Invisiblewall.net: Gilberto Silva News

Glenn Moore of the Independent wrote this article about Gilberto’s recent chitter-chatterings:

Gilberto Silva, Brazil’s former Arsenal midfielder, has called upon the club’s senior players to help the young team emerge from their current torpor. Gilberto, who returned to the Emirates for the first time since his summer departure for Brazil’s match against Italy last night, said he thought some of the young players were struggling to cope with the pressure of expectations and needed support.

“It’s hard for a big club like Arsenal to be so long without a title and the team is also very young,” he said. “They need time and this is the problem at Arsenal – when you are in a big club you don’t have much time to grow up and they don’t know how to cope under pressure. The pressure is there and the young players need a lot of support from the experienced players to get them through, but it’s hard for the experienced players to help them in the situation they have.”

Gilberto’s qualities were not always appreciated by Arsenal fans during his six seasons at the club but the defensive midfielder has been missed this season. Not that he would admit it.

“I don’t know if they’re missing a player like me but they had several experienced players like myself, Patrick Vieira, Robert Pires, other important players who did a great job for Arsenal. Suddenly things changed, young players came in, some players left the club. What matters at this time is that the experienced players stand up for the club and make sure everyone works together. I’m sure everyone is working really hard.”

Gilberto, who now plays in Greece with Panathinaikos but has retained his place in the selecao with whom he won the 2002 World Cup, added: “It’s so hard to see Arsenal in the position they are at the moment. I hope they can change their situation. I’ve spoke to some of the players and of course they are really disappointed but I’m sure they’ll change very soon.

“It’s a big period for Arsenal. Since I was there they haven’t experienced a situation like this. Now they are out of the Champions League places which is very uncomfortable but I’m sure they will pick up points and get back and qualify for the Champions League like we expect. They’ve got quality and a good manager, Arsène Wenger, will do a good job with them.”

Gilberto praised Robinho for his speed of integration into the Premier League but was not surprised that another Brazilian, Kaka, had not joined Robinho at Manchester City.

“Robinho’s done a very good job. Sometimes it’s hard because he is so skilful and the style of the Premier League is totally different from Spain where he was before. But he’s adapted quite well, improving game by game.

“Kaka is very focused on what he wants. His priority is to be the best player in the world again, this was in his thinking. I didn’t speak to him at all about this but staying in Milan gives him the chance to be first in the world.”

The Arsenal winger Theo Walcott hopes to be back in action by the end of the month. The 19-year-old has been sidelined since suffering a shoulder injury while on international duty in November, which required surgery.

“I am nearly there, and hopefully [will be back] by the end of this month,” Walcott said. “I am doing a lot of rehab work now with the shoulder, landing on it, and also in the gym with a lot of weights to build the muscle strength back. I just feel it will be when I am ready. Obviously I do not want to do it again, so I have got to be 100 per cent fit.”

Walcott revealed the shoulder problem is an inherited condition, but believes the latest operation will see him return stronger. “My dad had an operation on his right side [shoulder] as well, and when I had my left side done, they did a scan on my right and said that something might have to be done at a different stage,” Walcott added.

From USA Today:

LONDON — Embattled coach Dunga again takes Brazil into a friendly looking for a victory to bolster his job security. But don’t expect world champion Italy to roll over Tuesday in London as Portugal did in November’s 6-2 rout.

And Dunga’s plans for the Emirates Stadium clash have been disrupted by injuries, as both teams try to improve their form ahead of crucial World Cup qualifiers.

“It’s a massive game, I hope we’ll start the new year well,” said Brazil midfielder Gilberto Silva, who left Arsenal to join Panathinaikos last year. “It’s the first time I’ve come back to England since I left Arsenal. I’m so pleased to be back, I hope to see some friends. I’ve missed being here.”

From Fox Sports:

LONDON (AP) – Brazil coach Dunga came to the defense of one of his predecessors Monday, saying Chelsea was too hasty in firing Luiz Felipe Scolari.

Scolari is revered in Brazil for guiding the country to its fifth World Cup title in 2002. He also won the Copa Libertadores with both Gremio and Palmeiras.

