We’re all well used to Arsenal putting out young sides at this stage. Our first team has an average of something like 13 1/2, so when Arsene Wenger talks about tonight’s Carling Cup team being the youngest ever then you know we’re going to looking at a lot of players up past their bedtime.
Not that there’s any lack of quality. Carlos Vela will start with the manager’s praise ringing in his ears. We’ll see Jack Wilshere, Mark Randall (how cool is it that a youngster looks to an even younger player as his inspiration?!), Fran Merida, Emmanuel Pingpong and Jay Emmanuel Thomas. Are we the most Emmanuel football side in history? I think we are. The experience tonight will come from the likes of Djourou (who has just signed a new long term deal), Bendtner, Song and Lukasz Fabianski (who is aiming for the first team and will keep Manuel on his toes), the oldest of whom is just 23.
Once again the Carling Cup provides a great opportunity for Arsenal’s youngsters to show what they can do. There were people who thought this competition was nigh on useless, especially for clubs involved in Europe, but we have made the most of it in recent years. At first the manager was heavily criticised for only using youngsters and ‘reserves’ but it has been invaluable in the development of many of the players who are now first team members at Arsenal. Arsene’s approach has been copied by others, we saw United’s second string knocked out at the first hurdle last year, and to have gone as far as we have some years has been a great achievement.
The manager’s policy regarding this tournament won’t change, nor should it. It will always be 4th in terms of priority at the start of the season but our use of young players has brought a new life to it and people’s enthusiasm for it. As much as we like to watch the big games getting a close-up of the youngsters aiming to break into the first is most enjoyable too.
Sheffield United will be difficult though. This is an Arsenal team brimming with young, enthusiastic talent, Sheffield have got plenty of experience and players who will let the kids know they’re in a game. It should be a cracker.
Aaron Ramsey is set to start as well and the manager has been impressed with the young Welshman since his arrival and reckons he’s set for big things, saying:
I am very, very happy with him and I believe he will be a tremendous player for Arsenal. Aaron is a serious boy, he knows what he wants, is highly committed and for me he has all that is needed to become a good player – not only a good player, but a great player for the club.
There’s one for Goodplaya who may change his blog name to Greatplaya. He’s being brought through slowly but we saw a glimpse of his vision when he set up Adebayor for his third goal against Blackburn last week and it’ll be interesting to see how he gets on tonight.
Unfortunately I don’t think this one is on TV anywhere and so far I haven’t seen anyone mention any streams. Please let us know in the Arses if you come across one. That sounds much ruder than it should but you know what I mean.
Now, despite Bolton’s insistence that they didn’t deliberately go out to kick Arsenal their brainiac captain, Kevin Nolan, has made liars of them. Speaking about Theo Walcott he said:
I have never seen anybody as quick as Theo Walcott in my life. I said to Jlloyd Samuel ‘Give him a little kick and see if he comes back at you.
Classy. Sort of like a redneck hunter saying “I’ve never seen such a beautiful animal in my life. KILL IT!”. Football is a physical game, no question, and sometimes the physical aspect can be as exciting and exhilarating as the skills and fancy footwork. See Kolo’s tackle in our box or two players who are fighting it out fairly in midfield for the whole game. It’s brilliant and an important part of the game.
However, shit like ‘Give him a little kick to see if he comes back at you’ is cowardly and ultimately endangers players. The classic ‘reducer’ challenge from a defender on an attacker in the early part of the game to ‘let him know you’re there’ is all well and good if you get the ball, but we saw what can happen when the attacker is too quick for the lumbering beast of a centre-half. You get an Eduardo. If Bolton’s captain is directing his players to deliberately foul opponents then the protests of innocence over Davies’ tackle on Clichy sound nothing but pathetic.
This idea that it’s ok to ‘rough up’ the team you’re playing was given credibility by the likes of Sky and their ilk. Sam Allardyce sent out his teams to be physical but often it was obvious that the line had been crossed between physical and dirty. I remember us losing three players to injury in one game at Bolton but rather than condemn this kind of play Sky simply created this ‘Arsenal don’t like it up them’ scenario which was much more headline friendly. I’d suggest there isn’t a team in the world that enjoys being deliberately kicked and injured, yet as soon as Arsenal make the slightest transgression out come the ‘Wenger’s 856th red card shame!’ headlines. Bunch of cockgoblins.
Shit like that, to my mind at least, played a part in injuries suffered in recent seasons by Diaby and Eduardo. Teams he knew they weren’t as good technically were inspired to cross the line from physical to downright filthy. And let me just state that I have no problem whatsoever with any team that is competitive, that fights and competes for every ball. Nobody can ever complain about that. I do have a problem when it’s obvious that the same team is willing to go over the top and has been instructed to do so.
Will the FA do anything? Can the FA do anything? I don’t know, but I hope someone in the referee’s association is reading Nolan’s comments and bears them in mind next time a Bolton player goes in hard on somebody. Is he going for the ball or has he been told to do his opposite number? A few red cards might make them change their policy, the cunts.
Anyway, enough ranting. I think the main point here is that everyone else are cunts and we are not. That should not be forgotten.
Here’s to a good win tonight, let’s hope the kids can do their stuff. Till tomorrow.
