Wenger delight at Arsenal spirit

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes his side's comeback victory over Standard Liege in the Champions League could prove pivotal for their season.

The Gunners went 2-0 down within five minutes in Belgium, but hit back late on to win the Group H opener 3-2.

That followed back-to-back Premier League defeats, and Wenger said: "When you're at a big club, you cannot afford to have too many defeats on the trot.

"After being 2-0 down, this will strengthen belief within the group."

The result gave Arsenal their first away victory in Europe since they beat Fenerbahce 5-2 in October 2008 and puts them top of Group H by virtue of goals scored.

In the group's other encounter, Greek side Olympiakos claimed a 1-0 home win against Dutch debutants AZ Alkmaar.

Arsenal will aim to consolidate their position when they host Olympiacos, who on Wednesday announced Brazil legend Zico as their new manager, at the Emirates Stadium on 29 September.

And Wenger will be keen for his side to make a better start to that match than they did against Liege at a vibrant Maurice Dufrasne Stadium.
Less than two minutes were on the clock when Eliaquim Mangala capitalised on an Eduardo error to fire past goalkeeper Vito Mannone and, two minutes later, Milan Jovanovic converted a penalty after William Gallas clipped the Serbia forward.

"We were caught cold by a team who were really ready and started out of the blocks at full power," said Wenger.

"Standard gave absolutely everything. They played like it was a cup final, with full commitment - and they deserve a lot of credit.

"When you go 2-0 down after five minutes, you know you have a big task in front of you. To win away from home in the Champions League and score three goals will always be tough.

"You are in a position where you have to attack with full power, without restriction, and know that the next goal will kill you.

The Gunners regained their composure and hit back on the stroke of half-time through Nicklas Bendtner, before Thomas Vermaelen tapped home and Eduardo converted a Cesc Fabregas corner from close range with his knee to complete the comeback.

"We could not afford to concede a third goal but had to try to come back to 2-1 at least before half-time - which is what we did," Wenger continued.

"In the second half, the game dropped a bit in physical intensity. When they got tired, we got some set-pieces and took advantage."

And the Frenchman admitted it was "inevitable" Eduardo would have a say in the match having been cleared to play after his two-match European suspension was rescinded this week.

The Croatia striker was initially banned by European football's governing body after being found guilty of diving to win a penalty in the Champions League qualifier against Celtic on 26 August.

"It is always inevitable with Eduardo," said Wenger. "He was caught out on the first goal but he is a guy who can always turn up on crosses because he has that anticipation."

As for the penalty his side conceded and the equaliser with which Arsenal scored - when Alex Song, from what appeared to be an offside position, seemed to handle the ball in the build-up - Wenger added: "The penalty looked harsh, but I have not seen it again.

"As for our equaliser, it was impossible to see from the bench."

Meanwhile, Liege coach Laszlo Boloni lamented the fact his side dropped so deep after taking the early lead.

"We started very well, but were not strong enough mentally to continue the same way in the second half," he said. "We sat back in midfield, so all the pressure was too much for us.

"Arsenal had good help from the referee at their second goal - two players were offside and there was also a handball.

"This was the moment when they got more motivation and we lost ours, but the biggest problem was we have to play better."

Liverpool hope for power surge

As with Chelsea on Tuesday, the currency that counts at this stage of the Champions League is points not performances. Liverpool's subdued display will not be recalled if they reach the knockout phase, which they surely will.

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Liverpool hope for power surge

Post categories: Champions League, Football

Phil McNulty | 23:44 UK time, Wednesday, 16 September 2009

Liverpool's great European nights at Anfield can - according to managing director Christian Purslow - supply him with a surge of energy on a par with being plugged into the National Grid. This was not one of them.

The particular occasion Purslow had in mind was the 2005 Champions League semi-final against Chelsea, so comparisons with an opening group game against Debrecen, Hungary's first representatives in this phase for 14 years, are unfair.

If ever a game needed a few thousand volts shot through it to jolt it into life, it was this undistinguished affair settled by Dirk Kuyt's goal in first-half stoppage time.

