The Sun - Wenger: It's all about winning
ARSENE WENGER quickly brought his players back down to earth after Arsenal thrashed Blackburn at the Emirates.

The Daily Mirror - Wenger wants Henry to stay longer...and face Spurs
Thierry Henry wrapped up this one-sided triumph and Gunners boss Arsene Wenger will now try to keep him at the club for longer.

The Daily Mail - Wenger targeted to lead his country as Blanc's reign with France looks over
Arsene Wenger could be tempted with an offer to become the next France boss this summer.

The Daily Express - WENGER DEMANDS CONSISTENCY 
Arsene Wenger challenged his Arsenal side to find consistency again after romping to a first Barclays Premier League win of 2012 as they thrashed 10-man Blackburn 7-1 at Emirates Stadium.

The Independent - Ox in the box offers Wenger a real poser
It is an eternal dilemma for a manager realising he has at his disposal a dazzling young talent: using him to the best benefit of the team without over-playing him.

The Guardian - Arsenal's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is a natural, says Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger was doing a decent job of managing the hype around Alex Oxlade‑Chamberlain, emphasising that it is important to get the balance right between giving him confidence and not burdening him with unreasonable pressure.

The Daily Telegraph - Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain placed in exalted company by Arsène Wenger and Robin van Persie
Thierry Henry had the French for ‘va-va-voom’. Now Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has, according to Arsène Wenger, the English for ‘oomph’.

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The Sun - Arteta: Top four slot fading away
MIKEL ARTETA has owned up: Arsenal's form is not good enough for the Champions League.

The Daily Mirror - Arsenal not good enough admits Arteta
Arsene Wenger’s proudest boast is suddenly looking like it could turn round and bite him where it hurts most. The Arsenal boss has repeatedly used the 14 successive seasons of Champions League football that he has delivered to the Gunners faithful as the answer to his growing band of critics.

The Daily Mail - Wenger's double hit as Arteta slams performances and shareholders refuse to back boss
Arsene Wenger has come under mounting pressure as Arsenal’s season goes from bad to worse.

The Daily Star - MIKEL ARTETA: TOP 4 SPOT STILL ON
MIKEL ARTETA believes it is time for the real Arsenal to stand up and push for a top-four finish.

The Guardian - Arsenal must battle for Champions League spot, says Mikel Arteta
Mikel Arteta has articulated the frustration in the Arsenal dressing room, describing the 0-0 draw at Bolton Wanderers on Wednesday as "not good enough" and warning that a top-four finish will be "tough" unless improvements are made.

The Daily Telegraph - Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger relishing return of strengthened squad after Bolton draw
Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, is looking forward to having his squad strengthened by the return of injured players as he looks to fight battles on three fronts.

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I had a feeling Arsene Wenger would buy a player in the January transfer window.

I really felt he would have seen the shortcomings and realised that we needed more firepower and that by shifting a couple of players out (Arshavin and Squillaci perhaps, but move has to suit players and be affordable for clubs, something that hasn't happened yet) he would have freed up the wages necessary to bolster the squad with players who could have played an active part in the run-in.

Fourth is not good enough for us and yet that is the sum of our ambitions unless somehow the team gets together and goes on a great run.

I have absolutely no doubt that Wenger wanted to sign one or two players.

Maybe if Goetze had not got injured and looked to be out for a couple of months, he may have decided to join us and we may have broken our transfer window to do the business.

But there are some vital factors here that we have to bear in mind, regardless of previous concerns about the club being reluctant to spend money.

M*nure desperately need a central midfielder, regardless of having brought Paul Scholes back from retirement. Given their willingness to spend money, why didn't they go and get Wesley Sneijder or whoever?

T*tt*nh*m have the best chance of winning the title (of course we know they won't do it) for 50 years but decided to buy injury prone Louis Saha and freebie Ryan Nelson (not a bad player but not featured for Blackburn all season apart from one game and he's 34).

Liverpool apparently wanted another striker but did they buy anyone despite talk of Darren Bent? No.

The fact is, no one wants to sell and anyone who does wants top dollar.

The value of players in England is ridiculous when you see that Matt Mills goes to Leicester City last summer for £5+m and Alex leaves Ch*vski for just over £4m this year.

You've also got to think about players wanting to prove themselves on the international stage, much as we hate it.

