Match Preview

Carabao Cup Final – Arsenal want this!

Posted on by rico

 


Morning all.

It’s Carabao Cup Final Day and for the first time since 2018, Arsenal are in it. It’s hard to believe that the club we all love has won this competition just twice, 1986/87 and 1992/93. The other four finals we reached, we lost.

Mikel Arteta’s record with Arsenal at Wembley is excellent both as a player and manager as he’s not lost once. Sadly though, his Community Shield trophies don’t really count. Not that I’m knocking them.

The Spaniard has a word or two for the fans. Make some noise…..

I’ve won [trophies] when the stadium is full and been part of that, and it’s exceptional. One of the best memories I have as a player is playing those types of games. That’s why we’re all very excited, because we know what’s at stake.

We really want it and we know what it’s going to mean for our people as well.

This is what every player wants to do, play for and win trophies. It’s where players in England want to be, at Wembley in a Cup Final. Of course they will want to win the game just as we all want them too but I hope they go out onto the green grass and enjoy themselves. If they enjoy the occasion, they are more likely to play well. Easy for me to write I know.

Any nerves the players might have should soon disappear once the referee blows his whistle for the first time but for the following 95 odd minutes, we the fans will go through a rollercoaster of emotions I’m sure. Hoping beyond hope that Mikel Arteta can outsmart his counterpart and Arsenal can outplay the boys in light blue.

The league game earlier in the season was a pretty drab affair which ended in a draw. We conceded early, they conceded late and in between, chances went begging for both sets of players.

Guardiola added Semenyo to his squad in January, Guehi too but the latter is cup-tied today. Also missing for City is Gvardiol and Guardiola has already said that 6’ 6” Trafford will be between the sticks rather than Donnarumma. Who Mikel Arteta selects in goal remains to be seen but a big part of me believes it should be Kepa. Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber are doubts and Mikel Merino remains out.

Arsenal have seen off Port Vale, Brighton, Crystal Palace and Chelsea to get to this final while Man City have beaten Huddersfield Town, Swansea City, Brentford and Newcastle United.

Arsenal’s Adrian Clarke:

Guardiola has used an unusual 4-1-3-2 formation recently, stationing Rodri as a sole defensive midfielder, with Bernardo Silva in front, Nico O’Reilly to the left, and Rayan Cherki, Antoine Semenyo or Phil Foden to the right. In attack, Erling Haaland has been partnered with either Semenyo or Omar Marmoush.

It is bold, fluid and adventurous, and a narrow shape that makes them very strong in central areas. However, with the bulk of their width now coming via full-backs, any loss of possession can leave their central defenders and Rodri exposed. That, as well as exploiting a high defensive line, could be fruitful for us.

Guardiola could revert to the pragmatic 4-5-1 he opted for at The Emirates Stadium in September, when his team had just 33.2% possession. If they are more attack-minded, we may have to deal with a high press, as having improved the way they close opponents down, City have manufactured 52 shot-ending high turnovers, the most in the Premier League.

The Sky Blues have though leaked nine goals from 82 shots when defending set-pieces, and with deputy Trafford likely to start in goal, I am sure we will try to make the most of any potential uncertainty from dead balls.

I think form goes out the window when a cup final comes around. It’s about who wants it more and who performs best in a one off game. Who takes their chances in front of goal, who is more disciplined both in defence and midfield and who doesn’t overstep the mark when it comes to the rules of the game.  The Arsenal players need to make sure it’s they who succeed in all of the above. Off the pitch there will be a battle of tactical minds between Guardiola and Mikel Arteta, one which I hope Arsenal’s Spaniard wins. Substitutions will I expect, play a big part in the outcome of the game.

Guardiola and Mikel Arteta have often been referred to as being the master and his apprentice, well maybe today the so called apprentice will prove he’s an apprentice no longer. Not that he is, not after six years of management in the game but I think you get where I’m coming from.

More than just the battles on and off the pitch, Arsenal FC have been on the receiving end of a lot of unjustified criticism this season for the way the team play, for the type of goals we score and for not playing football the right way. All ridiculous of course because it doesn’t matter how goals are scored. Whether it’s a stunning strike from distance, a perfect team goal or a set piece, they all count.

