Arsenal place their trust in Adebayor for Man U clash

Tonight's crucial second leg of the Champions League semi-final between Manchester United and Arsenal will offer Emmanuel Adebayor the opportunity to redeem himself in the eyes of Arsenal fans - or is likely to mark the beginning of the end of the Togolese's tenure at the Emirates.

Adebayor militated for a transfer for much of last summer's window, and in the end was rewarded for his bolshy behaviour with an £80,000 a week contract that shattered the London club's wage structure. Since then he has played in sporadic bursts of commitment, scoring ten goals in 25 league games but often not firing when real graft has been expected of him.

Emirates boss Arsene Wenger remains supportive of him, saying "I know and I can understand the criticism," referring to the fans' disaproval of Adebayor's performance in last week's first leg at Old Trafford, that ended 1-0 to Manchester United.

"But I watched carefully that game [against United] and he put a lot of effort in, more than people think. He was really isolated, we didn't give him enough support on the night," Wenger continued. If Arsenal are to recover to qualify for the Champions League final, then Adebayor will need to play the game of his life tonight.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYINGKevin McCarra, the Guardian: "No one appreciates better than Wenger the value of force. Sleek as his best Arsenal line-up was, it had a physical stature that was embodied as much in the tall and strapping striker Thierry Henry as it was in his midfield player Patrick Vieira. That attribute is now elusive for the manager. He deflects attention from the topic but his behaviour shows how much it really preoccupies him. Abou Diaby and Robin van Persie were preferred to, say, Samir Nasri and Andrey Arshavin in the starting line-up for that FA Cup defeat by Chelsea. Wenger, in other words, believed there was no option but to emphasise height and heft."

Matt Lawton, Daily Mail: "Wenger actually wants it all. Victory against Manchester United on Tuesday. Victory in the final in Rome. And all the recognition that comes with such success. Before winning the first of his two finals back in 1999, Sir Alex Ferguson suffered with the very same craving. 'The obsession,’ he said. ‘For a long time I had it myself. But it didn’t influence my thoughts on how to win the trophy.’ The contrast between the managers was interesting. While Ferguson came across as confident and relaxed at United’s London hotel, the pressure seemed to rest heavy on Wenger’s shoulders. There was a bizarre exchange when he denied having ever watched a repeat of the 2006 final his Arsenal side lost to Barcelona." ·