Well, here we are, FA Cup final day. And it feels like FA Cup final day. It’s warm in London and while I know I’ve harked back to 1979 a few times this week, the sun shining at Wembley is a big part of the association I have with the cup.
It’s t-shirt and sunglasses day; a cold beer in an outside garden with friends day; an excited, nervous, swaying between confidence and dread day; but most of all a what it’s all about day. Arsenal are in the FA Cup final and it’s fantastic.
Ignore anyone who tells you the cup doesn’t mean anything these days. Its easy, when you’re not taking part in the final, to talk how its importance has been diminished as the money flooded into the Premier League and the Champions League, but ask anyone going today what they think about it. Ask anyone meeting their mates in the pub, watching at a friend’s house, or those who sit alone in a dark room to view the match. I love the cup. I am up for it. And so all other considerations go by the wayside.
This is a massive day for us as fans, but also for the players and the manager. For the 11 who take to the pitch today there’s the chance to win their first trophy as an Arsenal player. For the boss, there’s that whole thing about how it’s been some time since we won something thing that people mention from time to time. It’s time to put that tedious trope to bed.
If you listened to yesterday’s Arsecast, you’ll have heard Martin Keown talk about what it means to win. It makes the players feel like they belong as they make their mark on the history of the club, and will help them kick on and achieve more in the future. I think that’s true of this lot. While there’s plenty of experience in the side, it’s easy to think what a trophy at this stage would do for the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Kieran Gibbs, Wojciech Szczesny, Jack Wilshere and so on.
In terms of today’s team, I think it’s going to be this:
Szczesny – Sagna – Mertesacker – Koscielny – Gibbs – Arteta – Ramsey – Ozil – Cazorla – Podolski – Giroud
The who plays in goal thing isn’t even a consideration for me. It’s got to be Szczesny, if you consider him your best keeper, you play him. Simple as that. And the rest of the team more or less picks itself based on the performances over the last few weeks.
We’re going into this game in good form, and I think that momentum is important. I don’t believe for one second that we’ll be taking anything for granted, but confidence is a good thing to have on your side for a game as big as this one.
This is Hull’s first ever cup final and you can be sure their players are going to be as desperate to win this as ours. I suspect their plan will be much the same as the league game up there last month. A frenetic, physical start to try and knock us off course early before we assert ourselves on the game. At the KC Stadium we coped well with that then Ramsey hit the switch and the game was ours.
It’s hard not to look past the Welsh Jesus as the man who can make the difference for us today, but when you view the team and see Podolski, Cazorla, Giroud and Ozil – all capable of scoring, and providing decisive moments – it’s not as if we’re reliant on one man to do our business for us.
But mostly today is going to be about the team performing under pressure, and there is pressure. We know that. It will permeate through us all at some point, but there’s also good reason to be confident. It’s cup final day, time to stand up, be counted, and lift that famous trophy at the end of the game.
I’m sitting here this morning with my stomach slightly churning (although that may be something to do with beer and rum and a duck red curry), and I can’t wait. It’s a day out in the sunshine with friends and the Arsenal, with the chance of silverware at the end. What more can you ask for?
It’s been too long since we won something, we all know that. We’ve had our chances and not taken them, but today just feels different to me. We’ve got the players to do it, the ability to do it, and I think the desire runs through this club to make this a beautiful day on and off the pitch. But especially on it.
Now, what did she wear?
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If for some reason you can see the game later on – and I’ve heard horror stories of people having to go to weddings or other hugely inconvenient and selfish family events – we’ll have full live blog coverage for you. Check back later for a post with all the details, or simply bookmark the default live blog page and updates will begin automatically.
Now, preparations begin. Wagons roll. See you some of there, more of you afterwards, and I will be channeling the spirit of Brady with his socks around his ankles pushing the ball out to Rix who crosses for SUNDERLAAAAAAAAAAAND …
Come on you reeeeeeeeeeds.
