CHRIS SAMBA, the Blackburn Rovers captain, said he wants to make life a “living hell” for Arsenal at Ewood Park today when the Premier League’s bottom club, with just a point to their name, are expecting disgruntled supporters to stage a march to demand the manager’s removal prior to the lunchtime kick-off.
Samba feels that is unnecessary as performances have deserved far better and he is convinced Rovers have the game to worry Arsenal.
The Congo defender, who was linked with a move to Emirates Stadium during the summer, said: “If you are a football player you shouldn’t be scared of any team. It is a home game and it is up to us to make it a living hell for them when they come here. It is simple, we must to do our best to make sure they don’t play as they want, to make it horrible for them.
“We are so unlucky to be talking about this. With a bit of luck we would not be here, we would have four or five points and be in the middle of the table, comfortably. We have shown we can play good football but at the moment we are not winning. We do look like a good team and we just need a fraction to be a great team.”
Blackburn’s co-owner Venkatesh Rao, meanwhile, has insisted his manager Steve Kean’s job is safe. Rao added: “I am not worried about the welcome for tomorrow, I’m more worried about the results. If we give results I am sure everybody will be happy.”
Arsene Wenger has said that Arsenal are at the start of a new cycle as he integrates the summer signings into his squad but he believes the club are still strong enough to challenge on all fronts and will hope to build on last weekend’s 1-0 win over Swansea City and the 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday. “The cycle starts again because we have taken five players (towards end of the window). But we have invested as well our highest investment has been in (Alex Oxlade-) Chamberlain, a young player. We will not give up on our youth policy,” said Wenger, who conceded that it is difficult to balance the beginning of a new cycle with the fans’ expectation.
“Yes. I agree completely but we want our fans to be happy, we want to win trophies and we will give absolutely everything to do it,” he said. “Is the balance difficult to find? Of course. But look at the Champions League results of all the English teams it is not as easy as it looks to cope with both (that competition and the Premier League). In the modern society the cycle takes zero days.”
Wenger also admitted that the challenge of taking on Rovers at Ewood Park will test a depleted side. “It’s a massive test for us,” he said. “If you want to play a good role in the Premier League, the way you transition from Champions League to the championship is important. Let’s win the next game. The most difficult thing is to show consistency, in any sport and we have managed that above and beyond expectations.”
