Invisiblewall.net: Gilberto Silva News

http://www.arsenal.com/article.asp?article=274858&lid=NewsHeadline&sub=Wenger+-+I+won%27t+be+angry+with+Edu+if+he+leaves&navlid=&sublid=&Title=Wenger+-+I+won%27t+be+angry+with+Edu+if+he+leaves

Arsène Wenger will respect Edu’s decision if he does opt to leave Arsenal at the end of the season.

The Brazilian midfielder will be out of contract in the summer and nearly joined Spanish side Valencia during the transfer window in January.

Speaking at Friday’s pre-match press conference, Wenger did not appear to have entirely given up hope that the player would stay. But he said: “Let’s just say that we tried to keep him with money we could afford to pay and it didn’t work.

Edu was unknown in Europe before he joined Arsenal in January 2001 from Corinthians but he has matured into an outstanding international midfielder.

“You don’t have to convince me that he’s a great player,” said Wenger. “I travelled to Brazil myself to watch someone else play but I saw Edu and I took him instead. Then I waited for him a long time.

“I’m not angry with Edu. I can understand that he has to look at his own opportunities and what he can get somewhere else. You have to respect that.”

In the post-Liverpool interview, Wenger said, “The injuries are serious, Gilberto has a recurrence of ankle innjury, Patrick Vieira has hurt his knee, while Robert Pires turned his ankle,”.
“It’s a little bit worrying and we will have to see how they are on Monday.”

Any updates will be posted here as soon as they are known.

Arsenals ‘other’ Brasilian star EDU has confirmed that he will be leaving Arsenal to play football in Europe.

He has been linked strongly with top clubs from Spain.

In his own words:

“Juve are a big team, they fight every year for the scudetto and Champions League and the interest they have showed in me makes me happy,” he told the Corriere dello Sport.

“For the moment I have decided nothing. I’ll go back to Brazil, then I’ll evaluate the different proposals.

“I’ve spoken with Emerson but I prefer not to say what we said.

“The most important thing for me will be playing in a team that has good organization and that could fight for both the title and Champions League.

“I won’t play in England and I won’t come back to Brazil. My aim is continuing my career in Europe.”

Wenger still wants Edu to stay at Arsenal though:

“I am not resigned to the fact that he will leave, it is probably 80% that he will go but I have not given up.”

No doubt Gilberto will miss Edu (they are friends), but I don’t see Gilberto being unsettled by this news.

Good luck Edu, hopefully see you in a Brazil shirt soon.

http://www.legalweek.com/ViewItem.asp?id=24014

Caption Competition

As well as being lovely footballers, Lovells’ women’s team is, er, lovely. Why else would they go by the name of The Lovellies?

And we’re sure you’ll agree that they are looking particularly glowing in this photograph featuring Arsenal heart throb Gilberto Silva.

Silva had popped down to Atlantic House along with former Wimbledon manager Dave Bassett to attend a reception the firm was hosting for the charity Street League, which organises football games for the homeless and for which the firm is providing pro bono advice.

As ever, The Diary will take its hat off to anybody who can further enliven this snap with a suitable caption. Email thediary@legalweek.com.

Author: The Diarist
Source: Legal Week

Gilberto… the new Beckham Media-Darling? Not too sure if I like the sound of that. (Though he does look lovely in that suit.)

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2002390000-2005201367,00.html

Silva dishing the dirt

By ROSS GREGORY

GILBERTO SILVA admits he loves doing the dirty work in midfield for Arsenal and Brazil.

Even if it makes all the players around him look better than he does.

The World Cup winner has returned to Arsenal’s midfield since his comeback from a back injury suffered in September.

He has saved the Gunners’ season, helping them win five and draw one of the last six matches.

Up until he limped off in a 2-2 draw against Bolton, the Gunners won six and drew one of their opening seven matches.

In between these two spells, Arsenal threw the league away with inconsistent form.

The Brazilian ace is proud his no-nonsense approach has helped the Gunners take the box seat for the second automatic Champions League spot.

He said: “My whole career I’ve played around players with outrageous ball skills such as Ronaldinho and Thierry Henry.

“I’m not one of those players. I’m happy to leave the fancy flicks to them. My strengths are more mental than physical.

“I see things before they happen and I do the right thing at the right time.”

But Gilberto, 28, does not only want to praise the fancy dans.

He thinks Patrick Vieira is the perfect partner in grime for the dirty work.

Gilberto said: “Vieira is one of the best players I’ve played with, also one of the most naturally gifted. I love playing with him.