Theo Walcott has been a shoe-in for England since 2006 and yet was dropped from the 2010 World Cup squad.

If you were Podolski, Goetze, Hazard or M'Vila would you want to move to a new country, a new team and a new environment mid season where you could initially struggle and lose your international place?

I don't think many would, to be honest and that's why so many international moves simply didn't happen last month, notwithstanding the recession and financial meltdown.

If we have a summer like last year, there will be hell to pay, no doubt, and unless RvP signs a new contract early, we're going to find ourlseves having to sell him at the earliest opportunity and sign new strikers capable of hitting the ground running.

Let's hope lessons have been learnt from last summer, RvP stays fit and signs a new deal before the end of the season, Jack Wilshere's injury is not as bad as has been reported today and that we go on another great run.

Starting tonight at Bolton (who won't be able to play Ryo Miyaichi despite signing him on loan).

Addict XI

Szczesny

Coquelin Koscielny Mertesacker Vermaelen

Ramsey Arteta Song

Walcott RvP Oxlade-Chamberlain

The Sun - Arshavin may be Russian back
ANDREY ARSHAVIN could move back to Russia... next month. Mega-rich Anzhi Makhachkala swooped for the Arsenal winger yesterday, while Zenit St Petersburg are also interested.

The Daily Mirror - Barca plot summer bid for Van Persie
Barcelona are interested in signing Arsenal striker Robin van Persie in the summer, according to reports from Spain.

The Daily Mail - Disaster for Arsenal and England as midfielder Wilshere is ruled out for the season
Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere looks almost certain to miss the rest of the season after scans showed his latest injury setback is worse than first feared.

The Daily Express - ANDREY ARSHAVIN OFFERED RUSSIAN ESCAPE ROUTE
ARSENAL pantomime villain Andrey Arshavin has been offered a route out of the Emirates by Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala.

The Daily Star - JACK WILSHERE IN NEW KO SHAKER
JACK WILSHERE was left devastated last night after scans revealed he has suffered another stress fracture of his right ankle. 

The Guardian - Arsenal's Ryo Miyaichi joins Bolton on loan until end of the season
Arsenal's Japanese midfielder Ryo Miyaichi has joined Bolton on loan until the end of the season. The 19-year-old had a successful spell with Feyenoord last season, and returned to make two Carling Cup appearances for the Gunners.

The Daily Telegraph - Arsenal midfielder Ryo Miyaichi moves to Bolton
Arsenal's Japanese midfielder Ryo Miyaichi has joined Bolton on loan until the end of the season.

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The Sun - Van get-away over Car 'smash'
ROBIN VAN PERSIE has escaped an FA charge over an alleged elbowing incident with Carlos Cuellar.

The Daily Mirror - Arsenal need a trophy admits Walcott
Peer through the keyhole at Theo Walcott's pad and admire the prudent housekeeping. Six years after he joined Arsenal, the England winger has not set aside a shelf, a cabinet or a place on the mantelpiece for his winner's medals - because he hasn't won any.

The Daily Mail - Arsenal captain Van Persie escapes FA punishment over Cuellar 'elbow'
Arsenal striker Robin van Persie will face no further action over an incident involving Aston Villa defender Carlos Cuellar during Sunday's FA Cup fourth-round match at the Emirates Stadium.

The Daily Express - 'MANCHESTER CITY ARE JEALOUS OF US' - ARSENAL CHIEF’S AMAZING CLAIM
ARSENAL chief executive Ivan Gazidis has made the ridiculous claim that Manchester City should be jealous of their achievements this season.

The Daily Star - ARSENAL'S THEO WALCOTT IN GUNN FIGHT
THEO WALCOTT admits he doesn’t need telling his recent form has been poor.

The Independent - James Lawton: A Jose-Arsène job swap would be perfect for all parties
Of all the possibilities provoked by Jose Mourinho's latest overture to the Premier League, the most intriguing by some distance would surely be a straight job swap with Arsène Wenger.

The Guardian - Arsenal's Robin van Persie escapes punishment for Carlos Cuéllar clash
Robin van Persie will not be sanctioned by the Football Association for an alleged elbow flung at Carlos Cuéllar during Sunday's FA Cup fourth round tie against Aston Villa.

