Morning all.
This is what the League Cup is all about, in fact it’s what both domestic cups are all about. No, not Brighton coming back from 2-0 to beat Man Utd 3-2, the first time in 50 years the Manchester club have done such a thing at the Old Toilet, but Fleetwood Town being drawn against The Arsenal in the next round.
Forget wanting Arsenal to win etc etc for a moment and think about what it means for the League Two club, the money they will earn, an opportunity of a lifetime perhaps for their players to face not only a Premier League club but the reigning champions and in front of their own fans. It’s the tie of dreams for everyone involved with the Lancashire club.
Their ground, The Highbury Stadium, holds just over 5,000 fans and if those were involved in our 2-1 victory over Mansfield Town in the FA Cup was a tricky pitch to play on, Fleetwood Town will be just as tricky if not more so. The pitch is likely to be like nothing our players have played on for a while, for some, never and I cannot wait.
I just hope the game broadcast live on Sky Sports because of the extra money it will earn Fleetwood Town. It really is a brilliant tie.
The draw in full:
Fleetwood v Arsenal
Manchester City or Norwich v Brighton
Everton v Newcastle
Sunderland v Brentford
Liverpool v Chelsea
Bradford v Peterborough
Fulham v Crystal Palace
Bournemouth v Aston Villa
Six Premier League clubs will be out of the competition by the next round, seven if Arsenal crash out.
This weekend Mikel Arteta’s side take on Brighton at the Amex Stadium. It’s a 3pm Saturday fixture for the first time this season. As mentioned earlier, Fabian Hurzeler‘s side shocked the red side of Manchester last night by turning a 2-0 lead for Utd into a 3-2 victory. The manager made six changes to his team whilst Mikel Arteta pretty much changed his entire starting eleven bar Gabriel and Myles Lewis-Skelly. It’s going to be a tough match but they all, it’s just some are a tad tougher than others. This is one of them.
Mikel Arteta faced a lot of criticism after this fixture last season, especially from Hurzeler:
I think there was only one team who tried to play football today. I will never be that kind of manager who tries to win in that way. I want to do well. I want my players to keep improving, keep playing football on the pitch.
If I would ask now everyone in the room if he really enjoyed this football game I’m sure maybe one raises his arm because he is a big Arsenal fan but besides that, no chance.
I bet that big Arsenal fan enjoyed watching us lift the Premier League trophy too….
Arsenal played within the rules but those rules have now changed, at least some of them. I’m quite surprised this fixture is not being televised because not only is it likely to be a hard fought battle between two very good sides but usually when the television companies sniff a potential Arsenal defeat, they like the world to watch it unfold.
Anyway, more on that game on Saturday.
Catch up in the comments.
Oh no I didn’t!
Dowman in the U19s. Salmon in the U18s, Charlie Phillips, Milo Bernard, Vincent Joseph 17s.
Morning Kev, Cicero.
You forgot Saka Cicero. lol
New post up
Madueke dropped from the England squad, M L S included with Konsa, Rice, Saka and Eze.
Dowman will inevitably be included in the younger squad.
Good post Rico, morning everyone, I can’t sleep so just blogging, Fleetwood (a) is the classic banana skin for any Arsenal team except this one!
Arteta will have them prepared, there’s no doubt in my mind of that, prepared even for their non-league standard dressing rooms. Maybe he should take the team to nearby Borehamwood and do a session there beforehand as prep?
But what’s more important than all that nonsense is the trip to the credit card stadium, it’s fraught with dangers, dangers that Mikel Arteta is well aware of and I’m absolutely sure he’ll have the boys well prepared – and if we need to dig in to win ugly then we’ll just win ugly, let the media complain and feck them off as I couldn’t give a toss.
Ben White, Cristian Mosquera and Hincapie are all close to fitness and will have late fitness tests, Timber will not require a late fitness test and will therefore probably start, Salmon will step in if need be and so might Dowman – after his two goals he should be retained in the squad as his confidence will be at the absolute max, no pun intended… 😉
That’s good to know Devil , it’s nice to know that the romance of a cup is not lost . They probably felt that they would not go much further in the competition and that hooking such a big fish will give the club not only a day that they will not forget but probably financially prop up the club for some time .
BTW How is Malta ? I have a friend that is going there in a few days and they want to know what to pack for the evenings.
Potter…..the sheer delight and joy seemed as if they had scored the winner at Wembley. They were overjoyed.
Morning everyone.
Wouldn’t open for me . Were they happy or sad.?
Evening Devil. Just watching Real Sociedad, they are playing Bournemouth..
The reaction of Fleetwood when they drew Arsenal
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1626430042553046
Good evening Rico and all
Thanks for the latest posts Rico. Same goes to Kev for his match report.
Good draw for us. It will be strange to play away at Highbury instead of playing home at Highbury. Well for me at least. I hope it will be a wonderful experience for them playing against Arsenal while for us it will be wonderful as well if we win and also because the young ones will get to play at Highbury.
It will be unique for Mikel Arteta who played against Arsenal at Highbury as a young Everton player. In fact, he did it twice……..11 May 2005: Arsenal 7–0 Everton at Highbury. Arteta was 23 and had joined Everton on loan from Real Sociedad earlier that year. He played and had chances to score. Then he played again on 19 September 2005……Arsenal 2–0 Everton at Highbury. Arteta had by then joined Everton permanently and started the match, playing 84 minutes.
So Arteta actually played at Highbury against Arsenal twice before eventually becoming an Arsenal player himself in 2011 but at the Ems.
There’s a nice bit of symmetry there: he played against Arsenal at Highbury, then later played for Arsenal at the Emirates, and eventually became Arsenal manager. So now he will get to manage Arsenal at Highbury as well.
Hi Pete, I’m really surprised they have let this one go. I guess it’s someone else’s turn this weekend. Totts v Villa is TNT’s.
Spot on with regards to TV companies.cant wait to show us if there’s the possibility of a defeat,particularly away matches.they must be disappointed on this one.
What a sensible idea..
I read what Klopp is doing with his German team . He has picked 44 players of which 22 will play the first two games and the rest the second two . Havertz is in the first squad so he will get recovery time after the first games.
I suppose that has come from his league management.
I suppose we can look forward to both Myles Lewis-Skelly and Max Dowman being called up by Tuchel…
Ha, win or lose eh…
That draw has fix all over it. Arsenal drawn away to the only division two side still standing. I can see the headlines already.😉
Yes, no one will know which Highbury 😜
Definitely a banana skin, we got lucky last season imo. Cool heads needed.
Well at least the players can look back in future years and say that they played at Highbury.Brighton away is never easy Hurzeler is a progressive manager and plays attractive open attacking football they are the leagues leading scorers with 13 goals so far .
5 past Coventry , 4 against Villa , 3 Losing to Chelsea , and 1 in a draw with Leeds.
Banana skin written all over it.
they have let in 5 , 4 of which were away at the bridge.
They have a very raucous crowd that will pressure the ref for cards and if they can a sending off . Keeping concentration is going to be important as we cannot afford to go down to ten.