Invisiblewall.net: Gilberto Silva News

Wenger slams the liars at The Mirror

Wenger has hit out at The Mirror, who yesterday printed blatant lies about Gilberto Silva. The tabloid paper said that Gilberto had refused to play for Arsenal. Here’s what Wenger said in response (note that I’m actually QUOTING an official source, something which The Mirror seem unable to do):

I deny the rumours categorically.

I find this assessment disrespectful to a great professional like Gilberto. He is 100 per cent professional and is in the squad. He will play.

I believe that as a manager and as a player you always have one thing in your mind and that is what is good for the club and the team and I cannot fault Gilberto on that since he arrived here.

Recently he has played less, but his mentality has been superb.

It is important to win every single competition and in this one I use younger players because traditionally it has always been like that and it has helped us a lot to develop the players.

Source: Sky Sports

So, Wenger backs up my suspisions which I wrote about in yesterday’s news article. What a surprise, The Mirror were making things up.

Gilberto is an absolute professional who would never refuse to play simply because he was dropped from the first team squad. It’s slanderous and disrespectful.

Mirror, Mirror, on the wall; you’re the biggest liar, of them all.

Source: Mirror.co.uk
The Mirror make up story about Gilberto

This morning The Mirror appear to have made up a story about Gilberto being ‘angry’ at being ‘snubbed’.

The writer of the story, John Cross, wrote the story after being angry at The Mirror, who refused to give him his own sports column. Actually, that’s just made up: just like his own story about Gilberto.

Here is the fairy tale he wrote:

Silva angry at snub
EXCLUSIVE Gilberto joins Lehmann in Wenger freeze-out

Brazil captain Gilberto Silva could be on his way out of Arsenal after an amazing Carling Cup snub.

And keeper Jens Lehmann has also been frozen out again after being told he won’t be playing at Sheffield United tomorrow.

Gilberto has been axed from the squad for refusing to play as a makeshift centre-half at Bramall Lane. It is another blow for the midfielder, who has lost his place to Mathieu Flamini this season and his discontent has alerted several clubs, including Juventus and Valencia.

There seems no way back for Gilberto with Arsenal top of the Premier League, and he has told Arsene Wenger he no longer wants to play at centre half.

The World Cup winner filled in there for last month’s win at Tottenham but was upset to be dropped for a Champions League victory over Sevilla days later.

German veteran Lehmann, 38 next month, also appears to be on his way out as he has lost his battle with Manuel Almunia.

Lehmann might have expected to get an outing in tomorrow’s fourth-round tie, but Wenger will stick with Polish keeper Lukasz Fabianski while Italian teenager Vito Mannone will be on the bench.

There is so much filth in this story that it’s very tempting to just ignore it. However, the temptation to point out all the rubbish in the article is too strong for me to ignore, so:

Firstly, there are no quotes. The writer of the story doesn’t even bother pretending he has spoken to a “source close to the player”. There is no source, just innovative use of imagination.

Secondly, why has he pretended that Gilberto refused to play as a centre half? He has played there countless times before. Also, if Gilberto was angry at not being played, why would he try to get back at Wenger by REFUSING TO PLAY? This is ridiculous, and clearly made up.

Thirdly, Gilberto has always been 100% professional in his conduct, and this behaviour is just too incongruent to be true. If Gilberto was indeed ‘angry’, he wouldn’t refuse to play for the club, and he certainly wouldn’t go telling anybody at The Mirror.

Let me get this straight: Gilberto isn’t happy that he isn’t playing for Arsenal, but what professional WOULD be happy to sit on the bench? However, the fact that Gilberto isn’t happy not playing doesn’t mean he’s ‘angry’ or refusing to play. He is too professional for throwing wobblies (which is more than can be said for Lehmann’s current behaviour), and Gilberto is doing nothing but working hard to get back into the Arsenal first team.

Until Gilberto actually tells the press that he has refused to play for Arsenal, then I can only assume that the whole thing is just made up by The Mirror to get more hits to their website and to sell more newspapers.

This is disrespectful to Gilberto. To spread rumours about a player, casting doubt over the integrity of his character just to make a few more quid is a terrible thing to do. The Mirror, hang your head in shame, or give us some quotes or sources to back up your far fetched statements.

Gilberto plays in Brazil win

Click here for a match report of the game from Goal.com

Gilberto played in Brazil’s game at the Maracana stadium yesterday. The game was against Ecuador, and Brazil won 5-0. The game started slowly, but Brazil ended up winning the game extremely comfortable, and in some style.

Gilberto Silva didn’t really figure much in the game, though it’s an improvement on his previous game against Colombia which he was criticised for. He made some useful interceptions though, like usual.

