The 60,000 seat state-of-the-art stadium is the most technologically advanced in Europe providing magnificent pitch views and modern facilities throughout.

Emirates Stadium boasts a choice of Executive Boxes and Club Level seats on the two premium hospitality levels which encircle the stadium bowl. The two tiers offer unrivalled hospitality facilities combining the finest catering with the best views of the action.

The vast majority of hospitality is secured seasonally, however due to high demand we have reserved a limited number of packages that are available on match-by-match basis.

Match-by-match Hospitality
Arsenal’s Matchday Hospitality package offer a unique experience; each providing first-class dining, an exciting pre-match build-up and top quality football at one of the best stadiums in Europe.

Our matchday hospitality packages can now be booked online. Click here to see the latest availability.

Seasonal Hospitality
Emirates Stadium offers two premium levels available to both corporates and fans on a seasonal basis. Club Level comprises eight rows of seating on the same tier as the Directors’ box, whilst the 150 Executive Boxes are situated on the tier directly above.

Seats at these levels feature some of the best sight lines in Emirates Stadium. They have excellent access to bars and restaurants, which offer the only seated dining facilities within the stadium. All Executive Boxes and Club Level seats are secured on a seasonal basis. For more information click here.

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John O’Shea is calling for United to build on a first opening-day win for three seasons when the Reds travel to Turf Moor in midweek.

After a unfortunately-timed international break, domestic games are coming thick and fast now, giving the champions and the challengers a chance to rack up nine points in a week.

“You don’t want to be playing catch-up, even after only one game. Other teams are looking stronger now so it’s important we stamp our authority early on in the season,” said O’Shea in his post-match interview on MUTV.

“We’ve opened the last two league seasons with draws (against Reading and Newcastle) so we’re happy to have picked up three points against Birmingham. Now we move on with a tough game at Burnley to look forward to.”

O’Shea was an authority figure for United on Sunday, as he led the team out in the absence of the injured Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand. Although he later handed the armband to half-time substitute Ryan Giggs, it was still an honour for the big Irishman.

“It was very special. I’ve done it in friendly matches which is also nice, but to do it in a Premier League game when it really matters, for the manager to have faith in me like that, is something special and something I’ll always cherish,” said O’Shea.

The Republic of Ireland international was the most experienced member of United’s back four, but he had no qualms about the relatively young defenders around him.

“I enjoyed

playing alongside Jonny Evans at centre-back, we know each other very well as we’re good friends off the pitch. So there wasn’t going to be a problem there and behind us Ben Foster showed he’s going to be a special keeper as well.”

Foster’s wonderful save to deny Birmingham substitute Christian Benitez was perhaps more vital than it should have been – O’Shea admits to being anxious after the Reds missed chances to gain a two-goal cushion.

“It would have been nice to get the second goal, particularly in the first half because I think then you would have seen a more confident second-half performance from us. I think we let the edginess creep into our game in the second half and that gave Birmingham encouragement.”

O’Shea didn’t find fault with United’s forwards for not killing the game; instead he backed match-winner Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen to score more as the season gets into full swing.

“Michael Owen was unlucky with a couple of chances but I’m sure he’ll get off the mark soon. I think he’ll be like Wayne in that he’ll get his goals in runs. The sooner the first one comes, the better.

“As for Wayne, I think pre-season was so important, for him to get that sharpness he needs. Once he gets that, he’s so hard to stop. I think that goal today will give him a lot of confidence and it’s only going to benefit us in the games to come.”

http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={B4CEE8FA-9A47-47BC-B069-3F7A2F35DB70}&newsid=6637902&page=2 ]]> http://www.tailorevents.com/champions-league/we-need-to-assert-our-authority/feed/ 0 http://www.tailorevents.com/champions-league/the-future-is-with-the-young/ http://www.tailorevents.com/champions-league/the-future-is-with-the-young/#comments Sun, 16 Aug 2009 16:54:00 +0000 admin http://www.tailorevents.com/?p=643 Sir Alex Ferguson is prepared for change in the post-Ronaldo era, insisting that this is an exciting time at Old Trafford with a glut of talented, and he says underrated, young players bursting through the ranks.

While the press lingered somewhat on the potential effects of Ronaldo’s departure on the eve of the Barclays Premier League’s opening weekend, Sir Alex enthusiastically laid out his blueprint for continued success.

“It’s a fresh start, a new challenge for us,” he said. “We have a lot of young players that want to do well. That’s the area in which I am most encouraged. Our critics are misreading the situation with our young players developing and improving. There are good signs there. We have a very strong squad. We’re where we want to be.

