Philippe Senderos

Name Philippe Senderos
Born February 14, 1985
Geneva
Switzerland
Position Defender
Squad Number 6
Previous Club(s) Servette
Joined Arsenal June 01, 2003
Arsenal Debut Manchester City (a)
Carling Cup 3rd Round
October 27, 2004,
Won 2-1


6. Philippe Senderos

Philippe still has a scar over his left eyebrow from the 2006 World Cup. He got it scoring the all-important goal against South Korea that clinched the Swiss side’s passage through to the knockout stages. It is perhaps the ultimate example of his tenacity and will to win.
The tournament was a massive learning curve for the centre back. Unfortunately he came back with a shoulder injury that kept him sidelined for the first few months of the 2006/07 season but, once fit, he displayed the maturity we have come to expect.
He racked up 25 appearances and deputised well for William Gallas when the Frenchman was injured over the winter.
It is easy to forget that Philippe is still a young player. Perhaps that is because he broke into the Servette side at 16, captained the Swiss under-17s to the European Championships in 2001/02 and has represented them at every level from Under-15s upwards.

                                             My Year

April

The domestic stage eluded Philippe in April, but he did feature in both legs of the Champions League tie with Liverpool, completing 90 minutes in both games.

March

Unfortunate against Villa when he directed a cross beyond Manuel Almunia, Philippe was simply superb as Arsenal dispatched of AC Milan a few days later. He continued his fine run of form with the Club featuring, in some capacity, in every game. An international appearance rounded off a profitable month for the Swiss defender.

February

February was arguably Philippe’s finest month for the Club this season. Featuring in all five games, the Swiss star effortlessly slipped into a centre-back partnership with William Gallas. The defender even grabbed a goal in the defeat of Blackburn and oversaw shut-outs against Rovers and European champions AC Milan.

January

Stepping into the void left by Kolo Toure is no easy task, but Philippe filled in effectively. The Swiss was part of a defence which was impenetrable in games against Burnley, Fulham and twice against Newcastle. He also played on two other occasions but missed the Carling Cup defeat at Spurs through injury.

December

Just two appearances for Philippe in December. The Swiss star did though lead the side in the memorable 3-2 Carling Cup victory over Blackburn, having previously featured against Steaua Bucharest in the final group match of the Champions League.

November

Philippe Senderos returned from injury in November, starting against Sevilla. The Swiss star will be hoping for more chances in the upcoming month as he looks to stake a claim for a starting berth when Kolo Toure is at the African Cup of Nations.

October

Philippe started October in a very positive manner, keeping a clean sheet in Bucharest and scoring his first goal of the season against Sunderland. The Swiss star then joined up with his country but returned with a back injury that kept him sidelined for the remainder of the month.