The game saw Brazil’s return to the Maracana Stadium – a place which they haven’t played for since five years ago. So it was a rather historic day, and a first for Gilberto.

The biggest plus of the day was that Bert didn’t get injured, and will return to Arsenal to fight for a place in the squad for the forthcoming Bolton match.

There has been a slow buildup of rumours this week, all suggesting that various Italian clubs will make an offer to Arsenal for Gilberto.

The speculation has finally resulted in The Sun making up the following story:

Juventus in for £5m Gilberto

UVENTUS are ready to make a £5million January swoop for disgruntled Arsenal star Gilberto Silva.

The Italian giants are hopeful of nabbing the Brazilian ace, 31, who is fed up after losing his starting spot at The Emirates.

Juve sent a delegation to London at the end of last season to clinch a deal for the midfielder.

Gilberto, whose contract runs out in 2009, was keen on a move but boss Arsene Wenger put a stop to it.

Yet this season Gilberto has been reduced to just four starts and is frustrated with life on the bench.

There is so much in this article which strikes me as pure imagination.

Firstly: who said that Juventus are making this bid? Who is your source? ‘A close source to Juventus’ perhaps? No? Without any quotes, it makes it hard to ascertain how they gained such information, which makes me think it’s pure shite.

Secondly: Juve sent a ‘delegation’ to London to try to sign Gilberto at the end of last season? Really? Then why didn’t we hear anything of it at the time? And why is it that first time we’re hearing about it, is also in an equally ficticious news story, almost 6 months after the event?

Thirdly: Gilberto wanted to leave Arsenal, but Wenger put a stop to it?? Where did they hear this from? It sounds as made up as the rest of these wild claims, and I suspect that it is.

Fourthly: Five million pounds? Well, since you say it, it must be true! Where did they get that number from? Sounds like exactly the kind of number which a transfer-gossiping journalist would make up.

Besides all of this, even if Juventus WERE intersted (it is quite possible that they are, and who can blame them), then it doesn’t make any difference to whether Wenger will be willing to sell Gilberto.

The odds are that Wenger VERY MUCH wants to keep Gilberto – and since Gilberto is presently contracted to Arsenal, that means he will stay there for the foreseeable future.

Note: I am not bad mouthing Juventus here at all. Juventus are a fine club (despite their extremely questionable off-pitch activities), and should Gilberto one day in the future end up at Juventus, it would be exciting to see him play there. However, it’s the way that all this rumourage is being spouted, with such large quantities of drivel thrown into the speculation, which makes it seem unacceptable to me. The stories seem designed just to unsettle Gilberto.

Also, the fact that Juventus are interested in Gilberto just adds them to the long list of clubs who are interested in him. Half the clubs in Italy would probably like to sign Gilberto, so the fact that Juventus are actually being linked to him, doesn’t mean they’re special.

Despite what The Sun would like, Gilberto will do what Gilberto wants, when Gilberto is ready, thank you.

Brazil played Colombia yesterday, and the game finished 0-0. All of Brazil’s players got bad reviews, Gilberto included.

I saw the game, and it seemed that Gilberto had a few sparkly moments, interlaced with lots of dodgy moments. He got a yellow card for a silly tackle, and gave away the ball a lot. Here is how Goal.com summed up his review in all the Brazilian newspapers:

4 out of 10. The Arsenal man was not on form in Bogotá, perhaps deserving to be sent off for none-too-subtle fouling and his general lapses were luckily lapped up by the more alert Mineiro and later Josué. One of his worst seleção showings.

So that’s that. At least he didn’t get injured.

From The Sun

Gilberto reveals Gunners pain

GILBERTO has revealed his agony at being dropped by Arsenal.

The Gunners star has struggled to hold down a place with the Premier League leaders.

The Brazilian has started just four of Arsenal’s 11 games this season.

Gilberto missed most of pre-season because of his country’s Copa America campaign and has since failed to dislodge Cesc Fabregas and Mathieu Flamini.

And Gilberto, 31, said: “Yes, it has been so frustrating.

“I am on the bench not because of my quality or something like that but because I came back late. It is so hard.

“The only thing I need to do is do my job, respect the manager’s decision, respect the other players and the way they play at the moment.

“Of course, when I have the opportunity I want to do the best I can for the team like I have done but it’s a slight difference compared to other years.

“It is the first time I haven’t been in the team. I confess to you it has been so hard for me.

“Of course I want to come back and play again in my position central midfield. But you need to respect that Mathieu and Cesc are playing very well.

“It is visible to everybody and I need to respect the manager’s decision. I will do my best to return to the team. I will see in the next few games what will happen.”