“I think most of the players at some point expected Cristiano to leave, so it wasn’t such a great shock. That’s not a problem. The issue is how we progress as a team, in a different shape and a different way to when Cristiano was here. That is something I’m looking forward to and interested to see our progress and what this team can do. It will be different without Cristiano.”

Sir Alex feels Ronaldo’s replacement – collectively rather than from one individual – will come from within, and most likely from United’s emerging phalanx of young players.

“You hope the nucleus of experience we have helps those young players develop, passing on everything they’ve picked up over the years,” he added. “Whatever they have done in the past can be done by these players. They’re at the right club and have the right motivation to win, with the right platform to succeed. That’s the value of players like Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville. The transmits itself into these young players.

“In terms of numbers, we have a lot of young players. Danny Welbeck is back from the England games now and has trained this week which is good. Federico Macheda played for Italy’s Under-21s in midweek in Russia, so they are developing very well.

“Then we have Rafael and Fabio, and Darron Gibson we think will be a top player. He has come on fantastically well. He’s coming on fine, and then Anderson and Nani are 21 and 22. They’re only young players. I’m very happy with what I have got.”

United’s English, European and World football hasn’t lessened the established players’ determination to keep succeeding. And the influx of youth has perhaps only aided it.

“There is no decline [in our motivation to succeed],” added Sir Alex. “Our pre-season went well and our form is good. I think we should have won the Community Shield and we should have beaten Bayern Munich in the Audi Cup. But they’re the games we needed. They brought good edge to our game and Sunday is the acid test of whether we’re ready.”

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The fans have been counting down the days until the big kick-off this weekend – are the players the same?
Yes, we’re all very excited and just want to get on with it. I don’t think any player likes pre-season because of the obvious hard work and running! The games are all about fitness really so we’re all looking forward to getting going on Sunday.

How will United approach the new campaign?
We’ll just approach it the same as any other really. We’re champions and we know everyone will be out to beat us, but we’re used to that. The challenges are there for us, both as individuals and as a team. You just have to prepare yourself properly, make sure you have that hunger and desire and enjoy yourself.

Are you starting the season with any pre-conceived ideas that this might be your last?
No, I’m just really excited. I take every season as it comes now. If I’m enjoying my football and I’m fit then I’ll carry on. I felt good last season and I’ve felt good during pre-season this time and I’ll just go out and try to enjoy myself. At 35, coming up to 36 in November, the last couple of years have been a bonus for me really. I’m still playing at a top club and enjoying it more than ever.

Do you think they’ll be a point where you’ll make a decision or will you just see how things go?
No, I’m just focused on the season. I don’t think you

can afford to spend time thinking about that because you’ve got to put all your energy into playing for United and performing to your best.

You’ve achieved so much in your career, but what would winning four titles in a row mean to you?
Well that’s the challenge for us. It’s never been done before and this club is pretty good at setting new records, hopefully we can do that. It’s such a tough league to win – the usual big four will be up there. Obviously no-one knows what’s going to happen at City so we’ll have to wait and see with them. They’ve obviously acquired some quality players, but it just depends whether they gel quickly or if it takes a little bit of time. We’re just focused on doing our best and and if we could do it, it would certainly be a great achievement.

How do you assess the strength of the squad?
We’ve certainly got a big squad and there’s been a good emergence of young talent in Kiko [Macheda], Welbeck, Fabio, Rafael and Darron Gibson which is very exciting to see. With the additions of Michael [Owen] and Antonio [Valencia] as well, I think the squad is really strong. Obviously everyone is looking at how we’re going to cope without Cristiano [Ronaldo] and Carlos [Tevez], but we’ve done alright in pre-season and things are looking good.

What have you made of Michael Owen’s performances so far?
I think you’ve seen during pre-season that Michael is a top goalscorer. You never lose that knack of getting into the right positions and putting the ball in the back of the net. It’s something you’re born with. He’s been our top scorer duringpre-season and that just proves his quality.

What impact will the departure of Ronaldo have on the team?
I’ve seen many great players come and go at this club, but that’s part and parcel of being a footballer. As a player you don’t think about it, it’s more the fans and the media who talk about it.

The manager has talked about playing Wayne Rooney in his favoured position up front this season – how much will he relish that opportunity?
A lot has been made of where his best position is, but I think he’s a centre-forward. He’s just that good a footballer than he can perform well elsewhere in the team and he did that last season. It seems now that he’ll play the majority of the games up front and he’ll be the person we’ll be looking at to score the goals because he’s such a great player.

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Rooney’s goal – a simple tap-in after his header had come off the post – took his tally in a United shirt to 99 and gave the Reds an opening-day win for the first time in three years.

