Arsene Wenger says he is hoping to draw an English team and get some revenge during the quarter final stage of the Champions League.

His Arsenal side romped to a 5-0 win over Porto last night and showed why they are still the best football side in Europe when they decide to get the ball down and play football.

Niklas Bendtner scored a hat trick as the team did not look as though there were any hang overs from the first leg defeat they suffered on a long and miserable night in the Portuguese city.

Wenger said: “I have a funny feeling that maybe it is good for us to play an English team. We have not done well against Chelsea and not done well against United this year, and it will be a good opportunity to show that we can do it against them.”

“It’s a good opportunity if we get them to show we can do well. If I had a choice I would say yes. If we get them we cannot do worse than we did in the championship, we can only do better.”

“It shows first of all how quickly football changes, but I hope it will not give him too much confidence. I’m happy for him because he had a good game on Saturday but missed chances, and today he had less chances and scored three goals.”

“It’s good for his confidence, but I hope it gives him the desire to work even harder. His confidence level is always stable. He has the size and presence we need. We’re usually a short team, so someone with size is important, offensively and defensively.”

Arsenal are a very difficult side to try and predict when they play in Europe. They are capable of performances like this but they are equally capable of falling short when teams work them out and counter attack their style of play.

Wenger may say that he wants to play an English side but deep down there will probably be a small part of him that hopes to avoid the possibility. For now they will bask in this latest glory.

Bendtner added: “Sometimes it’s one of those days [against Burnley] and today I put it right. I’m happy with my hat-trick, but tomorrow we move on.”

“It will give us a lot of confidence. We want to win the Champions League. It’s something we haven’t done. We scored all our chances today, which is very positive.”

Arsenal are still fighting for glory in the Premier League as well as Europe and there may come a point in the near future where the club have to focus on trying to win just one.

Their squad is not big enough to win both of these competitions and Porto were one of the weaker teams left in the running to lift the Champions League trophy.

Arsenal need to stay grounded after this win because it will be easy to get carried away with the score the way it was.

Arsenal will have to claw back a one goal deficit if they are to beat Porto and make it into the quarter final stages of the Champions League.

The Gunners currently trail 2-1 in the tie against the Portuguese side and will need to work hard to get back into the game quickly.

They have the advantage of an away goal but they still have a number of key players missing from the clash who would have been vitally important. Cesc Fabregas has said that he intends to be involved even though he is carrying a painful injury at present.

The other big worry for Arsenal is not have William Gallas to play in defence. Porto have a very talented attacking team and that was displayed during the first leg of this exciting game.

Arsene Wenger said: “I do not think anyone will be complacent. We know it will be a tricky game, but we believe we can do it. We have good confidence, we are in a good position, so let’s go for it.”

Jesualdo Ferreira added: “We know what our qualities are and we are confident. This will be a very difficult match, but we have the weapons which make it tough for Arsenal. You need to be able to adapt tactically, but we are always playing to win. We will try to do the same what we did at Estadio do Dragao.”

Arsenal will just have to mix up their team a little bit until they find a combination, which will be effective enough to get through the Porto defence that comes to visit the Emirates.

Arsenal will also want to eradicate the memory of the first leg, which saw them give away a bizarre goal from an indirect free kick.

This was the goal, which has put Porto ahead and they will be high on confidence after recent visits to England. They managed to get a draw against Manchester United in the same stage of the competition last season and then narrowly missed out in Portugal during the second game.

The game plan for Arsenal is really quite simple. They need to go out and get ahead in the game very quickly. This will allow them to start expressing themselves and play the football they are famous for.

If they try to pass the ball into the net then it could be a very long night for them. Porto will look to come and defend their lead first, which will mean a well organise defence that is hard to break down.

They also need to keep things tight at the back because if Porto get ahead early in the game then it will be a pretty big mountain that they have to climb.

If you’re a betting person you would probably put your cash on Arsenal as they should be good enough in their own ground to do what they need to get through.

Its like that old saying, isn’t it – ‘if you wanna make an omelette you gotta break some eggs.’ Unfortunately for Aaron Ramsey, football is the omelette and the broken egg shell is his mangled right leg. The story was all too familiar for Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, who must be seriously close to serving up that omelette by now!

After Abou Diaby’s ankle was horrifically crunched by Sunderland’s Dan Smith in a Premier League match in 2006, Brazilian-born striker Eduardo went one better in 2008 with a broken left fibula and an open dislocation of his left ankle through Birmingham’s Martin Taylor’s high challenge.

‘Horrendous and unacceptable’ were the words Arsene Wenger used to label the tackle from Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross which fractured Ramsey’s tibia and fibula, leaving the Welshman’s leg dangling at a freak angle.

Continuing the every-two-year trend, last week was the 19-year-old’s turn. It’s an image no one likes to see in sport, particularly when the victim is a teenager with the promise of midfielder Ramsey. The players were visibly disturbed, Ramsey visibly in agony, and God knows what must have been going through Eduardo’s mind as he entered the pitch as a substitute soon after.