The Daily Telegraph - Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger must fix defensive issues to keep job following FA Cup defeat of Aston Villa
The sighs of relief from the Emirates Stadium must have been audible across London, but FA Cup victory over Aston Villa papered over deep cracks at Arsenal.

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It's easy to get disheartened when you've watched your team dominate a game and still find themselves two goals down at half time.

And so it was that all the constant frustration and simmering fury amongst such a strong vocal minority at the stadium yesterday came flooding out again.

Reading Twitter during the interval, frustrated as I was, you'd have thought we continued to languish in the bottom five, not the top five.

Yes, we've been on a bad run and yes, we need new players, a creator and a striker at the very least.

But to read the vitriol against Arsene Wenger, you wonder why he puts up with it.

He has nothing to prove, no need to convince anyone of his talents.

He may not have won a trophy in the last few years and he may not be perfect - no one is - but I suspect any other manager given the same constraints would have fared far worse given the level of expectation his early Arsenal career created.

I got irritated by Tomas Rosicky, with his step-overs and flicks that come to nothing, butu he got better as the game wore on, and as expected, while he was impressive in long spells, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain can do no wrong.

The kid is exciting but we had the same level of anticipation with Theo Walcott and it can be stifling.

While Project youth may be almost forgotten now, it was ironic that two of his younger players took the game by the scruff of the neck and won it for us.

I cannot believe some of the abuse Aaron Ramsey gets. he puts in a shift every game, is playing far more than he should do and is still fighting every match.

Yes, he had a stinker against Swansea but everyone has bad days and the way he chased and harried and used the sublime skill of his to open the game up deserves a lot of credit.

Theo is a player typical of the game - determined but ineffectual for much of the first half and decisive in the second.

He frsutrates a lot of us, who wonder why he is not pushing on and using more than just pace to beat players, but he continues to put the effort in and the rewards we got in the second half were there for all to see.

Of course, one win does not make the team world beaters again and we still have plenty to do to re-establish ourselves as a title-chasing and trophy-winning team.

Having Bacary Sagna back takes the pressure off the defence a bit and gives us an extra option in Coquelin in midfield and that ahs to be another positive.

Bolton away in midweek is going to be tricky in the extreme, but at least on Sunday we put in a second half that proved we wanted to win and that the players were proud of wearing the red and white.

We need to do that every game but then, wouldn't it be nice to hear the fans get behind the team with that deafening support from the start.

Professionals or not, it does make a difference when the fans GET BEHIND THE TEAM WE SUPPORT.

The Sun - It’s ’appy days for Wenger
ARSENE WENGER is ready to make a shock bid for Watford's Adrian Mariappa.

The Daily Mirror - Wenger: It will be a 'miracle' if we sign anyone now
With the transfer deadline looming this week, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said: "I cannot say nothing will happen but it would be a little bit of a miracle now. For us the biggest thing is to get our players back."

The Daily Mail - Hitman Robin! RVP double rescues Arsenal but Villa accuse him of elbow attack
Robin van Persie rescued Arsenal’s FA Cup dream, but their stunning fightback was later soured when he was cited by Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish for elbowing.

The Daily Express - BACK FROM THE BRINK
ROBIN VAN PERSIE proved himself Arsenal’s captain fantastic again as a half-time speech and two penalties inspired a stunning FA Cup comeback against Aston Villa.

The Daily Star - CRASH VAN WALLOP
THREE goals in seven sensational second-half minutes spared Arsenal’s blushes yesterday.

The Independent - Van Persie rekindles the fire of old Arsenal
Arsène Wenger substituted Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain again yesterday, a week after he was jeered for replacing the youngster against Manchester United. This time the home support cheered, and not just because it was Thierry Henry coming on rather than Andrei Arshavin.

The Guardian - Robin van Persie accused of elbowing Aston Villa's Carlos Cuéllar
Robin van Persie, Arsenal's match-winner in a tumultuous FA Cup tie, could be in trouble with the Football Association after Alex McLeish complained about an alleged elbow on Carlos Cuéllar three minutes after the Dutchman scored the game's decisive goal.

The Daily Telegraph - Arsenal captain Robin van Persie 'elbowed' Carlos Cuellar, says Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish
Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish has accused Robin van Persie of using an elbow against Carlos Cuellar and feels the Football Association should view replays of the incident.

