Football News : Champions League, Arsenal

Van Persie & Ibrahimovic: Two of Europe's Best

Soccer_Boots — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:29:00 GMT

It's the tie of the round, with two of European football's heavy weights battling to gain a first-leg advantage in what promises to be a mouth-watering Champions League encounter. Castrol EDGE Performance data shows that Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robin van Persie will be the crucial two in determining the outcome of this exciting Champions League tie. ...(read more)

Barcelona vs Arsenal - Head to Heads

Soccer_Boots — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 09:18:00 GMT

As football spectacles come, they don't get much bigger than Arsenal playing Barcelona at the Nou Camp. Football lovers around the globe are wetting their lips, going into the second leg with a 2-1 deficit means Barca will attack from the off, whilst we all know there's no way Arsenal will sit back and defend. ...(read more)

Arsenal vs Barcelona - Match Focus

Soccer_Boots — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:28:00 GMT

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The day football enthusiasts all over the globe have been waiting for has finally arrived. Arsenal vs Barcelona is a mouth-watering clash for all football fans and will no doubt be a display of football at its highest quality. Both sides have near identical philosophies and an array of world-class players who are capable of turning a game.

Arsene Wenger is faced with the toughest question a manager can ask himself...how do I beat Barcelona? Over 180 minutes, his Arsenal side will have to pull out all the stops if they are to cause an upset in this intriguing tie. With the use of Castrol stats, we've taken a look at two key head-to-heads along with some stats from last seasons quarter-final match.

Charged with the task of providing their forwards with a never-ending supply of goal-scoring chances on Wednesday are Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas and Barca's Xavi.

Xavi has continued on from his magnificent form during the 2010 World Cup finals, and has already provided five goal assists and a total of 50 chances created. However, his young compatriot has been even more creative in the Premier League. Providing nine goal assists, a figure only three players can better at this stage of the season.

However, while Fabregas also compares favourably to Xavi in terms of tackling, the experienced Barca man is still the fulcrum of his club's play, making an incredible 119 touches per game on average and posting a 94% passing accuracy rate, both superior figures to those of Fabregas.

In the Champions League, Xavi has managed just the one goal assist so far (and no goals), although he has hit a competition-high 366 accurate passes in the opposition half. Arsenal captain Fabregas, on the other hand, has already bagged three goals and provided two goal assists.

Castrol Performance data shows that, in Robin Van Persie, Arsenal have a striker in the form of his career, with the Dutchman netting a fantastic 10 goals in the league in 2011 so far.

Indeed, that haul in less than two months of the new year is the best ever figure for a striker in January and February of a Premier League season, with still some time in the latter month left to go. The Dutchman, now free from injury, has also registered a 1.5 games per goal rate in the league, his best performance since moving to Arsenal in 2004.

However, if any player could top Van Persie's fantastic form, it has to be Barcelona's diminutive genius, Lionel Messi. In the league, the Argentinean has averaged a goal every 75 minutes while he has also notched 15 assists in his 20 games.

In the Champions League, while Van Persie has managed only one game (scoring one goal), Messi has been in typical inspirational form, scoring 13 goals in his last 11 Champions League starts including four in one game against Arsenal last season.

Castrol Performance data shows that Arsenal will know what to expect after their quarter-final clash with Barcelona last season.

Over the two legs, Barcelona asserted their total domination of the ball, completing 654 passes more than the Gunners. Pep Guardiola's were too much to handle over the two legs, unleashing 37 shots, that's one every five minutes. Nearly half of those attempts found the target (18).

Lionel Messi alone had nearly twice as many shots on target as the Gunners, testing Manuel Almunia nine times, four of which found the back of the net. Arsène Wenger will be warned to wrestle the initiative away from Barcelona early on. Last season, Arsenal were battered in the first-half of their first leg at the Emirates.

It's the most anticipated match of the 2010/11 Champions League so far. As always, we'd love to hear your opinions - for Arsenal to stand any chance, do they HAVE to avoid defeat in this first leg at the Emirates?