“We combine well for the team. He makes my work easier and I hope he feels the same about me.”

Now Gilberto wants to make sure the Gunners finish the season with a flourish.

He said: “We need to win the FA Cup by beating Manchester United in the final. Then the season won’t be remembered as a tragedy.”

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/sport/football/articles/18257501?source=Evening

Gilberto wants to end career with gunners

Gilberto Silva, the understated dynamo of the Arsenal team, today gave Arsene Wenger a massive boost when he revealed that he wants to spend the rest of his career with the club.

The 28-year-old midfielder has one year left on his present deal and manager Wenger said two weeks ago that he wants the World Cup winner to sign a new deal.

Gilberto was delighted at the news and said: “I am happy about that. We haven’t started talking yet but I want to stay at this club.

“I like it here very much. I also like my life in England. If you are happy, then you don’t want to move.

“The spirit among the players is fantastic and we have some of the best in the world like Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp. If I have the chance to finish-my career at Arsenal, then I would be very happy.”

Gilberto’s immense value to the team is clear from the statistics. Although his season has been disrupted by injuries, he is one of the keys to making the side tick.

With him in the team Arsenal have not been beaten in 13 matches and boast a winning rate of 86 per cent. Without Gilberto, this drops to 56 per cent and in those 39 games Arsenal have lost five times.

The Brazilian helped his club to a magnificent start, winning six of the first seven Premiership matches but once he was diagnosed with a serious back injury in late September and forced to step down for six months, Arsenal’s incredible momentum stalled.

The injury was painful and rehabilitation laborious. He spent long periods back in Brazil and only at the turn of the year did a scan show the fracture in his back had healed. After three reserve games, Gilberto was back in the first team on 2 April in the 4-1 win at Norwich.

His comeback coincided with another impressive run by Arsenal. In four Premiership games, they have recorded three wins and drawn 0-0 at Chelsea. They have also reached the FA Cup Final.

After his £5million move from Atletico Mineiro in the summer of 2002, many Arsenal fans were unconvinced by his value but you have to go back to a cold night in January 2004 – in a Carling Cup semi-final with Middlesbrough – to find the last time Gilberto tasted defeat while wearing an Arsenal shirt.

He first jarred his back in the 4-1 win at Everton on the opening day of the season and recalled: “I was tackled hard and hurt my back. It was a dull pain and I carried on.”

But after the draw with Bolton, the pain was too much. A scan showed a fracture and he was told to return to Brazil for complete rest. Gilberto was fitted with a corset-like device to immobilise his back and gradually the bone knitted.

Obviously frustrated, he turned off his mobile phone and missed the get well calls from his team-mates.

“I just wanted to be playing and it was hard for me that I couldn’t,” he explained. “I just had to do everything properly. If I didn’t focus on that then there was a danger I might not play again.”

But the player returned full of determinat ion and has his own appreciation society now.

Gilberto added: “Sometimes I don’t think people realise what I do out there. People see now more than they did before what I try to give to the team. Because I came from Brazil, they were expecting me to do the same as Ronaldo or Ronaldinho.

“But that is not what I do. I play for the team. I don’t look for headlines, that is not the most important thing for me. The team is important. The way myself and Chelsea’s Claude Makelele play, no one can see us on the pitch. All we try to do is be in the right place at the right time.”

Gilberto’s setback was compounded by injuries to Henry, Edu and Sol Campbell.

He added: “Whenever there are problems, it unbalances the team. The manager tried to do things when the important players were out and brought in youngsters.

“But you can’t put pressure on them like you can with experienced players. Now I want to help the team finish in second place and play in what should be a great FA Cup Final against Manchester United.”

United have beaten Arsenal three times this season, but all without facing Gilberto. They will clearly find a player who is desperate to make up for lost time.

Best news I’ve heard all day.

http://www.sportinglife.com/football/news/story_get.dor?STORY_NAME=soccer/05/04/28/SOCCER_Arsenal_Nightlead.html

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.”

Gilberto’s performance last night was very good (if you know how to see the invisible game happening infront of you).

One Arsenal fan had this to say about Gilberto’s performance against Spurs:

Gilberto was absolutely stunning today. MOM for me. Filled in everytime Cesc was out of position. Defensivly slipped in well to the back four. His touch to get us out of tight situaiotns was sublime and he can fool a player and wriggle out of pressure with a drop of a shoulder. He links up play so seamlessly with nice one touches and just eases the ball on.

His passing was top class today. He even hit a sweet 40 yarder. His passing has been good ever since the end of last season. Its getting better too.

