No ordinary second fiddle

During Saturday’s match against Crystal Palace, there was a moment where the ball had squirted loose in midfield and two players from opposite teams ran full speed to collect.
Santi Cazorla, the Arsenal man, beat the Crystal Palace midfielder to the ball by mere inches and at the speed he was running I expected him to take a heavy touch and kick the ball to an opponent.
But the ball seemed to stick to him like velcro as he effortlessly switched from left to right foot, skipped by the Palace man, and started Arsenal’s attack.

Santi Cazorla

That moment of skill didn’t make any highlight reels and for many who watched the game might have been lost among the more stellar moments of the game, but for me, it epitomized the play of Cazorla, a player who somehow quietly does the brilliant work in the background while others take the glory.

Legends attend 'Invincibles' premiere

The ‘Invincibles’ side of 2003/04 is celebrated in a new Arsenal Media documentary released this week.
The film, which took almost two years to complete, includes contributions from Arsène Wenger, Thierry Henry, Jens Lehmann, Sol Campbell, Martin Keown and Ray Parlour.
It premiered at the Everyman Cinema in Hampstead on Monday evening, with members of the Invincibles squad in attendance along with a host of famous fans.
‘Invincibles’ will be aired for the first time on Sky Sports 1 & 5 after Wednesday’s Champions League match with Monaco, with an extended version of the film available on iTunes and DVD from March 30.
The documentary will also be aired in the United States on NBC, with the premiere at 12pm (Eastern Time) on Sunday, March 1 following the Arsenal v Everton match.
It will then be screened again the following day at 9pm, as well as on March 14 on 6am  and at 4pm on March 22 (all Eastern Time)

‘I’ve missed Champions League music!

Olivier Giroud cannot wait to return to Champions League action on Wednesday night - as he has particularly missed its “fantastic song”.
The France international has not played a single minute in the competition this season after being ruled out of the group stage with a broken foot.
Now fully fit, the 28-year-old is expected to lead the line in Arsenal’s last-16 first leg clash against Monaco at Emirates Stadium.

I haven’t played a Champions League match for a long time so I’m really pleased to come back, listen to its fantastic song and hopefully go through to the quarter-final
Olivier Giroud

“I haven’t played a Champions League match for a long time so I’m really pleased to come back in this competition, listen to its fantastic song and hopefully go through to the quarter-final,” Giroud said.
“We need it as it has been long time since we reached that stage but we are facing tough opponents. Monaco have some really good young players, even if they don’t have a lot of Champions league experience.

Arsenal v AS Monaco - Match Preview

For a man who has always preferred to look forward than hark back, the past few days must have been somewhat trying for Arsène Wenger.
As soon as the draw for the last 16 of the Champions League was made back in December, the narrative was writ large. This was to be a long-awaited reunion between the Frenchman and the club where he had such success in his formative managerial years.

Wenger pre-Monaco

Welbeck - We don't think of past exits

Danny Welbeck insists Arsenal will not dwell on previous seasons ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League last-16 clash against Monaco.
The Gunners have not reached the quarter-finals since 2009/10, having been knocked out by Bayern Munich, Barcelona and AC Milan in the past four campaigns.
However, Welbeck believes Arsenal have put those exits behind them and have enough quality to overcome Monaco.

It's about making things right and learning from that experience and taking it into the next game
Danny Welbeck

“It is not something that comes into discussion,” the forward said. “You can’t be looking into the past too much about what you could have done, it is about making things right and learning from that experience and taking it into the next game.
“We know that it’s going to be a tough tie for us, it’s going to be played over two legs so we’re not just going to be focused on this one. But obviously getting the right result will set us up nicely for the next tie.

Arsène Wenger says he fell in love with Arsenal when he visited Highbury for the first time in 1989 during his time as Monaco manager.
The Frenchman arrived at the Gunners' spiritual home on his way back from a European Cup scouting mission in Turkey where he was checking up on Galatasaray.
Ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League clash against his former side, Wenger revealed how the chance visit indirectly led to him succeeding Bruce Rioch in 1996.

There was a fantastic atmosphere at Highbury. Even at that time I thought it would be great to be part of that
Arsène Wenger

“I remember the first time I visited Highbury, I was on my own and it was January 2, 1989,” Wenger told the Arsenal Magazine.
“I had been in Turkey two days earlier watching Monaco’s next opponents in the European Cup and I had to fly back on January 1, but I saw that in England they play football at that time of year so I decided to fly back from Ankara to France via London to watch a game first.

Monaco’s squad is well balanced’

The sides will meet for the first time in a competitive fixture, in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at Emirates Stadium.
Coquelin has watched Leonardo Jardim’s team numerous times this season and feels Monaco’s squad is well balanced.
“They’re a very good team,” he told the official matchday programme. “As a French person I follow Ligue 1 a lot so I’ve watched them play many times.
“There are big players who have left in the summer so they have put faith in their young players, who have Dimitar Berbatov and Joao Moutinho around them to learn from. It’s a good mix so it’s going to be a really tough game.

