Wenger vexed by Arsenal injury crisis

 

Arsene Wenger this week revealed his plans for Arsenal's north London derby clash with Tottenham on Saturday have been plunged into chaos by a squad plagued with injuries.

The Frenchman has concerns over the fitness of Theo Walcott, Mikel Arteta, Olivier Giroud, Wojciech Szczesny, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Bacary Sagna after the midweek internationals.

On Friday, he told reporters: "There are so many - I think we need a few doctors this morning. We have so many players who have come back with injuries or small injuries.

"We will see this morning, but it is difficult to give you a clear idea of who will be available tomorrow or not."

So at the end of what undoubtedly must have been a frantic 24 hours for the Gunners boss, which of his stars will make it onto the pitch to take on Spurs?

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Sexiest athlete Ronaldo struts his stuff

 

Who is the better player - Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? The debate ahead of the announcement of the 2012 Ballon d'Or winner rages on.

But there can no longer be any doubt around the ultimate question involving the two: just who is the sexier man?

American celebrity weekly People Magazine has named the Portugal star the sexiest athlete of 2012, and his Barcelona counterpart didn't even make the top 10. Oh, the shame!

Ronaldo beat competition from the likes of Miami Heat superstar LeBron James, tennis ace Andy Murray and NFL revelation Tim Tebow for the prize.

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انفجار جرة الغاز في الاردن

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Chrissie Hynde

 

The Pretenders leader Chrissie Hynde is one of the sweetest voices that I've ever heard, here is my tribute to her.

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Magic Ibrahimovic bamboozles England hopefuls

 

There are few doubts about who was the star of the show in England's 4-2 defeat to Sweden on Wednesday night - the inimitable Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

England had six debutants on show in Leon Osman, Raheem Sterling, Wilfried Zaha, Ryan Shawcross, Steven Caulker and Carl Jenkinson.

But there was little any of them - or indeed Roy Hodgson's more senior players - could do about Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who had already scored twice before completing a hat-trick with a powerful long-range free-kick.

And for his next trick, the Swedish magician rounded off the scoring with a mystifying, looping overhead kick from over 20 yards out which almost defied logic, leaving Hodgson and his charges thoroughly dumbfounded.
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'Husband and wife' Mancini & Balotelli still happily married at Manchester City

 

Dropped from the Manchester City squad after reportedly partying into the early hours on the morning of a crucial clash with Tottenham, the writing appeared to be on the wall for Mario Balotelli with regards to his future at the club.

Roberto Mancini is understood to be ready to finally wash his hands of the enigmatic Italy international for good.

But Balotelli's agent, Mino Raiola, insists that is not the case, and gave a rather surprising indication as to why the 22-year-old will remain at the Etihad Stadium for at least a little while longer.

"His [Balotelli's] relationship with Mancini is like that between a husband and his wife," Raiola told Radio CRC. "They argue but they love and respect each other so much.

"Everyone has their own ideas, but Mario will remain at Manchester City. He won't go to AC Milan."
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A convenient truth? Ronaldo, Rooney & RVP out of friendlies

 

Another raft of international friendlies are upon us and, with them, a whole host of convenient injuries to some of Europe's biggest stars.

Cristiano Ronaldo has pulled out of Portugal's clash with Gabon on Wednesday due to a badly gashed eye sustained against Levante this weekend.

Manchester United duo Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie, meanwhile, have also withdrawn from duty with England and the Netherlands, despite both featuring heavily in the Red Devils' comeback victory over Aston Villa on Saturday.

Of course, no one would be cynical enough to suggest that 'knocks' like these were crudely manufactured by club managers to buy their key men some crucial rest time, but no one can deny that the absence of their best players is a constant source of frustration to national team bosses.

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You're next! Messi targets Muller goal record after leaving Pele in his wake

 

Barcelona star Lionel Messi never seems to tire of breaking records.

The Argentine re-wrote footballing history again on Sunday when his double against Mallorca took his tally for the calendar year to 76 goals in just 59 appearances, beating Pele’s record of 75.

However, Messi is still behind Gerd Muller - who netted 85 times for Bayern Munich and West Germany in just 60 games in 1972 - although having left Pele behind, the Barcelona man now has his next target clearly in sight.
 

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Luckless Wenger rues Arteta penalty miss

 

They so nearly got out of jail but Mikel Arteta's saved penalty compounded Arsenal's problems and left the home fans exiting Emirates Stadium more than a tad disgruntled.

What of Arsene Wenger though? The once-great, untouchable boss has been through troubles in the past but surely they don't come close to the current predicament.

The Gunners have 16 points from their first 11 games - the worst league start since 1982-83 and just when you thought their luck had turned as Phil Dowd pointed to the spot for a dubious handball, Arteta stuffed up the chance.

Wenger's face was a picture of disbelief, shock and strife. Just when will his luck turn?
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S Africa issues new Mandela bank notes

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