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As expected, Arsene Wenger confirmed today that Jack Wilshere has had a setback. The new star of the team, the man who was supposed to soften the blow of Cesc’s departure is now facing an extended spell on the sidelines and if the doom mongers are correct, we won’t see him again this season.

Whatever happens, we have four midfielders vying for three positions and it isn’t enough.

I don’t buy it that Tomas Rosicky is a viable answer – I can hardly remember one telling pass or goal he has been involved in that has had a positive impact on our season – or many others for that matter. Add to that the reliance on Robin van Persie and you can see that we have serious problems if we suffer any more injuries – and let’s be honest, we have had more than our fair share in recent years.

Five points off the top four that the club relies upon to pay the stadium loans and we need to ensure that we do everything we can to get back in there. Ch*vski are hardly playing like a team capable of holding on to the position if we just keep pushing.

As it is, even with our first team available, the reserves are not quite good enough and the risk of injury or burn out is increased.

Wenger also said predictably that we are not close to signing anyone – and yet I’ve been convinced for weeks that he has someone up his sleeve. With only a few days of the cursed transfer window left, that confidence is taking a battering and while value and availability may be diminished at this time of year, the impact of Arshavin and Adebaywhore, signed in previous January windows should remind Wenger of what we can gain from making canny purchases.

Let’s be honest, we’re one more injury away from a possible mid table finish and without new faces to freshen up and the impetus we need to push on again after a disastrous start to this year.

Suddenly, the FA Cup takes on even greater significance and we need a good result to get the confidence up again. Villa have a terrible record against us in the competition but Darren Bent has a habit of scoring goals against us and we need to keep it tight. How I miss the clean sheets of the past.

I don’t want to see Bacary Sagna rushed back after such a long lay-off so hopefully Francis Coquelin can step in and it will be good to have Mikel Arteta back.

Up front, maybe this is the time to start TH12 on the left with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the right because I think Theo needs a rest as well.

Every game is a big game but we need to get back to winning ways and Sunday is a good place to start.

So do us all a favour and sign a couple of players, Arsene.

Addict XI

Szczesny

Coquelin Koscielny Vermaelen Miquel

Arteta Ramsey Song

Oxlade-Chamberlain RVP Henry

The Sun - Wenger: Arsenal must keep faith
ARSENE WENGER told his Arsenal team "to believe in yourselves" in a special meeting at the club's training ground.

The Daily Mirror - Wenger: Ban loans for players aged over 21
Arsene Wenger has called for a ban on Premier League clubs loaning each other players over the age of 21.

The Daily Mail - Kroenke to splash the cash... but no boost for Arsenal as American bids for LA Dodgers
Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke has finally moved to open his chequebook... with a bid for MLB team Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Daily Express - ARSENE WENGER TELLS HIS PLAYERS TO IGNORE CRITICISM FROM ARSENAL OLD-BOYS
ARSENE WENGER has moved to create a siege mentality in his squad by telling Arsenal’s players to ignore former stars who keep putting the boot in. 

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The Sun - Art attacks boo-boys
MIKEL ARTETA insists Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger deserves the respect of the club's fans.

The Daily Mirror - Oxlade-Chamberlain on course for Euro 2012 after catching Capello's eye against United
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has put himself in the frame for England’s Euro 2012 campaign after impressing Fabio Capello.

The Daily Mail - EXCLUSIVE: Madrid to move again for under-fire Wenger with Mourinho's days numbered
Arsene Wenger is on a two-man shortlist to replace Jose Mourinho as Real Madrid manager. Germany head coach Joachim Low is the other candidate being considered with Mourinho's relationship with the players and club hierarchy deemed beyond repair.

The Daily Express - FABIO CAPELLO RAVES ABOUT YOUNG GUNNER ALEX OXLADE-CHAMBERLAIN
FABIO CAPELLO has joined the clamour for wing wonderkid Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to keep his Arsenal place for the remainder of the season.

The Daily Telegraph - Fabio Capello primed to fast-track striker Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain into England squad
Fabio Capello is considering fast-tracking Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain into the England squad after being hugely impressed by the teenager’s vibrant cameos for Arsenal and the under-21s. The winger could be timing his run perfectly for the European Championship.

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