However, to name the tackle which inflicted the leg break ‘horrendous and unacceptable’ is way off the mark from Wenger and any notions of post-match frustration shining through on that were quashed when the Frenchman stood by his quotes later in the coming week.

Shawcross was late, but this is football – late tackles happen as often as a mistimed pass or a misplaced shot, it’s just a part of the game which has been cruel to the Gunners in the past few years.

If the tackle was ‘unacceptable’ then what would have been acceptable from Shawcross? To pull out when he realised he wasn’t going to get there and risk the wrath of Tony Pulis in the dressing room after? James Beattie certainly wouldn’t have hung around for that. The tackle was clumsy but ‘horrendous’ it was not.

Wenger’s follow up comments were tentative, though: “I admire a great technical tackle as much as a creative pass,” Wenger told skysports.com. But if he really admires a good tackle as much as a good pass, then surely he can accept that a bad tackle is as inevitable as a bad pass. It’s typical of Wenger to buck the trend with opinion on this issue, but the trend of horrific injuries to his players should now stop through divine right alone.

Tackling hard is always a risk but risks are what make sports great and the day going in hard is absent from football is the day the sport is no longer a man’s game.

Former Manchester United legend, Ole Solskjaer, has said that his old team cannot afford to make any mistakes in the build up to the end of the season.

United are currently fighting for the title, which will mean they have secured more league victories than the old record that Liverpool set during the 1980s when they were arguably the best team in the world.

Solskjaer, who now coaches the United reserve team, says that even one slip up will cost United the title, as there are a number of teams circling around like vultures, waiting to make a title push.

He said: “We can put a good run together but we can’t afford any more slip-ups if we’re going to realistically challenge for the title. The players know that, the manager knows that and we’re geared up.”

“Whenever you see a striker scoring goals you are happy for him. Wayne’s really put the practice in on the training ground, repeating and repeating himself. That’s what it’s all about as a striker, to get the repetition in, and then you can act on instincts rather than having to think about it when you get on the pitch.”

“You see how successful he’s been and you see how he goes about his business. That’s a recipe for success. He wants people around him who are just as hungry as him and want to win to make United the best team in the world.”

The striker has been considered as Sir Alex Ferguson’s best ever purchase during his time in charge at United. It is also clear that his coaching role means he is still a respected person and many at the club would do well to pay close attention to him.

United’s likely challengers are going to be Chelsea and Arsenal from this point onwards. All of these teams are waiting for each other to make mistakes and as soon as that happens, there will be a gap between the teams.

History has shown that the team who does not make one mistake in the run up to the end of the season always tends to go on and win it with relative ease. United also have much more experience in how to deal with the current situation than the other sides around them.

Arsenal are the outside bet while Chelsea lead the pack and United are just off the shoulder of the blue London side. There best chance to sneak ahead is when they meet Chelsea, as this will provide the chance to take three points off of their main title rivals.

Solskjaer saw it all during his time with the club and experienced many situations like the current one going on with the team. He will be hoping that he can offer guidance and assistance to help Ferguson reach a record 19th title for the club. It will be a tough and up hill challenge but it is clear the Norwegian and the club have lost not a single part of hunger and desire.

Former England player and current legend, Chris Waddle, has said that Theo Walcott does not understand the game enough at international level.

Waddle is speaking ahead of the World Cup this summer and there is still a big chance for someone in the side to step in and make the right and left wing positions their own.

Waddle was an England regular who played in some of the toughest club and country competitions in the world. He will know better than most the qualities needed to read the game at the highest level.

He said: “People keep saying he’s young but Wayne Rooney understood the game at 16, 17. I’ve never seen any difference in Walcott since he was at Southampton and broke into the team at a very young age.”

“I’ve never seen him develop. He just doesn’t understand the game for me – where to be running, when to run inside a full back, when to just play a one-two. It’s all off the cuff. I just don’t think he’s got a football brain and he’s going to have problems. Let’s be honest, good defenders would catch him offside every time. I just don’t know whether he studies the game, learns the game, or what. He’s at a great club where they play fantastic football week-in, week-out, and I’m just surprised he’s never developed his game.”

“I’m surprised Walcott was in the squad. He doesn’t play a lot of football, he hasn’t done anything. he hasn’t done anything for a long time and I think Croatia was a one-off. I just think he’s got a lot to learn. I’ve been more impressed by Adam Johnson at Manchester City than Theo Walcott.”

Waddle’s comments about Johnson at Manchester City will be echoed by many people within the current football community. It is a little strange how a player who was set to join Real Madrid at one point cannot be good enough to play for his own country.

Walcott is a decent player but the point is he still has a lot to prove on the international stage. Johnson needs a chance and he could be a fresher and surprising choice for England’s World Cup squad this summer.