Like I said yesterday, if we end up winning this game later today, it’ll matter not one bit how we did it…

COYG’S!!

 

 

rico

64 thoughts on “Carabao Cup Final – Arsenal want this!”

  1. Laura says:

    Today is our day 😁🏆 Enjoy the match and where ever we are let our proud and fantastic voices be heard until the end! We all know the songs so let’s sing em again and again. COYG!

  5. Cicero says:

    Good morning Rico.

    100% effort this afternoon from everyone. It’s a cup final, no points on offer, no second leg, no replay.

    Just for today forget about The Premiership, forget about the Champions League, forget about the FA Cup. Just go out and win the game.

    C’mon you Glorious Gunners!!!

  9. andrewh1313 says:

    Afternoon all, I thought I would enjoy us being in a cup final again, but I can’t see any enjoyment until afterwards, and only then if we have won! Silly it being this serious, but that’s how it is.

  11. Obi says:

    Cicero at 11:00 am, exactly. I think the boys will be ready for this one. They are better than City. Just think about it, all year they have lost 3 games in all competitions. If City comes to play football, Arsenal 3 – City 0. If City goes low block Arsenal 1 – City 0.

  12. allezkev says:

    Good afternoon Gooners, afternoon Rico, going out for a stroll soon, I feel very calm, not overconfident just calm. It’s a bit confusing for me because I’m usually wound up like an alarm clock before a cup final, but I guess it’s the vibes I get from the manager and our brilliant players.

    Delighted that there has been absolute radio silence coming out of London Colney, not a single opportunity for our obnoxious media to project a negative narrative – fcuk all of them…

    I’ve avoided the MSM like the plague, I just couldn’t give a flying fig what any of them have to say, I just despise the majority of them.

  13. Cicero says:

    For a little light relief I’m going to watch Struggling Spurs vs Notinthetitlerace Forest, the outcome could be very interesting relegation-wise.

  17. LE GALL says:

    Eze out indeed.
    Starting lineup and bench are impressive nevertheless, thank you very much Berta:
    Gyökeres
    Trossard-Havertz-Saka
    Rice-Zubimendi
    Hincapié-Gabriel-Saliba-White
    Kepa
    (Raya-Calafiori-Mosquera-LewisSkelly-Madueke-Nørgaard-Jesus-Dowman-Martinelli)
    COYG
    Are you with us, Stu?

  22. LE GALL says:

    Ødegaard, Merino, Eze: the N°10 curse is after us this season.
    Kai will do very well of course, that’s his natural position after all. I’m not sure he has 95 minutes in his tank though, which means we might end up with Max on the right, and Bukayo central … not an unattractive prospect, actually …

  23. allezkev says:

    Shame that Timber didn’t recover, sensible choice of Kai playing behind Viktor as they did against Leeds a few weeks ago…

    Tottenham sinking fast, unfortunately so are West Ham.

  26. Stuart Noel Angus says:

    Good morning gentlefolk.
    Yes, I am with you, Duc. Tho’ it felt something of l’heure bleue when I learned our Eb’s won’t be available. Wembley is made for him.
    But, you are right, Our Mikel and Berta have assembled a great squad, and Kai behind Gyo is a fine option.

  31. LE GALL says:

    2 dogs of equal strength, growling at each other but not daring to jump at each other’s throat.
    Too bad Trafford did ever so well to keep ‘em out of harm’s way at the start – he’s an excellent GK indeed, this lad. Hincapié’s had a very tough time keeping Semenyo on a leash; he’s on a yellow too so I wouldn’t be surprised if Cala was brought on at he very start of the 2nd.
    Dias and Gvardiol are out, which means that’s their backup CBs Gyö’s against; I’d expect (much) more from him, better touches, more inspired anticipations, a bit of bullying ‘em back too – c’mon lad you can do it.
    Ben looks like he’s back at his very best, a sight for sore eyes it is; as for BigBill he’s in Beckenbaueresque mode, plain and simple – outstanding performance so far.
    I’m afraid Foden for Cherki and Marmoush for Doku might improve them a lot, so c’mon lads, just push a lil’ harder …
    COYG!!!

  33. Obi says:

    Saka and Trossard are providing nothing. We no pace. Saka hasn’t shown any positional awareness. Make some changes already.

