Vermaelen eyes repeat performance

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Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen says both he and his team-mates are already fully focussed on Tuesday night’s Champions League play-off with Celtic, after hammering Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday. The 23-year-old joined the Gunners from Ajax over the summer in a £10 million deal, and made an instant impression for his new club, heading home the second goal in Arsenal's 6-1 humiliation of David Moyes' men on Merseyside.

And the stopper has revealed he is already looking forward to midweek trip to Glasgow.

“Of course the Everton result is good for our spirit but already we are looking towards Tuesday," he said in the Evening Standard.

"We can be happy with this but now we have to be focused on qualifying for the Champions League. It is not going to be easy.

“Celtic are a good team and we will have to be on the top of our game to beat them. I joined Arsenal to play in the Champions League, it is important for every player and club to be there.

“I don’t know too much about Celtic but they have some good, physical players up front and I think it could be a similar match to Everton. We will have to be physical again and also play our own game.”

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Gregg Davies
Gregg Davies

Gregg Davies is the Chief Sub Editor of FourFourTwo magazine, joining the team in January 2008 and spending seven years working on the website. He supports non-league behemoths Hereford and commentates on Bulls matches for Radio Hereford FC. His passions include chocolate hobnobs and attempting to shoehorn Ronnie Radford into any office conversation.