It is a nice problem for Fabio Capello to have and the boss will be hoping that competition for places continues to stay fierce. The one thing he will not want to happen is a spurt of injuries, which threaten to dent the spine of the side.

You cannot be a bad player if you can score an away hat trick in international football. Walcott needs to work hard and remember that he has a top line manager in Arsene Wenger to go to advice for at Arsenal.

It’s difficult to call all of the midfield positions for England’s squad, which will go to South Africa in June. Walcott and Johnson may well end up both going. Watch this space over the coming months.

Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, has had time to reflect on his comments over the weekend and it seems as though he is sticking to them.

Wenger reacted furiously to a challenge from Stoke player, Ryan Shawcross, which left gifted young midfielder, Aaron Ramsey, with a badly broken right leg. Shawcross was shown a straight red card but Wenger believes the problem runs much deeper.

Wenger says he is afraid that many Premier League teams are not able to cope with the talent, pace and movement of his younger players. The only way teams apparently deal with this is to be very physical in all aspects of the game.

Wenger said: “We had today in midfield Nasri, Fàbregas, Ramsey and Eboué. Up front Bendtner is 22 years old. What these guys do, at that age, is absolutely remarkable, but of course if you destroy them, they might not be football players.”

“What is most terrible for me is Ramsey starts his career with a double [break] and you never know what kind of consequences this will have on his physical side of the game and his psychological side. It’s just scandalous.”

“It will be of course tight to the end, but it gives us one more reason to be strong mentally and to be united and to fight until the end and to do it for him.”

Shawcross said after the incident: “There was absolutely no malice in the challenge. I would never, ever go out to hurt a fellow professional. I am deeply upset that Aaron has suffered such a bad injury and my thoughts are with him. I would like to send him my best wishes for a speedy recovery.”

The break on Ramsey’s leg was so bad that TV producers banned controllers from showing replays of the tackle during live play. It also prompted a number of Arsenal players to physically turn away from their teammate who was in obvious stress and pain.

Arsenal’s captain, Cesc Fabregas, said that the number of career threatening injuries he has witnessed during his time at Arsenal is far too high and also says that it cannot be just coincidence that Arsenal players are the ones getting hurt on a regular basis.

Ramsey is only very young so he should not be worried about the prospect of never being able to play the game again. His injury will heal a lot quicker than were he of an older age.

Arsenal have hinted that they may try and get Shawcross’ ban extended for the severity of the tackle and the incident but it would prove fruitless. The injury has taken place now and all that Ramsey can do is listen to the best medical advice and be sensible with his rehabilitation over the coming days and months.

Thoughts are with him and surely everyone in the football community wishes him a speedy recovery. It would be a shame if something like this ended the career of someone so talented.

Arsenal striker, Nicklas Bendtner, has said that he wants to score the goals, which win Arsenal the title for his close friend, Aaron Ramsey.

Ramsey suffered one of the worst injuries the Premier League has ever seen over the weekend and the Dane says he wants to make up for Ramsey’s pain by giving him a winners medal at the end of the season.

Bendtner has been one of the less consistent players in the Premier League so far this season but the emotions he felt at the weekend could be just the thing, which spurs him on in his current playing role.

He said: “To be honest, I don’t care about my goal and the win. Aaron is one of my best friends and all my thoughts go to him. It is a totally horrifying injury.”

“I was standing right next to Aaron, when it happened, and immediately there was no doubt at all, that he broke his leg. It was a terrible, totally mad tackle from Ryan Shawcross, and he is really smashing hard into Aaron.”

“I don’t believe that anybody would try to intentionally to make an injury on another player, a fellow professional, but the way he is going into the tackle is out of control, and that doesn’t belong anywhere.”

“As far as I saw on the pitch, all the players from both teams were shocked, and so was I, because everyone could see how awful it was. Thomas (Sorensen) came up to me, and we were both really shocked. Afterwards we were told that Aaron will be out for at least six to nine months, and I feel that it is just so sad for him. Aaron is so young.”

“I think about how bad I felt when I was out for three months with my groin injury and this is just so much worse for Aaron. But now we will go and win the title for Aaron.”

Ramsey has been receiving sympathy from all sections of the football community in the wake of the incident. Hopefully there will be no repeat of what happened to Djibril Cisse a couple of years back when he was playing for France.

Cisse, the former Liverpool striker, broke his leg badly playing for the reds and then broke it again a few matches after his recovery when he was playing for the national side.

It is encouraging to see a group of players pull together as Arsenal have done. Fortunately, they have experience with bad injuries in the squad as this is the third Arsenal leg break within five years.

Hopefully it will be the last for a very long time. Bendtner must not let his emotions get the better of him because it will still be difficult for Arsenal to win the league from the position they are in.

However, if they all score a few goals, then the Arsenal team have something to reflect on and help them to move forward as the season draws to a close.