Best midfielder on the park today by a long way. Cesc was class for 45 mninutes. Gilberto the whole match. What a difference he makes.

This report is slightly flattering, but Silva did defend very well. He made about five very dodgy passes, which got him the usual chorus of “AWWW YOU WASTEFUL CUNT GILBERTO!!!” from the crowd.
He lost the ball in the middle of the park to Keane, who nearly went and scored.

But the positives:
He was great going forward. He put Reyes through for what was nearly team-goal of the premiership season so far. He did some great 1-2 passing in Bergkamp territory, when Vieira dropped back.

He obviously did his defensive bit, too (as shown by another clean sheet for Arsenal). Arsenal have conceeded just 1 goal in the last 10 games – this coincides with Gilberto’s comeback. Coincidence? We like to think not.

http://www.pink-football.com/app/showDoc.aspx?comp_id=43311

Arsenal midfielder wants new team-mates
By D Ferguson
24 April 2005

Arsenal midfielder Gilberto Silva wants the club to bring in some new players in the summer.

The Brazilian international believes that getting a few new team-mates will help the Gunners get back on track next season.

Gilberto told Sky Sports: “We have to avoid the problems we’ve experienced and make sure injuries and bans don’t hurt us next year.

“It’s vital we improve. I don’t know what the club plans to do in the summer, but we need to bring more players in.”

“It hasn’t worked out like we planned because we felt we would put in a stronger challenge for the title.

“We need to win the FA Cup to make sure this season isn’t remembered as a tragedy.”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_football/4478661.stm

Brazil bring in old and the new
By Tim Vickery

The Brazilian Championship got under way this weekend and, between now and the final round at the start of December, there is much more than domestic glory at stake.

There is also the chance to gatecrash next year’s World Cup.

Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira has already stated almost the entire squad to defend his country’s title in Germany 2006 will be drawn from players already in Europe.

But he is well aware of the pressures he will face between now and then.

Brazil’s proud football culture is offended by the fact that all of the country’s best players are tempted abroad.

As a kind of self-defence mechanism, the folk wisdom is that the foreign-based stars have grown fat and lazy, while those who are still playing at home retain the hunger the fans want to see in the national team.

The Brazilian press and public are always pushing for a call up for those who are in good form in domestic football.

Four years ago the movement worked in favour of the likes of Gilberto Silva and Kleberson, who came in from nowhere to claim a World Cup winners medal and then make their way on to Europe.

Inside the penalty area he can go on to be as good as Romario
Athirson on Fred
There are plenty of players who are hoping to use the 2005 Brazilian Championship as a stepping stone to a similar fate.

Classy Cruzeiro striker Fred is the latest candidate to be crowned the new prince of Brazilian football and this Wednesday he gets the chance to see if the shoe fits.

Brazil play a friendly against Guatemala in Sao Paulo, and since this is not a Fifa date for international matches, they are unable to bring back any of their European-based stars.

The entire squad has been chosen from Brazilian clubs, and Fred is among them.

His club mate Athirson is confident Fred will go to the ball. “Inside the penalty area he can go on to be as good as Romario,” he says. “I’ve been very struck with the way he strikes the ball and his calm inside the area. I had only seen these characteristics in Romario.”

On Wednesday it should be possible to make a direct comparison. Along with the group of young hopefuls pushing for a place in Brazil’s future, the 39-year-old Romario is also in the squad.

The match is being held in order to celebrate the 40th birthday of Brazil’s all-powerful TV Globo.

The story behind the match has a plotline as intricate as one of Globo’s soap operas.

Argentina were invited, but refused. Uruguay were invited, dithered and refused. Ecuador were invited, accepted, but changed their minds the next day.

Guatemala was the best remaining option. But since this is an opponent of limited appeal, it was felt something was needed to add prestige to the occasion – hence the surprise decision to use the match as a tribute to Romario.

Brazil’s management team seem somewhat embarrassed by the situation. There has been bad blood between Romario and assistant coach Mario Zagallo, who was in charge of the team at the 1998 World Cup.

Romario picked up an injury, and was axed from the squad on the eve of the competition. He thought he should have been given time to recover, and flew back to Brazil to plot his revenge; at the time he had a bar in Rio, and on the toilet door he placed a cartoon of Zagallo sitting on the loo.

Zagallo failed to see the funny side. He sued.

Now coach Parreira says Romario will play the first 20 minutes before being substituted. And thus the old is flushed away and the new – the likes of Fred – start their campaign for a place in Brazil’s future.