Champions League Boot Spotting - Retro Edition II

Boot Spy — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 06:00:00 GMT

The SoccerBible delves into the archives for another classic retro Boot Spotting Special, this time from the 2006 Champions League Final between Arsenal and Barcelona...

Much like this season's Quarter Final tie, the 2006 Final was anticipated to be a feast of football with both sides renowned for an attacking, free-flowing style. With a World Cup just around the corner, the showpiece of club football featured a great variety of football boots, with speed football boots being the most favoured by the finalists...


Thierry Henry (Arsenal) Nike Mercurial Vapor III	Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona) Puma v1.06
The Gunners captain was one of the most inspired players in the world at this time and wore the highly regarded Nike Mercurial Vapor III. It also wouldn't be long before Henry joined the Catalans, where he will return with Barca to Arsenal this season.	It was the foul just outside the area on Eto'o that resulted in Lehman's sending off, as the Cameroon striker was (and arguably still is) Puma's biggest name and wore the super-light Puma v1.06 football boots, scoring the equaliser to add to his 5 goals already in the competition.


Ashley Cole (Arsenal) adidas F50.6 Tunit	Ronaldinho (Barcelona) Nike Air Legend 10R
The controversial left back was one of the main F50 icons as adidas launched the TUNIT concept. Cole's Red/White F50.6's would perfectly match the home kit, and continued the trend of Red boots that were so common during this Final.	Everyone was talking about the Mercurial Brazilian, who sported the customised 10R White and Gold version of the Nike Air Legend football boots during the Final. Despite having a relatively quiet final (by his own standards at least) Ronaldinho was for many still the player of the season.


Sol Campbell (Arsenal) adidas World Cup	Juliano Belletti (Barcelona) Nike AZT 90 III
Campbell scored the opening goal with a towering header, wearing the adidas World Cup football boots. Now back for another spell with the Gunners, he's still sporting the same reliable classics even now, a true testament to the boots.	Scorer of the winning goal, Belletti was another sub sent on to change the game and he certainly did so, weaing the Nike AZT 90 III football boots, by converting Larsson's cross to score through the legs of sub keeper Almunia and seal victory.


Cesc Fabgreas (Arsenal) Nike Air Legend	Henrik Larsson (Barcelona) adidas Predator Absolute
Wearing the Nike Air Legend football boots, the young Spaniard played against his old club for the first time. Perhaps not quite have the impact he and the Gunners fans would have hoped for, after his memorable performance against Real Madrid earlier in the tournament.	His final game for Barca won him a Champions League medal, coming on as a sub to set up Eto'o for the equalising goal and Bellitti for the winner. Wearing the adidas Predator Absolute football boots, it is widely regarded that Larsson's introduction was the game changer for Barca.


Robert Pires (Arsenal) Puma v1.06	Deco (Barcelona) Umbro Elite X-Lite
Pires had ended the season as joint top scorer for the Gunners, but his last game for Gunners will be remembered as the sacrifice substitute once keeper Lehman had been sent off. As one of the Gunners most inspired players, wearing the Puma v1.06 boots, could the Final have had a different outcome if "Bobby" Pires had still been on the pitch...?	The minature midfielder was an inspiration at the Nou Camp, and wearing the Umbro Elite football boots could often been seen pulling the strings of the Barca midfield. He played alongside Mark Van Bommel and Edmilson during the final.


Freddie Ljungberg (Arsenal) Puma v1.06	Carlos Puyol (Barcelona) Nike AZT 90 III
Swedish attacker Ljungberg was another high-profile Puma player, also sporting the v1.06 football boots during the Final. However, unique to Ljungberg in the Final he switched from the Red version to White for the second half.	The Barca captain was another champion of the AZT 90 III boots, wearing the uniform-matching Comet Red/White colourway. Highly respected and peerless in the Final, Puyol was the latest Barcelona captain to get his hands on the biggest of club trophies.


