Why Arsenal need to take the Capital One Cup seriously

Best chance for Arsene Wenger to end Arsenal’s trophy drought

Arsenal have racked up the points in the Premier League this season, and after 9 games, are on top of the table. While things are looking good in the league, it is the other competitions that the team has to give more attention to.

And speaking of which, Arsenal are set to face Chelsea on Tuesday in the fourth round of the Capital One Cup. And if indications from Arsene Wenger are to be analysed, the chances are that the team would not completely be full of youngsters. There would be quite a few first team regulars as well.

Chances are that we would see the same team that started against West Brom in the 3rd round last month, which makes a lot of sense. If any change is to be made, it could be possible that Issac Hayden will be moved back to Central Defence, giving Per Mertesacker a much needed rest. His spot in the midfield could be taken up by Jack Wilshere, who only came on as a sub late in the game and would be itching to prove himself after a few not-so-great performances.

There is the possibility that playing both Hayden and Thomas Vermaelen could prove problematic, as they would not have the same understanding that Per and Laurent Koscielny enjoy. Also, since Carl Jenkinson is not exactly Bacary Sagna, the chances of him covering for any mistakes that either of the central defenders make would be very low.

Then again, there is the school of thought that it shouldn’t really matter much because the Capital One Cup is not really important. In fact, some even go as far as to say that it would not be too bad if we get knocked out of the tournament as it will help in reducing the fixture pile-up, giving much needed rest to all our players, fringe or otherwise.

But I disagree with the notion that we should not try too hard in winning this tournament. As an ambitious team that is trying to get back to being successful, it is very important that every match is seen as another opportunity to build confidence and continue the winning form. And if we do go on to win the Capital One cup, it will give the team a lot of belief in the run-in, making the job easier to win the league or any other competition we are still in.

In fact, we should try as hard as possible to win against Chelsea. Because prioritising one competition over the other will lead to catastrophic results. Case in point – the 2007/2008 season. We were on top of the league, and were supposed to face Manchester United in the FA Cup. Arsene Wenger, in what looked like a logical move at that time, played a second string team that night. And Manchester United went ahead gave us a good walloping. That seemed to have a negative effect on the team, and we seemed to lose our way in the league. Added to that was the Eduardo injury, consigning our season to another failure in the history books.

For anyone who knows me or reads my articles, they will know that I keep going back to THAT 2007/2008 team. It was a delight to watch and played some of the most beautiful football since the Invincibles. Believe it or not, Alexander Hleb was a wonderful creator of goals, though his fear of shooting meant he wouldn’t take a shot even when it seemed the best option. Combine it with the creativity of Tomas Rosicky and Cesc Fabregas, Flamini’s heart in defensive midfield, it made for a very difficult team to beat. But William Gallas wasn’t a great leader, and his experience really did not help the team much.

But things are different now. This squad does have experience along with all the creativity that the 07/08 squad possessed. And with almost every player in fantastic form, the time is now to make sure that every match is counted and every chance taken to win another match. Because if this team doesn’t manage to lay to rest the long held burden of being trophyless for ever so many years, then the chances of it ever happening, barring a lucky break, will be very bleak.

Therefore, hopefully Arsene Wenger goes into the competition with every intention of winning the Capital One trophy as well, which will give the much needed confidence boost for the rest of the season.