Post by Salem6 on Oct 16, 2003 17:39:10 GMT
Arsenal midfielder Edu has likened the Gunners' resolve to that displayed by England for their clash with Turkey on Saturday.
England defied a shambolic build-up to their final Euro 2004 group qualifier to secure a gallant draw in a hostile environment and seal their qualification for next summer's finals.
Despite the disruption to the preparation caused by the Rio Ferdinand controversy and the way England players expressed their unhappiness at the way the FA handled the matter, Sven-Goran Eriksson's charges showed a lot of character in Istanbul.
And now, ahead of Saturday's top-of-the-table clash with Chelsea, Edu has reminded all and sundry how the Gunners thrive on the same kind of adversity.
Six Arsenal players face FA bans for their part in last month's Old Trafford fracas, while the London club's well-documented financial problems have prevented Arsene Wenger from bolstering his squad.
"Everybody talks a lot about our problems but the players are just being focused on what we have to do," he insisted. "We are forgetting about everything other than football."
He added: "These problems just show how close we are as a team," he said. "Everyone supports everyone else when they need it.
"And these things just make our group stronger. It is very similar to the England situation with the Turkey game. When they thought everyone was against them they got a result.
"We have a very big match this weekend against Chelsea and we have the same sort of attitude going into this match."
