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After the match news filtered through to celebrating fans and players that due to Galatasaray’s win over CSKA Moscow, we had qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League, 6 points ahead of Roma and 9 ahead of Galaasaray. It was great news, as the players could now focus on domestic football until the new year.

Real Madrid and Inter Milan have also both qualified already having won all their matches as well. We have been awarded another £220,000 for the win over Roma.

Our superior head to head record with Roma also means we will qualify in first place, as they cannot finish the group with more than 12 points, the total we are now on.

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November

The team is now back in England, although I remain over in Italy for another two days. Peter Hill Wood contacted me to congratulate me on the club’s qualification and inform me that I had won the Premiership manager of the month award, with William Gallas scooping the player’s award, and top scorer Thierry Henry coming second in the same category. Gyan Asamoah has also come second in the young player’s award behind Hungarian Peter Mate. I was delighted with my first award of the season, and of my career at the club, I knew that I had come a long way, and now had the fans behind me, which helped me concentrate on doing well.

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The Palermo - Pasching match was a dull affair, and I left ten minutes from time. Mattia Cassani was indeed a sub as the game began, and David Di Michele opened the scoring within two minutes for Palermo. No more goals followed though. Cristian Zaccardo played the whole match and put in a decent performance, but I already knew he was an excellent player, just one I couldn’t afford right now. Cassani stayed on the bench for the whole match, and after the game I went to have a chat with him. He had already started to learn English, he had really grasped the language well and was surprised to see me.

We took seats in Palermo’s player and guest lounge an hour after the game.

“Bovo injured for four months” he explained, referring to his teammate Cesare, who had been out for some time with an injury, “So I play at right back and Cristian Zaccardo goes to centre back. But Bovo came back one week ago, so I compete with Zaccardo again”

“Would you mind being reserve at Arsenal?” I asked, “You have Zaccardo to compete with here but we have Emanuel Eboue back in England”

“I fight for my place” he said dismissively before moving onto talk about the game on Tuesday, “I saw the Roma match” he formed a circle with his fingers, “The team play very well. Nice to see Roma on the losing side. We play them weeks ago, diving all around the place, all of them. Bastardi ”

“Yes, it was a good match” I smiled, “You will be playing those games next season hopefully, but your boss decided to get you cup tied before you could join us”

Cassani scowled, “I have more matches in the UEFA Cup before I come to England, so that is not so bad”

“Anyway I must go now Mattia, I‘ve got to get to the airport soon” I shook his hand, “I look forward to seeing you in January”

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Back in England both Armand Traore and Diaby are back in full training after their injuries but Sherman Cardenas will be out for two weeks with a thigh strain after awkwardly striking a ball in training. Injuries are becoming more regular again which is disappointing.

More bad news came in later when I got a fax from the Premier League disciplinary comitee informing me that Urby Emanuelson would be suspended for a further two matches, meaning he will also miss the games against Middlesbrough and Tottenham in addition to tomorrows game against Everton, I wouldn’t have played him against Middlesborough anyway though, as that is a League Cup game, he would have been rested.

On top of all this David Moyes has decided to voice his doubts over my teams ability ahead of our Premiership clash. “Wulfric has a lot to learn” he was quoted as saying in the Times, “I see nothing in their team to be overly concerned about, and I don’t think they will be able to put together a good title challenge.”

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Leaving the training ground that afternoon I was bombarded by reporters wanting to hear my thoughts about David Moyes’ comments.

“I don’t think it’s his business where the title ends up, because he won’t be challenging for it” I said, “If there is nothing worth being bothered about at Arsenal then I don’t know how he can rate Everton. I have no problem with them, they are a good team, but I would be more concerned trying to stop Thierry Henry than James Beattie.”

“What do you think of David Moyes as a manager?”

“He has done well at Everton, but he has much to learn. It’s not all about how long you have been managing it’s also about real success, something he hasn’t made happen. He has more experience than me but he isn’t a much better manager because of that, if he is going to write us off then that is his choice, but even if we don’t win the title you cannot say it is a failure. We aren’t expected to, and I am building a team here.”

