Gilberto: “WE WON’T GIVE UP”
April 28, 2005
GILBERTO REFUSING TO LET GO
Arsenal’s fit again Brazilian star Gilberto insists the Gunners will not give up hope of catching Chelsea until it is mathematically impossible.
Gilberto is back in the Arsenal line-up after overcoming a serious back injury and has already helped Arsene Wenger’s side to earn a place in the FA Cup final with semi-final success over Blackburn.
But even though London rivals Chelsea can take their Barclays Premiership championship crown with a point at Bolton on Saturday, Gilberto is determined nobody at Highbury will relinquish the fight until they can do no more.
A point for Chelsea would make their Monday game with West Brom meaningless with regard to the title race but Gilberto remains positive and is already looking ahead to next season.
He said: “I believe it is nearly impossible for us to win the league but that doesn’t mean that we should give up.
“It is very important for us as a team and for the supporters as well to finish as strongly as we can. That means finishing in second place in the league and winning the FA Cup.
“We must concentrate until the end. If we keep playing as well as we can then I’m sure that we can achieve our objectives.
“We are looking forward to next season. We have a young team who have done very well. When I was out there were those who came in and played well. We need to take positives from this year and use them for next season.”
Gilberto has now played four games since recovering from a bilateral stress fracture of a lower vertebra.
The Brazilian is pleased with his progress since returning in the 4-1 win over Norwich but insists he never thought the injury would end his career.
He added: “I was very happy to come back and play my first game back at Highbury after such a long time out. It was so nice to see everyone stand up and cheer when I came out. It meant a lot.
“I was always optimistic about my recovery. I went back to Brazil for a bit and forgot about football. You know, it is frustrating to sit on the sidelines and watch your colleagues playing when you are not.
“I feel fresh. With every game I have played I have felt better and better. The Blackburn game was a very hard match but I am glad that I proved to myself, apart from everybody else, that I am 100% fit again
“I was glad that we won and instead of thinking too much about how Blackburn played we must look at our own game and look at the positives.”
Gilberto insists the Gunners are determined to win back the trophy Manchester United claimed last year.
He added: “The final will be great. We are two big clubs with some excellent players. Both teams will want to play football so the fans are set for a real treat. It will be a very exciting game.”
“I have some very happy memories of playing in Cardiff. I’ve only had one bad experience there, when we lost on penalties against Manchester United in the Community Shield in 2003. I remember my first goal for the club and the noise everyone made. It was a great feeling.”