“Wayne took his goal well,” Sir Alex told MUTV. “The header was a good one and then he reacted the right way – he was quick to follow up. That gets him on the road to what we hope will be a very significant total for us this season.

“It’s good if you can get two or three of your players to score more than 20 goals. Wayne’s capable of that – we’re not asking him to do the impossible.”

United dazzled only in fits and starts against newly-promoted Birmingham City, although the manager was quick to highlight the visitors’ defensive qualities.

“The first game of the season is like that for us sometimes – Reading got a 0-0 here a couple of years ago – but three points is better than we’ve got from our first game in the last two years.

“Today, the way Birmingham set their stall out, they were always going to be very determined, resilient and hard to break down.

“That’s understandable – they’ve come out of the Championship and they’re desperate to stay in the top flight. They’ve got a lot of experience in their team and that was noticeable with the amount of shots they blocked – I think Scholesy alone had four shots blocked inside the box.”

Sir Alex’s men also defended resolutely, notching a clean sheet despite the absence of

regular centre-backs Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.

“I think clean sheets are always an indication of your determination to defend well as a team. I’ll take eight 1-0 results every season.

“It’s not great on the nerves but this club’s famous for that – nobody gets an easy ride here, not the supporters, not the staff, the players nor myself. We always keep the fans on the edge of their seats – it’s exciting.

“Ben Foster made a fantastic save in the second half. He looked very comfortable and relaxed in his role today and I think he’s learnt from last week at Wembley.

“That was an unusually nervy performance from him last week. We know he has ability and he proved that again today.”

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Ferdinand didn’t feature in Sir Alex’s squad on Sunday as the Reds welcomed newly-promoted Birmingham City to Old Trafford. And the manager has revealed he expects the defender to be out for “maybe two weeks”.

It’s bad news for the boss, who also saw Jonny Evans limp out of action on Sunday and is without fellow defenders Gary Neville (groin) and Rafael (shoulder). But it’s not all doom and gloom for the Reds.

“Nemanja Vidic is back training,” Sir Alex told MUTV. “Hopefully we’ll get him back for next Saturday at Wigan.

“We’ve had a hard time with injuries in our defence over the last two seasons but we’ve got capable people to fill in. Look at John O’Shea: what a role he does for this club – he plays everywhere and without any complaints. He just gets on with the job – he has fantastic understanding of what he has to do and we’re very lucky to have a player like that.”

It was O’Shea who filled in at centre-back against Birmingham and the Irishman will no doubt feature there again on Wednesday as United travel to Turf Moor.

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“There is no rule that forbids a team from outside the ‘Big Four’ winning the League. Why not? Man City, Aston Villa… Villa at some stage last year were close before they collapsed in the final third of the season.”

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“The ambition is to finish as high as possible,” said the manager at his pre-match press conference.
 
“What is as high as possible is to finish first, it is as simple as that. The competition is of a high level and many aspire to that so let’s continue to play the game the way we want to play it and I believe we can show that we have made big steps forward.
 
“The ambition is to win the title but there is a maximum aspiration and a minimum aspiration. Of course you want minimum to be in the top four and maximum to win the title.
 
“It is exactly the same [in Europe] but first of all we want to qualify for the Champions League and we have a tricky opponent. But let’s first start well in the Premier League.”
 
At first glance the loss of Toure and Adebayor appears to have weakened Arsenal’s squad. But the issue is not so cut-and-dried for Wenger. The Frenchman has added to his defensive options this summer and expects a significant improvement from the youngsters who spent last season under the microscope.
 
“We have developed, and are young. Why should we not be better in August than we were in March?” asked Wenger.

“We have a very young squad and we lost two great players. However, we have bought [Thomas] Vermaelen to replace Kolo and we have Eduardo back, who for me is a great player.

“We have players who develop very well and are young, like Vela, Bendtner, Walcott, who are all strikers, so I do not feel we are short in these positions.”

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They were written off in most quarters before a ball was kicked this season but Arsène Wenger’s players showed they mean business with an emphatic win on Merseyside.

Denilson curled in a sumptuous 25-yarder to get the ball rolling and Thomas Vermaelen marked a hugely impressive debut with a thumping header from Robin van Persie’s free-kick. William Gallas nodded in a third from close range as Arsenal took a stranglehold on the game before half-time.

Cesc Fabregas rounded off a classic counter-attack two minutes into the second half and added a fifth from long range before Eduardo tapped in late on to compound Everton woes.