Brazil midfielder Gilberto Silva, who left Arsenal to join Panathinaikos last year, echoed Dunga’s frustrations.

“It’s hard to transform a club when you’re a new coach,” Gilberto said. “Some other managers have the same problem adapting but they need time. Maybe the next year will be stronger and the team will do well but the squad has a lot of quality.”

From AFP:

RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) — Former European footballer of the year Ronaldinho was on Monday recalled to Brazil’s squad by coach Carlos Dunga for a friendly international against Italy in London next month.

The 28-year-old striker, also the FIFA World Player of the Year in both 2004 and 2005, is part of a Europe-based squad also including his AC Milan team-mates, midfielder Kaka, striker Alexandre Pato and keeper Thiago Silva.

Manchester City’s Robinho and Inter Milan’s Adriano are also in the squad, adding to Dunga’s attacking options for the fixture at Arsenal’s Emirates stadium on February 10.

Dunga called up 25-year-old Fiorentina midfielder Felipe Melo for the first time after praising the player in recent performances.

Manchester United midfielder Anderson was also on Dunga’s list although just three days ago it was announced he would be out for three weeks with an ankle injury after being stretchered off in the League Cup semi-final win over Derby on January 20.

Brazil squad for friendly against Italy on February 10

Keepers: Julio Cesar (Inter Milan/ITA), Doni (AS Roma/ITA)

Defenders: Maicon (Inter Milan/ITA), Daniel Alves (Barcelona/ESP), Lucio (Bayern Munich/GER), Juan (AS Roma/ITA), Thiago Silva (AC Milan/ITA), Luisao (Benfica/POR), Marcelo (Real Madrid/ESP), Adriano Correia (Sevilla/ESP)

Midfielders: Gilberto Silva (Panathinaikos/GRE), Josue (Wolfsburg/GER), Anderson (Manchester United/ENG), Felipe Melo (Fiorentina/ITA), Elano (Manchester City/ENG), Julio Baptista (AS Roma/ITA), Ronaldinho (AC Milan/ITA), Kaka (AC Milan/ITA)

Strikers: Alexandre Pato (AC Milan/ITA), Luis Fabiano (Sevilla/ESP), Adriano (Inter Milan/ITA), Robinho (Manchester City/ENG)

Panathinaikos played against Panthrakikos on January 13th, and Pana won 3-1. Gilberto scored the final goal of the game in the form of a header from a cross.

Watch the goal here: http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1952525/

Round 17’s review from Goal.com

From Goal.com

AEK Frustrate Panathinaikos In Derby Stalemate
It was another derby stalemate for Panathinaikos, this time held by Dusan Bajevic’s organized AEK outfit in the Greek capital…

Panathinaikos and AEK Athens played out a typical scoreless derby draw at the OAKA Spiros Louis Stadium on Sunday evening, as both sides allowed rivals Olympiakos to skip further away from them on the Greek Super League table.

Henk Ten Cate’s team were the driving force behind what was a predominantly tense affair in the nation’s capital, where former Arsenal midfielder Gilberto Silva was guilty of two glaring misses in either half of the match.

For the visitors, Sotiris Kyrgiakos hit the post with a first-half header as Dusan Bajevic’s men frustrated their opponents, continuing the manager’s unbeaten run since taking over earlier in the season.

It was former Arsenal captain Gilberto Silva who missed a wonderful chance to score only his second competitive goal for his new club.

Salpiggidis initially combined well with Vaggelis Mantzios, hitting the by-line before cutting the ball back for the unmarked Silva in the box, who from barely six yards out contrived to somehow slide the ball wide of a virtually empty net.

Apart from that chance to the Brazilian, the home team were largely shackled by their Athenian rivals, who themselves weren’t hesitating to commit bodies forward and maintain a constant threat from set pieces.

It was the pace of Greece international Dimitris Salpiggidis that again unlocked AEK’s back-line, the winger cutting the ball back for Gilberto Silva in a carbon-copy of the Brazilian’s chance in the first half.

Again though the veteran midfielder’s finish was lacking, the 32 year-old firing well over the crossbar after arriving late into the penalty area.

From Goal.com:

Panathinaikos midfielder Gilberto Silva says criticism for a slow start to his career in Greece is unfair.

