Despite our season being in turmoil, Arsenal find themselves in the League Cup, or Capital One Cup if you will, against League Two minnows Bradford City tonight.
The Gunners are just three positive results away from winning the competition and picking up their first piece of silverware since 2005.
And it is this factor this makes me feel that the League Cup is actually far more serious than what most people interpret it to be; so much to the point that I believe it could help define our season.
The last time we appeared in the final of the competition, we lost embarrassingly to Birmingham City before they went on to get relegated, and we slowly slipped out of the title race and finished fourth.
I think that it is clear that winning the competition can be a huge boost to us both on and off the field. Winning it could really help increase our confidence which, despite beating West Brom at the weekend, still seems low and would hopefully spark a turn in fortunes for us in the league campaign.
But to start with we have to reach that stage first, and we can’t just assume that we will breeze past Bradford. Their boss, Phil Parkinson, used to be a scout for us so he isn’t going to be clueless about what is going through Arsene Wenger’s mind ahead of the match, and will be certainly looking to impress his former boss.
It is great to hear though that the Frenchman is planning on fielding a strong team for the last eight clash, and hopefully it is an indication of just how serious we are taking the cup this year.
Wenger said: “We will go with a strong squad, we are in the quarter-final and we have an opportunity to go through. We want to take it.”
However, how strong the team is that he puts out still remains a mystery, I would expect to see the likes of Marouane Chamakh, Andrey Arshavin, Francis Coquelin, Sebastien Squillaci and Johan Djourou all on show at Valley Parade.
It will be a difficult match for our side, especially if their fans create an inspiring atmosphere, but if we can get an early goal then I see no reason as to why we cannot go on and win the game quite comfortably.
As for the tournament itself, it could be a massive monkey off our back if we can finally win a trophy and at last rid ourselves of the insults of going seven years without a trophy.
So hopefully this time tomorrow, we’ll have booked ourselves a spot in the semi-finals of the cup.
To any of you making the trip up north today, wrap up, and have a safe journey.
Matt Cotton
no squillachi….plz!! 🙁
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