  36. Obi says:

    My post about Saka and Trossard not offering anything, we have no pace and Saka showing no positional awareness never showed, right beforethey scored. This game was crying out for Martinelli, Madueke and Calafiori.

  39. potter says:

    got what we deserved for that second half performance . Just 3 left now and I dont fancy two of them .

  42. Joaquim Moreira says:

    I’m waiting to see the psychological impact the goalkeeper’s performance might have going forward, and the effect it could have on the team. I think we weren’t inferior in the first half, quite the opposite; in the second, we were slow to react when the game was extremely skewed, and then it was too late, even though we hit the post twice which would have given us the equalizer. Let’s wait and see what the future holds for this season.

  44. rico says:

    If that was a team who really wanted to win today then I’d hate to see one who didn’t.

    I got it wrong re Kepa, he had a stinker…

  45. allezkev says:

    Yes Rico, same here, I was confident in Kepa before the game, but after this he shouldn’t play another game for Arsenal and he should be sold in the summer because that was an amateurish performance by him, the Chelsea fans will think it’s hilarious. For me Setford should play at Southampton if he’s fit.

    Tbh I was a little concerned when Eze missed out as he brings an unorthodoxy to our game that we need, I also would have started Calafiori, ironically O’Reilly played that kind of game for City.

    We don’t become a poor team after one result but Arteta was definitely schooled by Guardiola.

  46. rico says:

    Hard to disagree there re Kepa Kev. He was dreadful. Thought Havertz and Trossard had poor games too as well as our captain.

    Calafiori should have come on at halftime imo.

  47. rico says:

    Thinking about it, if Arteta does to Kepa what he did to Eze after the Villa game, we probably won’t see him play another game unless Raya gets injured and I pray that doesn’t happen…

  48. LE GALL says:

    I was all in favor of picking Kepa too, Rico. Who could have guessed it would go that wrong?
    An average performance maybe, a few scares we’re no longer used to with Raya between the sticks surely, but this … Guess we can’t play a League Cup final without a GusCæsar-type of heartbreak.
    Rarely has an international break been happening at exactly the right time like this one, or so I think.

  49. Stuart Noel Angus says:

    Being Monday down here, I’ve been singing an old Boomtown Rats song.

    Not at the races today, other than a sparkling opening 15 minutes. Our long ball tactics were fruitless and for 70 minutes we had no control in midfield.
    Perhaps if Kai had lifted his effort over Trafford a different game would have eventuated. If Gabby J’s effort had drifted under the bar…
    A few “what if’s” but hands up, we were outplayed today.
    Positives: Big Will continues to dominate the Viking. Benny Blanco did well against Doku. Martin O and Eb’s to come back into the team. The boys will take the spanking and learn from it.
    All to play for.

  50. Cicero says:

    Arteta has a break now until the interlul is over, he should reflect on his goalkeeper options, he will, out of loyalty, want give Kepa the nod in the FA Cup tie against Southampton in order to recover his confidence after the horror show earlier today. It’s my opinion that we can’t afford such luxury, we need to play Raya in every remaining game of the season. Injuries or suspension aside there is no other reason to not to.

  51. allezkev says:

    Well Rico, Arteta totally froze Ramsdale out of the picture once he lost his place to Raya, I’m not just blaming Kepa but it was his mistake that began our downward spiral in the game. We as a team never recovered from that error.

  53. rico says:

    Our long ball tactics weren’t working from the off, yet we persisted. Same with the long throw ins which were yet to master imo.

    Raya for me too when we play Southampton..

  54. rico says:

    Kev, had Havertz taken that chance early, could have been so different. As has been said here, we just didn’t come out in the second half but City did.

  56. Cicero says:

    Rico, Rice was limping a bit too at the end of the game. Saka took a knock or three. I see no reason why they should risk further injury for the sake of two meaningless friendlies.

  60. Aussie Geoff says:

    Afternoon Rico and all, I for one don’t care about losing the mickey mouse cup, we have bigger fish to fry,
    Arteta did the right thing by picking Kepa, if he had dropped him then it could lead to trouble between him and Ray also why would Kepa want to stay or try the next time he is picked if he knows he is going to be dropped for any finals in the future.

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