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“They’ve also produced David Trezeguet but now it’s all about Yannick Ferriera-Carrasco, Anthony Martial and they’ve got a left back who’s just been called up for the France national team called Layvin Kurzawa.
“They’re known for their academy and they bring players through from Belgium, so it’ll be a tough game.”

Important Highbury and Islington info

The club would like to make supporters aware that access to Highbury and Islington station will be significantly reduced before and after the Champions League match against Monaco on Wednesday evening.
Although it will be open, construction work means that entry to the station will be slow.
Supporters are encouraged to consider alternative travel routes.
Fans walking to the stadium should also note that the construction work at the station will restrict the walking route between Upper Street and Holloway Road. Pedestrians will need to cross the Highbury Corner roundabout or use Liverpool Road to travel between Upper Street and Holloway Road.

Arsene Wenger urges Arsenal to remain focused and determined

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Arsene Wenger has urged Arsenal to remain focused and determined as their quest for Champions League qualification continues.

 The Gunners are currently sixth in the Premier League table following their Saturday’s 2-1 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.
 Arsenal enter a critical point in their season as they will play twice in the league and host Middlesbrough in the FA Cup and Monaco in the Champions League.
 Wenger said: “What you focus on is how you can put your team in a position to respond well and quickly, and get on with your job.
 “We have a very important period in front of us, with the Champions League, the Premier League and the FA Cup. It is important that the team responds very well and very quickly.
 “We are going into a period where we play many games and where all our squad will be highly important. [It is important that] every player is focused, determined and ambitious.”

£27.5M Arsenal target confirms summer exit

Arsenal have been put on alert after Jackson Martinez admitted he will leave Porto over the summer.

The 28-year-old striker has been long linked with a move to the Premier League, with Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs all interested in the Colombian.

But the Gunners appear to be frontrunners for Martinez’s signature after the in-form forward revealed during last summer’s World Cup that he used to cheer for Arsenal as a boy and would jump at the chance to play for them.

It is thought Martinez, who has netted 25 goals in 29 outings so far this season, has a release clause of £27.5 million in his current deal, with the Premier League trio, plus Roma, Napoli and Juventus all prepared to meet the price.

And the Colombian international is open to a move to either England or Italy when the season is over:

Wenger - We can deal with the pressure

The Gunners are currently sixth in the Premier League but a win against Leicester City on Tuesday will see them leapfrog Manchester United and Southampton into third.
Arsenal have never finished outside of the top four under Wenger and the manager is confident his side will reclaim their place and qualify for the Champions League.

We have a good opportunity to show that we have the strength to deal with that pressure and that we have the quality
Arsène Wenger

“Every year we have been under threat until the last game,” he said. “Every year we’ve managed to do it. We have a good opportunity to show that we have the strength to deal with that pressure and that we have the quality - I’m completely convinced we have the quality.
“We have to deal with our performances. The criticism is always there when you lose a game now. I don’t take it personally. What I take personally is to lose a game.

Willock signs professional contract

The 17-year-old forward has been a regular for the under-18s this season, also playing in six of the under-19s’ seven Uefa Youth League matches. He has represented the under-21s twice so far in 2014/15.
An England youth international, the London-born youngster joined Arsenal at the age of eight.
Everyone at Arsenal would like to congratulate Chris on his first contract, and we look forward to his continued development at the club.

Arsenal v Leicester City

Before every Arsenal fixture, we’ll bring you a Scouting Report on the Gunners’ next opponents.
Arsène Wenger's side host Leicester City at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday. To find out more, we asked tactical expert Michael Cox.
MICHAEL COX
Arsenal were absolutely rampant against a surprisingly open Aston Villa in the previous match at the Emirates, but Leicester City will play in a very different style: they'll sit deep and depend upon sporadic counter-attacking down the flanks for any goalscoring opportunities.
Seventy-six per cent of Leicester's passes are played along the wings, the highest percentage in the Premier League, and that sums up their somewhat old-fashioned approach.

Team news: Alexis, Wilshere and more

Alexis will be back in the group and we don’t have any injuries from Saturday. Everybody else looked fine yesterday.

on the boost of having Alexis back...
He’s our best goalscorer and one of our hardest-working players in the team. Physically I think we suffered a little bit on some occasions on Saturday and it’s good to have him back.

on Jack Wilshere…
He’s back in full training this week. I don’t know exactly [how long until he returns], we have to monitor him on a daily basis and see how he develops.

on Arteta, Debuchy and Oxlade-Chamberlain…
They are still [a while] away. Oxlade-Chamberlain is about two weeks.