Well, what a weekend that turned out to be.
On Sunday afternoon the gloss was ever so slightly taken off the Everton win by the draw for the semi-finals which gave us Man City or Wigan. I’ll happily admit the ‘or Wigan’ passed me by. I never thought they’d be able to do again what they did in last year’s final, but they only went and did.
I spent the afternoon working on the book. I didn’t look at Twitter. I didn’t even consider the fact City might have gone out and only when I got a couple of texts did I realise what was going on. It now means that between us and a major trophy we have two games. One against Wigan, obviously, and one of Hull City or Sheffield United after that.
It is hugely reminiscent of the 2011 Carling Cup situation when there were three teams you’d fancy us to beat left in the competition, which is why I think there was so much fatalism around in the wake of the draw. Pre-emptive gallows humour, I guess. When I was looking for questions for today’s Arsecast Extra, there were a lot of people asking, ‘So how are we going to mess this one up?’
I don’t think it’s a feeling unique to Arsenal fans in any way, but down the years we’ve had enough moments to make anyone just a little bit wary. West Ham 1980 (Damn you, Brooking), Luton 1988, Birmingham in 2011, and you have only have to go back to last season to recall defeats to Bradford (ugh) and Blackburn. If that doesn’t inform your thinking then you’re a better man or woman than I am.
But, let’s be honest about this: not winning the FA Cup from this position would be rank failure. Of course we can’t underestimate a Wigan team that have won the cup and twice beaten Man City inside 12 months. Nor should we take either of the two other sides for granted should we progress to the final in May. But when you look at the calibre of opponents you really couldn’t ask for much more.
We’ve done our bit beating big sides. Dispatching Liverpool, Everton and Sp*rs on the way to Wembley is plenty, and while I’m all for the excitement of winning against top opposition, I’m also a huge fan of the mundane and routine. And with all due respect to Wigan, Hull and Sheffield United, those are teams you would, and should, expect Arsenal to beat 9.9999 times out of 10.
The good results we’ve achieved in our own games have been rewarded by draw that is beyond favourable. We’re the absolute favourites for this competition and so we should be, given our stature, resources and playing squad. Unlike tomorrow night, for example, where we go to Munich as underdogs, with nothing much to lose, the weight of FA Cup expectation is on us.
It’s a kind of pressure – especially in this period without having won a trophy in so long – that we haven’t always been able to deal with. But I think we’re better suited for it this time around. If you want a longer answer as to why I think that, tune in to today’s Arsecast Extra (out around lunchtime), but basically it’s down to having better players, better characters and being motivated by the desire not to fail as much as to win.
It’s beautifully set up for us and perhaps allows us a certain freedom in our upcoming games in the league – almost like a safety net. The trick now is to make sure we don’t use that too early, there’s still so much to play for there, but the FA Cup now gives us a wonderful opportunity to get rid of that monkey on our back. And it’s a twat of a monkey because not only is it uncomfortable, people keep reminding you there’s a monkey on your back and when they do the monkey does a bit of wee in your ear. Stupid monkey.
For now though, we have to stick the cup in the compartment entitled ‘Later’ because there’s plenty to be going on with in the meantime. Obviously tomorrow’s Champions League clash with Bayern Munich is going to be a tough one, but the renewed Mesut Ozil gives us that little bit extra in attack and hopefully he can deliver again after his weekend display.
Arsene Wenger has admitted the penalty miss in the first leg affected him badly:
Psychologically sometimes the wound is like a physical one. You can talk and talk and talk but it takes time. You just have to leave it to time. I think he is over it.
And he’s urged the German to find the right balance between his creative and goalscoring side:
At the moment the balance is a bit detrimental to the finishing. His strong side is providing. But he is pacy – much quicker than people think – and with that technical quality and that pace, if he gets into the right areas and with the service we have, he can score goals. He wants to score more goals, I am convinced of that.
I know many people have bemoaned the lack of a 30 goal striker in this team, and there’s no doubt adding some firepower is going to be high on the summer agenda, but the ability to share goals around the team is going to be just as important between now and the end of this campaign.
Ozil is certainly capable of scoring more. There have been times when he’s in a position to have a crack and he chooses the pass, and maybe that’s where the manager wants him to be a bit more ‘selfish’, if you like. Between now and the end of the season you suspect that some Ozil goals will go a long way to helping us achieve what we want to achieve.
Right, that’s that for this morning. The Arsecast Extra was recorded last night and will be available for you before lunchtime.
Back tomorrow with a Bayern preview and all the rest.