From Goal.com

Seleção: Gilberto Silva Suggests Armband Move To Lúcio

Although he was the Captain of the seleção throughout the majority of action in the recent victorious Copa América, holding midfielder Gilberto Silva has agreed to cede his armband to the returning Lúcio…

The Arsenal man was only absent in the Copa final against Argentina due to accumulated yellow cards and then ceded the captaincy to Juan (Roma), but seems content to hand it over on a more permanent level to Lúcio (Bayern Munich).

In the second day of training at the Granja Comary facilities overlooking Rio de Janeiro, Gilberto Silva took the first step that Dunga was slated to make and suggested that Lúcio, absent in Venezuela, should reassume his old role.

“I played the Copa América as captain, but I talked with Dunga and think that it’s apt that Lúcio reassumes the captaincy as he only missed out on the Copa América due to injury, so I’d feel more comfortable with him taking back the role that only bad luck took away from him”, explained the midfielder.

Gilberto Silva rejected any similarity with what went on at Arsenal at the start of the season. “Both situations are completely different. At Arsenal I expected to be captain after Henry (FC Barcelona) left the club, but a different decision was taken”, he explained.

How things can change in a couple of months! In July, Gilberto was happy captain of both Brazil and Arsenal, now he appears to be neither.

After the Sunderland game, Wenger was asked why he left Gilberto on the bench. Not that he has to answer such questions, but he said the following which was quoted on Arsenal.com:

“I have a strong relationship with Gilberto, I spoke with him about that, I have a huge respect for him, you know? At the moment it is frustrating for him – incidentally it is his birthday today. He is an important player in the group, he is an important player in the team. As I said, it is a selection problem at the moment but he will come back into the side, I don’t worry about that.”

Wenger says, “He will come back into the side”, and I agree. Gilberto has faced stiff competition for a starting place before now – when Vieira was still with Arsenal, Bert used to compete with Edu for a starting place – and after that, Fabregas. This competition is nothing new to him. He can deal with it – he always has, and he will continue to do so. Each time he faced competition, he came out on top. I see no difference with the Flamini situation – people are saying that Flamini is playing well – but Gilberto has a wise head on his shoulders, and he knows that he just has to play to his full capability, and that will see him restored to the starting eleven. He knows he can play better than Flamini, and the only thing he has to do… is to do it.

Happy 31st birthday for yesterday, Bert.

Gilberto has been speaking to the pesky journalists at The People. Here is what he said:

It’s important to know that the club wants you and values you.

It’s very hard for me to sit on the bench, especially after what I’ve achieved and what I’ve done for the club. It’s a strange situation.

If I’m still not playing much by Christmas, then there might be other options for me to look at seriously.

Nobody has come to me, so right now that is all speculation – if there is anything, I’d expect to be informed by the club.

I’m not looking for a move – it would make me happy to remain here for as long as possible. I will keep doing my job as best I can, whether I get two minutes in a game or 90 minutes.

I haven’t asked the manager for an explanation why I’m not playing – I’m going to wait and see what happens.

I have to respect his decisions and I respect the players who are out there – they are doing a great job.

In my position, Mathieu Flamini has been very strong.

I came back in the summer not quite as fit as the rest of the squad and maybe got left behind a bit, but I’m feeling in great shape now.

I was surprised not to be made captain this season, I have to admit, but Arsene explained later that as I came back so close to the start of the season, he had to give it to somebody else.

There is so much belief in this squad, so much togetherness.

So, this is it. The first time Gilberto has ACTUALLY said he would consider leaving Arsenal before his contract runs out. The tabloids have been reporting this story for years, but today is the first time that it is actually true.

However, despite The People’s claim of this being an “ULTIMATUM” from Gilberto, he also says the following:
– “Right now this is all speculation.”
– “I’m not looking for a move – it would make me happy to remain with Arsenal for as long as possible.”
– “There is so much belief in this squad, so much togetherness.”

Not really that “ultimatum-ish”, then. He’s being quite nice about it.

Let’s also remember that this move away from Arsenal would only materialise if he didn’t recapture his starting place in the team. In my opinion, he will regain his starting place in a few weeks time. He is Gilberto. He is good.

Source

Gilberto: Adebayor has put us on high

Emmanuel Adebayor’s huge improvement has been hailed as one of the key factors in Arsenal’s remarkable run.

The giant Togo striker, 23, displayed glimpses of his potential during his first 18 months in London but has taken his game to a new level this season, scoring six goals in eight matches.

“He has improved a lot since he first came to the club,” said Adebayor’s team-mate Gilberto Silva.

“This season has been a great start for him. He’s shown great quality, holds the ball, wins it in the air and makes the job for the team easier and for the opponents it is very difficult.”

So there you go.

Incidentally, Gilberto will be 31 years old this Sunday. Maybe Wenger will give him a birthday present of a starting position in the Sunderland game! Would be nice, eh.