHAMPIONS
LEAGUE: second group stage |
| PREDICTION:
success, in Europe at least |
| TITLE
ODDS: 11-5 |
| OFFICIAL
WEBSITE: www.arsenal.com |
Key man: Patrick
Vieira
At 26, Vieira seems to have been the fulcrum of Arsène
Wenger’s side for ages but he is probably only just
approaching his peak. Any creeping complacency should have
been erased during an unexpectedly short summer trip to
Korea with France, and Gunners fans will be heartened that
rumours regarding a move to Real Madrid seem to have faded
away. Vieira vies with Roy Keane for the title of the
Premiership’s best central midfielder. Arsenal always look
weaker without him.
Coach: Arsène
Wenger
A double Double winner, The Professor can afford to indulge
in a few of those knowing smiles, especially in the
direction of Sir Alex Ferguson. Cool, courteous, analytical
and single-minded, Wenger is, above all, a workaholic. A man
apart, even if he never sees his players commit a foul.
Instant expert
Ground Highbury, Avenell Road, London N5 1BU
Telephone 020 7704 4000
Capacity 38,500
Shirt sponsor O2
Ticket office 020 7704 4040
Can I get a ticket? Unlikely
How to get there Two-minute walk from
Arsenal Underground station
Club call 0906 4744444
Club shop 020 7704 4120
|
Full
squad
|
|
| Goalkeepers
1 David Seaman
13 Stuart Taylor, Fabian Carini
|
Midfielders
6 Patrick Vieira
7 Robert Pires
8 Fredrik Ljungberg
12 Lauren
15 Ray Parlour
16 Giovanni van Bronckhorst
17 Edu
21 Jermaine Pennant
28 Kolo Toure, Gilberto Silva |
Defenders
3 Ashley Cole
5 Martin Keown
18 Pascal Cygan
20 Matthew Upson
22 Oleg Luzhny
23 Sol Campbell
26 Igors Stepanovs
27 Stathis Tavlaridis
35 Moritz Volz
36 John Halls
49 Sebastian Svard
57 Juan Maldondo Duarte, Liam Chilvers |
Forwards
9 Francis Jeffers
10 Dennis Bergkamp
11 Sylvain Wiltord
14 Thierry Henry
25 Nwankwo Kanu
28 Graham Barrett
31 Jeremie Aliadiere
37 Carlin Itonga |
Strongest XI
Nationalities
England (12), France (6), Brazil (3), Holland (2),
Greece (1), Ukraine (1), Nigeria (1), Latvia (1), Sweden
(1), Ivory Coast (1), DR Congo (1), Denmark (1), Cameroon
(1), Germany (1), Uruguay (1) Total 34
Players in
Pascal Cygan, Fabian Carini, Gilberto Silva
Players out
Lee Dixon, Gilles Grimandi, Junichi Inamoto, Tony Adams,
Richard Wright, Alex Manninger, Rohan Ricketts
New boy: Pascal
Cygan
The Frenchman charged with the task of replacing
Tony Adams is a 28-year-old centre-half signed from Lille
for £2.1m. With a fine left foot and excellent positional
play, Cygan was a late developer but has impressed in the
Champions League.
Money talk
Top earners Vieira £52,500 per week, net of
bonuses, Henry £50,000, Campbell £48,000
Total wage bill
£40.65m
Arsenal’s annual wage bill is the fifth highest in the
Premiership, while the club’s total turnover, £62.9m, is
the fourth highest in football’s top division,.
Where are they now?
Alan Smith Highbury’s first-choice centre-forward
during the late 1980s and early 1990s is a broadcaster and
one of the most successful former footballers turned
journalist.
