科尔明天将会成为焦点,而他的接班人不会在意.
克里希认为壁炉架上的那瓶LANSON牌香槟酒会是他最为珍贵的纪念品,它纪念着他第一次被人们认为可继承阿什利科尔的日子.
2004年2月21日,由于科尔的受伤,克里希获得了第5次英超上场的机会.这名左后卫刚刚在夏季从法国第三级的联赛转会而来,但是他的表现出非凡的自信.阿森纳2-1赢得比赛,克里希成为这场大战的最佳球员.
每次掠过过它,这名22岁的小将都会让他想起现在的实力.去年科尔转会到切尔西,不仅仅引起了阿森纳球迷的怨恨-当明天他首次回来,他们将会把愤怒发泄到球场上,但是也给温格和克里希出了难题.
温格对克里希那次可怕的受伤铭记于心,他已经进行了第3次脚部手术,主教练在压力下在转会市场寻找新鲜血液
然而在新赛季开始后的两个月,温格迎回了克里希,并对他信心十足,从此,温格得到了丰厚的报酬.像对切尔西的阿森纳生涯的开始已经成为标准.如果怀疑科尔正在全力的恢复状态,那么切尔西尚未享受到最好的他,克里希变得越来越强。
"当阿什利离开,对我来说最好不过的事情了."他说“他走了，舞台就属于我。而老板没有购买另外一名左后卫让也对信心有很大的推动作用。我只需要在一些场次里打好比赛，来向每个人展现我现在就能在那个位置踢球，这里是我的。我会尽最大的努力成为甚至比阿什利更出色的球员，因为我的目标是人们想起我的时候，我是阿森纳伟大的左后卫之一。”
“阿什利是阿森纳的象征，作为一个伦敦男孩，他是那个时候唯一一名从青训系统培养出来的球员，这就是为什么对于球迷来说很难接受他的回归。如果他们对他报以嘘声，我可以理解。我希望他能处理好，因为他是个好男孩，但是我只是希望球迷能帮助球迷获取3分。这会变得困难，但是我们需要这3分。”在阿森纳03/04不败的赛季，克里希代表球队在英超上场12次，当交出这份荣誉时，18岁零294天的他成为并保持了赢得英超冠军最年轻的球员。他家里的第2瓶lanson香槟见证了这份荣耀。 If Clichy has emerged from Cole's shadow, the team has not yet done so from its illustrious predecessor. Wenger has overhauled the squad; only three other "Invincibles" remain - Jens Lehmann, Kolo Touré and Gilberto - and the FA Cup in 2005 is a lone success. "I cannot explain the emotion when we won the title but it was something really deep in your stomach and it's just unbelievable," he said. "My medal is pride of place and it motivates me. You strive to reach those heights again and I really want everyone in this team to experience that feeling. We have the quality and the desire and everything is possible this season." Clichy has never lacked self-belief and this has served him well during his testing times, in particular, the 18-month injury nightmare that began when he broke a metatarsal in May 2005 and the difficulties of leaving home for a foreign country as an 18-year-old. Clichy left Cannes, the club that nurtured Patrick Vieira and Zinedine Zidane, and moved into a flat in Enfield without friends or English. "You have to make sacrifices if you want to reach the top level," he said. "For example, I don't touch alcohol during the season. But the biggest thing for me is that since 13, when I attended the south-west France football academy, I haven't really seen my family. I have a brother, Dimael, who is six years old and the two months I spent with him this summer was the longest I have ever had with him. "It was difficult in Enfield when I was at home alone but when I got into training, I just forgot about everything. When I first saw Patrick [Vieira] and Dennis [Bergkamp], I couldn't stop smiling. They must have thought 'Who is this guy?' I couldn't believe where I was. It was also amazing to train with Thierry Henry." Clichy was 12 when Vieira and Bergkamp were helping Wenger to his first Double in 1998 - he followed the campaign on L'équipe du dimanche, France's television highlight show, to become hooked on Arsenal. He enjoys telling the story of Wenger's visit to Cannes to sell Arsenal to him - "Arsène Wenger was there in this really nice restaurant, talking about Arsenal, wanting me to come" - and he has another about his debut for the club. "It was at Celtic in pre-season," he said. "I got to the dressing-room and when I saw everyone's shirts with their names on, I thought 'Oh my God, there will be one here for me.' I saw it, had a little look at the back and when the boss wasn't looking, I took out my phone, took a picture of 'Clichy No22' and sent it to my mother. I couldn't stop myself." Clichy was no prodigy and spent his formative years at the regional academy battling to catch the eye. He got a break when injuries to players ahead of him saw him start a tournament. He played well and Cannes spotted him. Then came the moment that shaped his outlook. As Cannes' stadium was being redeveloped, he vaulted a wire fence but got his ring caught and all the flesh and ligaments were ripped off his finger. During the seven-hour operation to reattach them his heart stopped beating for 20 seconds. Doctors described his recovery as a miracle. "I just realised that the life can go quick and you have to enjoy today," he said. "I was a religious person anyway, my family are Christian, but when I needed God, I think he helped me." Clichy admitted he could not speak to Vieira and Bergkamp upon joining Arsenal, in a £200,000 deal. But he integrated and now, despite ambitions to play for France, he considers himself an adopted Londoner and he cannot hide his passion for English football. "I love London, I love the English people because they are really open-minded and I love the football," he said. "I would like to play here for the rest of my career and stay in England forever. "I sometimes wonder what it must be like to play for England, it would be such a massive thing because this country is just mad about its football. I've found myself watching more and more England games and I'm more aware now of the rivalries when we play Chelsea or Tottenham or West Ham." Clichy could not sleep the night before he played Chelsea for the first time in the Premier League; the nervous excitement overran his body and mind. He will not have that problem tonight. Cool and collected, Gaël Clichy has arrived.