Gilberto Silva (Arsenal) Nike AZT 90 III	Giovanni Van Bronckhorst (Barcelona) Lotto Zhero Evolution
The dependable and solid midfielder had a football boot to match in the Nike AZT 90 III, Before the introduction of the Laser series, these were Nike's power boots and were intended as a solid yet comfortable choice for players all over the pitch.	Another player lining up against former employers, Van Bronckhorst wore the first generation of the Lotto Zhero Evolution boots, the series pioneered by the lace-less Zhero Gravity. He was also the only Barcelona player to feature in every match of this successful campaign.

Check out our other Champions League retro Boot Spotting, featuring Manchester United and Bayern Munich's epic 1999 Final...

Speed Boots Reign in Champions League! - 10/03/10

Editor — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:18:00 GMT

Speed boots reigned supreme in the Champions League as they scored five goals for Arsenal, who trounced Porto 5-0 to reach the Quarter Finals....(read more)

Champions League Draw - Last 16 - 18/12/09

Editor — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 10:37:00 GMT

The draw has been made for the last 16 of the Champions League, and there are some mouth-watering ties to look forward to... ...(read more)

Football Boots - Champions League Boot Spotting - 21/10/09

Editor — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:53:00 GMT

There were some shock results all around Europe in the Champions League, with neither Barcelona, Liverpool or Inter Milan able to record a victory. But whether your side lost or won lastnight, here's our selection of the best football boots on show......(read more)

Football News - A volt out of the blue! - 06/05/09

Editor — Wed, 06 May 2009 08:18:00 GMT

We knew that Nike football boots would have a decisive role to play in this Champions League game, and indeed this was the case as Ji-Sung Park shocked Arsenal by striking an early goal from black/volt Nike Legend football boots, followed shortly after by a thunderbolt from Cristiano Ronaldo's Nike Vapor Superfly football boots.

Wearing the blue Champions League football kit, which commemorates United's 1968 European Cup victory, Ji-Sung Park stunned the Emirates crowd by striking a goal after just eight minutes from his volt Nike Legend football boots!

Park was on hand to capitalise on a defensive error, and despite going to ground he was still able to make a decent connection from the kangaroo leather of his Nike Legend football boots to steer the ball into the back of the net. A constant thorn in the Arsenal defences side, Park's work rate was down to his comfortable Legend football boots, featuring an Air Zoom pouch, and his accurate passing from the touch leather opened up the Arsenal defence, finding Rooney for United's breakaway third goal.

Also wearing Nike football boots was Cristiano Ronaldo, in deadly form wearing Nike Vapor Superfly football boots he struck two goals that destroyed any hopes Arsenal had of turning the tie around. Ronaldo's first strike was an impressive long range shot from the teijin upper of his boots, but it was his second goal that demonstrated the Superfly's strongest attributes.

The Nike Superfly football boots are lightweight, with a unique sole-plate and Flywire technology, which combined to assist Ronaldo as he raced down the right wing. Sprinting past Djourou, Ronaldo connected to Rooney's cross for United's third goal, confirming Manchester United were going to the Champions League final in Rome!

Football News - adidas adiPure Boots give Man United Slender Advantage 30/04/09

SB Editor — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:10:00 GMT

The all-English Champions League Semi final first leg may not have fully lived up to the hype but was settled by a superb volleyed strike from unsung United hero John O'Shea.

O'Shea's adidas adiPure football boots helped crash the ball into the net past keeper Almunia to give Manchester United a slender advantage going into the second leg next week. The only goal was a sweet strike from O'Shea who took full advantage of some slack defending at the far post. Arsenal failed to deal with a corner allowing the Irishman to smash in a volley that would have carried on going through the East Stand had the net not got in the way, such was the ferocity of the connection!

With United riding high after the weekend's impressive Premier League comeback against Tottenham, will they be frustrated their dominance over the course of the game could not be converted to a greater scoreline? The Gunners fought well and had goalkeeper Almunia - wearing Nike Vapor 3 gloves - to thank as he kept the Londoners in the tie and meant they have it all to play for next week in the return fixture. But aside from the scoreline, who won out in the battle of the boots? Our Nike Wars feature picked out some potential big guns to watch out for, but who on the night delivered the goods...?