“How pleased are you with recent performances?”

“I am very pleased with the players, they are blending well and really putting in the effort. We have been unfortunate with injuries recently and it was a huge blow to lose Tomas like that, but players have come in and done really well”

“How happy are you playing Van Persie on the left?”

“It isn’t ideal and he would rather play up front, but Asamoah and Thierry are working very well and it is very competitive there at the moment. But Guardado is back before too long and so is Emanuelson so we will have more options then, but if Robin keeps working hard, and he will get his chance, then he will play more but there is no point breaking up the squad now.”

“Guardado was playing very well before he sustained the injury, how do you think he will be when he comes back?”

“It always sets a player back but we will return him back to full fitness and then he should start to play well again, it is just unfortunate because he was playing so well, and then Urby came in and did well but he will have missed four matches when he returns, the English ones and the game against Roma where he was ineligible.”

“How do you think the Everton game will go?”

“If we play our best I will be happy, because then we should win, but I am not prepared to discuss the game so near to kick off”

retired_Brandon Scott

Some lovely updates Tom: love the acerbic ripostes to some of the Manager mindgames being attempted against you...

one thing though: surely you cant be 20? Isnt there a thing in the computer programme that means you must be at least 30 in the game when you choose your date of birth?

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That's true - in the game I am actually in my thirties, but for the purposes of this story (where I want it to reflect my true age a little more accurately) I have decided to have my age a bit younger, well, about 15 years younger actually.

retired_jgirl87

Very well-written, Tomunco. The plaudits from your other readers are well-deserved. :cool:

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Thanks Spav

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Team against Everton :

Lehmann

Eboue
Toure
Richards
Gallas

Hleb
Gilberto
Fabregas
Van Persie

Asamoah
Henry



Subs :

Adebayor
Baptista
Marchisio
Walcott
Obertan

Van Persie stays on the left in Guardado and Emanuelson’s absences, it is the same first eleven and first five subs that were named against Roma.

English Premiership 4/11/2006
Emirates Stadium, Arsenal

Arsenal V Everton

David Moyes’ comments to the media before the game served to fire up the players as they once again took the opposition by surprise with an early attack on goal. There was an element of luck involved as Gilberto Silva opened the scoring three minutes in after his shot deflected off Tim Cahill and past Tim Howard, but our ferocious opening play merited the early lead. This was now rapidly turning into one of our best performances of the season as Emanuel Eboue looked set to score, before blasting over. The second goal came just before the half hour to arrive however when Alex Hleb Thierry Henryscored a header, three minutes later Thierry Henry was on hand to increase the misery for Everton with a cool finish inside the area, his fifteenth in all competitions this season. The team came in at half time, and I knew what had happened and what was going to happen. In matches the players respond to my instructions well, they play very fast from the kick off, and then get a few goals, which is very good, they even sometimes kill the game before half time. But then they ease off slightly after half time, still playing very good football and not giving away too much, but not going for more goals, and this is what makes it difficult when we don’t score early. The team tire themselves out trying to break down a defence at speed in the first half, and in the second, when it’s still all the play for, they can end up missing out. Although the team have only failed to win two all season, I sense that when things stop going our way, and we are unlucky at times, we will lose points and get very tired. For now however, the team is playing exceptionally well, and if we always play like this we will win.

The players went out for the second half after the 15 minute break and I knew they wouldn’t try as hard to score, they would now invite Everton to attack before breaking away and it would most likely hand us the win, but sooner or later this plan would be foiled, probably by Chelsea, who I had difficulty analysing last time we played them, given their numerous back up plans and formations.

The team put in an excellent second half display, as I had hoped, and we kept the clean sheet for a 3-0 more good performances from the whole team, but once again Micah Richards’ defensive contribution in the second half and threat from set pieces in the first had earned man of the match.

Arsenal 3
Silva 2
Hleb 28
Henry 31

Everton 0


Man of The Match : Micah Richards (Arsenal)