Louis Saha scored a stoppage-time consolation for Everton but that did not stop the travelling fans roaring a heart-warming refrain as they left Goodison Park: “We are top of the League!”

There’s an awfully long way to go, of course, but Arsenal have laid down a marker. The early signs are promising to say the least and they won’t face many tougher away trips than this before May.

The most notable name on Wenger’s first team-sheet of the season was Vermaelen’s. The summer signing from Ajax had a taste of the ‘up and at ‘em’ nature of English football at Barnet last month but Everton, among the top flight’s finest set-piece exponents, would test Vermaelen to the limit.

He passed his examination with flying colours.

After kicking off four consecutive seasons on home soil, Arsenal were probably due an opening-day away trip. And they don’t come much harder than Everton. Mind you, as Manuel Almunia pointed out last week, he’d sooner be here in the August sunshine than the January frost. The Goodison Park surface is rather more pristine at this time of year and you sensed that might suit Arsenal’s neat, passing game.

So it proved.

With Alex Song providing a solid base in midfield, Fabregas and Denilson broke quickly to support the front three of Nicklas Bendtner, Andrey Arshavin and Van Persie. And after an even opening, the pendulum swung Arsenal’s way.

Bendtner and Van Persie had already fired early shots across Everton’s bows when the Dutchman made a break down the right in the 25th minute. He clipped the ball inside to Fabregas and the captain slid it into Denilson’s path, 25 yards from goal.

The Brazilian met it perfectly, curling the ball beyond Tim Howard’s despairing dive and into the top corner. No one touched the ball more than Denilson in the Premier League last season; none of those touches were as impressive as this one.

Everton looked for an immediate response but found Vermaelen in their path. The centre back stood up well to twice deny Leon Osman as the midfielder looked to break into the box.

Then Denilson, just seven minutes after opening the scoring, kicked Maroune Fellaini’s header off the line to deny the hosts an equaliser.

A goal then would have changed the context of the game. Instead, Arsenal tightened their grip nine minutes before the break.

Van Persie, having over-hit a couple of free-kicks from a similar position, floated a perfect delivery towards the far post from 40 yards out. Vermaelen had peeled off cleverly and powered a header past Howard.

If it was a pleasant surprise to see Arsenal score from one set-piece, to see them score from two was pure delight.

This time Fabregas provided the ammunition, curling a free-kick in from the left, and Gallas glanced the ball into the bottom corner. That was pretty much game, set and match.

Denilson almost added a fourth before the break but Howard got down well to deny the Brazilian. The Everton keeper did not have to wait long for another test of his credentials.

Only two minutes of the second half had elapsed when Arsenal cleared a corner and then raced the length of the pitch to score a beautifully-crafted fourth. Denilson found Van Persie on the left and Fabregas made a gut-busting charge through the centre to collect the Dutchman’s pass and beat Howard.

Jack Rodwell, one third of a triple Everton substitution, fired over the bar as the home side searched in vain for scraps. But David Moyes’ side were a shadow of the team that troubled Arsenal so much here in January.

Fabregas soon underlined the visitors’ superiority, storming through the middle before arrowing a low shot into the bottom corner. Then Eduardo got in on the act with two minutes left, tapping in after Arshavin’s effort had bounced off the post.

Saha snatched a late consolation to leave a minor stain on Arsenal’s clean sheet but it did nothing to dampen spirits in the away end. “Boring, boring Arsenal!” mocked the visiting fans.

Before this game Wenger suggested that his team would need 82 points for a serious stab at the title.

Three down, 79 to go. The ‘also-rans’ are up and running in the grandest manner.

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Take this week’s reports about Barcelona’s interest in Cesc Fabregas. At his usual Friday press conference, the manager rubbished the very notion that he would sell his skipper and joked that he could make a counter inquiry for Lionel Messi. It would be news of course but if he received a valuation of £125 million the deal is never going to actually happen!

“Cesc is committed to the Club,” said the manager. “He has told me that and told that to the press. We cannot master the noises coming out of Spain.

“They have the same problems in the newspapers looking for headlines. When they have no ideas anymore, they come out with a Fabregas story.

“He has corrected those stories. It is not him who encourages the idea. It is the press who encourages the idea. Where does that story come from? Does that come from Fabregas two days ago? It comes from Spain.

“[For example] I have made a bid for Messi and nobody speaks about it,” he joked. Then, with a big smile on his face, the manager said he was quoted £125 million.

“How can people think we will sell Fabregas one day before the start of the Premier League?,” he went on.

“We are not in a weak financial position, we don’t need to sell anybody. Cesc has always been very committed, this is his sixth year, what he wants is to win trophies for the Club.”

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