The former Arsenal and Brazil captain was voted the Greek Super League player of the round following a match-winning performance against Skoda Xanthi last weekend.

Silva, who became the most expensive player in the history of Greek football when he moved to Panathinaikos during the summer, scored his first goal for the club on Saturday.

However, he insists his lack of attacking impact is a result of his role in the team, rather than his performance.

“People are waiting for me to do things like Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Robinho,” Silva said. “But I’m not that type of player.

“I have a defensive role and I look to bring balance to the team.

“In the past few weeks I’ve been feeling better and as I perform better, my confidence grows.”

With his team currently sitting in third place, nine points off league leaders Olympiakos, the midfielder who enjoyed a highly successful career in England is looking to bring a Greek title to his new club to end their four-year drought.

“The championship is what we want and we will give our best to win it,” Silva said.

“We have two games to finish the year and we want to take maximum points.

“We want to start the new year well, something we didn’t do at the start of the season.”

From Goal.com:

Player Ratings: Panathinaikos 1-0 Anorthosis Famagusta

Panathinaikos booked their place in the Last 16 of the UEFA Champions League and Goal.com’s Chris Paraskevas gives you his verdict on who starred – and choked – during their final group stage clash with Anorthosis Famagusta…

Gilberto – 8.0: An irrepressible first-half display saw the former Arsenal captain drive his team forward at every opportunity, taking up intelligent positions within the Anorthosis half and spreading the play extremely well at times, stretching an otherwise comfortable Cypriot defence. Linked up well with lone striker Vaggelis Mantzios in particular, though his influence waned slightly during the second-half, where he sat deeper and was non-existent as an attacking threat. Nonetheless used all of his experience to guide the Greeks into the next round – has been a calming influence in midfield throughout the campaign.

From uefa.com:

Gilberto reflected on an “amazing achievement” after Henk ten Cate’s Panathinaikos FC clinched a place in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League as Group B winners with a 1-0 win against Anorthosis Famagusta FC on Matchday 6.

Remarkable turnaround
Giorgos Karagounis’ 69th-minute strike proved enough to clinch the victory which, combined with FC Internazionale Milano’s 2-1 defeat by Werder Bremen, saw Pana claim top spot in the pool, completing a remarkable turnaround for Ten Cate’s side. “It’s simply fantastic. To finish first in the group is incredible,” said Gilberto. “It is an amazing achievement because we perhaps didn’t expect it to happen after the bad start we had.”

Passion and experience
Panathinaikos had looked to be out of contention after picking up just one point from their first three matches. However, away wins against Werder Bremen (3-0) and Inter (1-0) followed before Tuesday’s success on Ten Cate’s 54th birthday ended Anorthosis’ impressive debut campaign in the competition and propelled the Greek side to the summit.

‘A long way’
“We always believed in ourselves, and through our passion and experience we have managed not only to qualify but to do it as group winners,” continued the former Arsenal FC midfielder. “We feel we can go a long way in the competition if we play as we have done in the last three matches. In the next phase, however, things are different. We need to be at our best.”

‘Anything can happen’
Match-winner Karagounis was given a rousing reception from the 70,000 supporters packed inside the OACA Spiros Louis Stadium when substituted late on, and the Greek international was delighted with the result. “It is vital that we have qualified as group winners. We have finished above Inter Milan which is a great achievement,” said the 31-year-old. “We are now among the 16 best teams in Europe.” Karagounis, whose galvanising displays have been a key factor for his club in the campaign so far, continued: “I don’t have a particular preference for our next opponents, we will wait for the draw to see. All the teams in the knockout stage are good and whoever we play will pose a difficult challenge for us, but anything can happen.”

From The International Herald Tribune:

Panathinaikos beats Xanthi 2-1 in Greek league

ATHENS, Greece: Croatian striker Ante Rukavina came off the bench to score the winner for 10-man Panathinaikos to beat Xanthi 2-1 in the Greek league on Saturday.

Brazilian midfielder Gilberto Silva gave Panathinaikos the lead in the 22nd minute off a perfect pass from 18-year-old Sotiris Ninis. It was Gilberto’s first goal in 10 matches for the Athens club.