Manchester United Star Men

John O'Shea - adidas adiPure II

The unsung hero of the night O'Shea was allowed to attack and had little to do defensively. However it was his excellent strike which proved the difference on the night, with a finish any striker would have been proud of!

O'Shea has sported the recently released adidas adiPure II football boots which combine the best elements from decades of adidas boot heritage with modern technology to make a super-comfortable, supple and classy football boot.

Wayne Rooney - Nike T90 Laser II Limited

Rooney continued his excellent recent form combining unrivalled work rate with attacking threats. As in the second half against Spurs, Rooney played majority on the left a could consider himself unlucky not to get onto the scoresheet. If there was a moment to sum up a sterotypical Rooney style, a powerful run into the area from the left was the perfect example of the England man's undoubted skill.

Rooney is currently playing in the T90 Laser II Limtied boots, with a perforated upper designed to keep the foot cool and breathing easier - as well as devestating accruacy and power credentials.

Cristiano Ronaldo - Nike Vapor Superfly

A night when the mercurial winger was not at his complete best, but still showed that he has the ability to turn a game much like his wonder strike against Porto. The superb shot that dipped and crashed against the bar will still be leaving Almunia with nightmares as he was rooted to the spot!

Ronaldo is still rocking the Superfly boots, enjoying all the lightweight speed benefits this revolutionary boot offers.

Arsenal Star Men

Kolo Toure - adidas Predator Rome

It is a fair reflection of the match that the Gunners best players were defensive, as Toure often took the responsibility and charge in keeping the visitors in the game. The best moment of the night for the Ivory Coast rock was the awesome sprint to deny Berbatov with a perfectly timed tackle. Solid as a rock and could do little about O'Shea's strike.

Wearing the Champions League Rome edition of the adidas Predator PowerSwerve, the boot offers incredible power and stability as well as tons of technology to inspire confidence against even the toughest opponents.

Kieran Gibbs - Nike Tiempo Legend II

Wenger once again has brought through a very promising youngster that must be making Arsenal fans finally think "Ashley who?!" Pitted against Ronaldo is not an easy task, but Gibbs held is own on more than one occasion. Arguably more so as the game wore on, the Portugese winger drifted inside to avoid the Arsenal full back is a compliment worth paying.

Sporting the Nike Tiempo Legend II the classic feel boot offers all the touch and control a maurading full back would need!

Manuel Almunia - Nike Vapor Grip 3 Gloves

Arguably the main reason the Gunners are still in with a chance of making the final in Rome. The impressive keeper made some excellent saves, and couldn't do much about the goal!

Preferring to keep it old school, Almunia still sports the original Nike T90 Laser boots and one of the initial colour ways of the Nike Vapor Grip 3 goalkeeper gloves, both of which compliment the Gunners matchday attire easily.

So who do you think will be stepping out in Rome next month? Have Manchester United done enough to make it to the final? Or will the home advantage help see Arsenal through? Have your say on the SoccerBible now!

Bendtner's Pink Mercurial Vapor Rosa football boots get the world talking! - 26/11/08

Editor — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 10:11:00 GMT

Nicklas Bendtner has got the whole world talking about his Pink Nike Mercurial Vapor Rosa football boots after striking an excellent late winning goal for Arsenal in the Champions League!

To a chorus of wolf whistles Bendtner entered the arena wearing a bold statement on his feet. Bendtner had taken to the field wearing his Pink Mercurial Vapor Rosa football boots, knowing that the kind of player who can wear such a boot has to quick, skillful and good enough. The stage was set at 0-0 with just minutes to play for a big player in a big pair of football boots to make the difference...

On the 87th minute Bendtner raced through, beat the defender and struck the ball into the back of the net: the Pink Mercurial Vapor Rosa football boots had arrived!

Bendtner has announced to the world Nike's ground-breaking Mercurial Vapor Rosa football boots, a boot packed with innovation. Flying out of Nike's speed range the Mercurial Vapor football boots boast such superstars as Cristiano Ronaldo, Robinho and Franck Ribery!