This was more power cut than power surge. Even Anfield itself was lacking its usual electricity, with the rare sight of empty seats and a wave of supreme indifference sweeping around Liverpool's supporters at the final whistle.

Liverpool's win was more memorable for milestones than the match itself. It was their 100th win in Europe's elite competition in Rafael Benitez's 300th game as manager.

And yet, for all the failings of a disjointed performance, this was a satisfactory end to a satisfactory week for Liverpool, with Purslow rightly proclaiming the benefits of a new £80m shirt sponsorship deal with investment bank Standard Chartered.

As with Chelsea on Tuesday, the currency that counts at this stage of the Champions League is points not performances. Liverpool's subdued display will not be recalled if they reach the knockout phase, which they surely will.

Dirk Kuyt scores for LiverpoolDirk Kuyt scores Liverpool's winner against Standard Liege

A win was what was required to round off a spell where they have reasserted a measure of authority on the pitch with victories over Bolton, Burnley and now Debrecen and flexed muscle off the pitch with the new shirt deal and a positive blizzard of statements of intent.
It does not take a massive leap of the imagination to hear Sir Alex Ferguson's teeth grinding as some brave soul plucks up the courage to read those words to him.

Time will tell whether more actions will follow these bold statements. There is no bad news in signing such a lucrative deal, but Liverpool's fans will only feel the warm glow of Purslow's words when they see how much of Standard Bank's cash lands in Benitez's lap and how long it takes for foundations to be laid for a new stadium on Stanley Park.

The new deal is a promising starting point and there is a sense around Anfield that the club is finally moving forward again and that there is, although you should whisper this one, a semblance of normality returning after recent boardroom traumas.
It was against this backdrop that Liverpool's latest Champions League pursuit began. Benitez admits Liverpool's priority this season is the Premier League, but offer a proud son of Madrid a place in the final at the Bernabeu next May and he might just reconsider.

And the sight of Fernando Torres, the one-time icon of Atletico Madrid, strolling around the Anfield pitch cradling his baby daughter an hour after the final whistle while deep in conversation with another team-mate from the city Pepe Reina, was a reminder that there are special incentives at work in this tournament for Liverpool.
simply playing at Anfield was illustrated by members of the club's hierarchy cheering wildly when they won a corner - then producing cameras to record the moment for posterity.

And their spirits were helped by a Liverpool team who struggled for rhythm. Kuyt did well in the role Steven Gerrard has made his own just behind Torres. The captain dropped to a deeper role, but the sooner he is restored to riding shotgun with Torres the better as far as Liverpool are concerned.

Gerrard kept Lucas company in central midfield while Javier Mascherano remained on the bench. The Argentine's season has simply failed to get going and it is to be hoped, for his and Liverpool's sake, that this is a temporary blip and not leftovers from the blocking of a summer switch to Barcelona.

It does not take a long memory to recall that Liverpool have had their struggles in group games in the past before emerging as contenders in the closing stages of the Champions League.

Spain's Pitch for Soccer Dominance

Stars, World Titles and Lavish Spending Push La Liga to the Fore; Can England Keep Up?
By GABRIELE MARCOTTI

As the UEFA Champions League, soccer's top club tournament, kicked off its group stage this week, all eyes were on two teams, both Spanish: Barcelona, the defending champion, and its arch-rival, Real Madrid, who this summer went on an unprecedented spending spree for some of the world's best players.
In the never-ending debate over which nation boasts the best domestic league, events in the past four months have led many to suggest the balance has tipped decisively towards Spain's La Liga at the expense of England's Premier League.

Barcelona won the Champions League last May and added Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic to an already fearsome lineup that includes Argentine star Lionel Messi and Spanish national team vice captain Xavi Hernández. But it was Real Madrid that grabbed the headlines last summer, shattering the world transfer record twice within a few days to acquire the Brazilian star Kaká from AC Milan for $89 million and the Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United for $131 million.

The club made a further outlay of $140 million on another five players including striker Karim Benzema from Lyon and midfielder Xabi Alonso from Liverpool bringing the total to around $360 million and making this easily the most expensive squad ever assembled. Real Madrid beat Zurich 5-2 in Tuesday's Champions League match.

