Gilberto: Wary over game in Hamburg
September 13, 2006
Taken from icons.com:
Silva: Arsenal have to think big in Europe
Gilberto Silva says why he thinks Arsenal’s Champions League game against Hamburg could be a dangerous mission.
To be honest, I know practically nothing about Hamburg, but German teams are always tricky opponents. They are a bit like the English sides; they are physically strong, they have a remarkable fighting spirit and lots of determination. You wouldn’t want to concede a goal against the Germans because they know how to defend. That makes our mission in Hamburg even more dangerous than normal.
It’s fair to say that Arsenal don’t have a good record in Germany. The thing with the Germans at home is that they keep their discipline as if they are playing away. But then again, every team in the Champions League gives you a hard time at home.
We all know how important Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole were for the club and there is no doubt that Arsenal have lost experience and quality with their departures – but that’s life in football and we just have to go on without them. I respect players’ decisions to leave. They moved somewhere else because it was better for them.
On the positive side, William Gallas’ arrival was extremely important, especially in terms of the experience he brings. In past seasons we’ve let our well-travelled guys leave and not replaced them. This time we have.
I think William has everything he needs to be a fantastic signing for us. He’s been a great player for Chelsea and France and I don’t see why he and Kolo Toure can’t form a very reliable partnership in our defence this season.
In the Cole-Gallas deal, both Arsenal and Chelsea ended up with quality players. One could say that Gallas is a more versatile player because he can also play as full-back, but I don’t see any sense in comparing the two players. They are both good people and the important thing is that both of them seem happy at their new clubs.
I must admit that when I read the statements put out by Chelsea about William, I thought the entire thing sounded very strange. It seemed as if Chelsea didn’t really want William to go and ended up not treating him with the respect he deserved. He helped their club win two Premiership titles and that should have been taken into consideration. I don’t really believe a professional player would threaten to score an own goal.
Our start to the season hasn’t been great but much of that is because we are just not killing our opponents. We are playing reasonably well, we are having more possession and creating chances, but we end up not scoring. Meanwhile, other teams are taking their chances. As we say in Brazil, if we decide to stab the jaguar, we’ve got to twist the knife as well!
Thierry Henry has plenty of time to score his 50th European goal, but it would be great if he scores it against Hamburg and we start our Champions League campaign in style. That’s important for us because last year, Arsenal did well from the very start and that possibly made all the difference.
Arsenal have to think big this season, but keep our feet on the ground. Let’s play again like a team, because that was the reason we got so close to the trophy last season. We must all pull together.
Our group is not easy, though. In the past Porto have shown the world how favouritism counts for nothing, and CSKA have a recent UEFA Cup title under their belts, let alone the fact that two of the newest players in the Brazil squad are there: Vagner Love and Daniel Carvalho. We will have to play well to reach the knockout stages.
Tuesday 12th September 2006