It wasn't just the amount of money spent that represents a watershed in the game. It was the fact that Real Madrid knocked on the doors of its biggest rivals and forced them to give up their biggest stars. Imagine the Washington Redskins picking up Tom Brady from the New England Patriots, DeMarcus Ware from the Dallas Cowboys, Adrian Peterson from the Minnesota Vikings and Asante Samuel from the Philadelphia Eagles and you begin to get the picture.

The man who made this happen, Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez, has had the media camped out on his doorstep since he was elected to the post on June 1 which is pretty much the way he likes it.

This is Mr. Pérez's second stint in the office. In the first, between 2000 and 2006, he regularly showed what a combination of showmanship, dream-peddling and cold, hard cash can do. He made a habit of signing the best player available year after year, often at great expense, and sold the notion that you could build a great team with half a dozen superstars and a supporting cast of cheap youngsters. Eventually the club's lack of depth became telling, and he resigned in 2006.

This time Mr. Pérez's heavy spending includes some less glamorous workmanlike players such as Raul Albiol, a defender acquired from Valencia for $21 million.

Whether it works on the pitch, Real's spending coupled with Barcelona's response has given La Liga a stronger aura of glamour. "I think the other teams would understand if I said that the two most important leagues are the Spanish league and the Premier League," Mr. Pérez says. "For many years, the emphasis was on the Italian league. It's true that the Premier League has acquired a greater role in the past few years. But I'd say the Spanish league has always been in there, fighting."
Highest Grossing Clubs

Mr. Pérez has a gift for turning non-events into world-wide media phenomena, whether it be Mr. Ronaldo's July unveiling at the club's Santiago Bernabeu stadium (with 80,000 supporters showing up to watch him say a few words) or the news that Mr. Ronaldo and Kaká had both spent more than $300,000 to rent personal boxes at the Bernabeu. Putting a dollar figure on all this is difficult, but these spectacles clearly add to the sense that what happens at Real really, really matters.

Liga enthusiasts will point out that it's not just about glitz. Even before this summer, Real and Barcelona were the world's No. 1 and No. 3 highest grossing clubs, according to the "Football Money League" report compiled annually by Deloitte and Touche. Seven of the top nine vote-getters for the Ballon d'Or award (European soccer's MVP) now ply their trade in Spain, and the Spanish national team is the reigning European champion. "We're happy with the level of play in Spain which, in my view, is where you best combine skill with physical play," Mr. Pérez said.

What that says about the strength of La Liga as a whole, or whether its top-heavy business model is sustainable over time, is a different matter. Barcelona and Real Madrid dominate media attention and fan interest in the league, not just domestically, but worldwide. This is reflected in their TV contracts, as, in Spain, clubs negotiate their own rights deals. Both clubs earn in excess of $125 million per season, a figure which, last year, was more than seventeen times higher that of the smallest club, Numancia.

England's Premier League has gone for a more equitable approach, the "rising-tide-lifts-all-ships" philosophy long pushed by American leagues like the NFL. Manchester United England's defending champions, who defeated Turkey's Besiktas 1-0 in Champions League play Tuesday received the highest broadcast and sponsorship payout last season, but it was a comparatively paltry $85.7 million.
Sharing the Spoils

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore says the league distributes its broadcast and sponsorship income so the ratio between the top and bottom teams is never more than 1.6 to 1. "In Spain, Italy and even France it is many times higher," he says. The league helps its top clubs compete with European rivals, he says, "whilst allowing the others in our competition to compete with them."

English clubs have dominated the Champions League, supplying nine of the 12 semifinalists in the past three seasons. Globally, the Premier League's popularity has been unrivaled. "Our model works for us," Mr. Scudamore says.

On Tuesday, UEFA's Executive Committee ratified a "Financial Fair Play" proposal which will explore ways to prevent indebted clubs from competing in European competitions starting in 2012.

In any event, the next Champions League final, which will be held at the Bernabeu in May, should tell us which league has the edge on the pitch and quite possibly, which model is the best for promoting a league.
—Thomas Catan contributed to this article.