Is that a cup run I can smell? Well, it quite possibly could be as we’ve already made it to the quarter-final of the Carabao Cup but as we all know, it’s not a priority.
We haven’t won this competition since 1993 when George Graham was in charge, coming closest as runners-up in 2011 when a last-minute mix-up between Laurent Koscielny and Wojciech Szczesny gifted Birmingham the cup.
In more recent years we’ve also been embarrassed out of the competition by lower league opposition like Bradford City and Sheffield Wednesday but this year’s route seems to be going a lot smoother.
Coming out on top in the past two rounds against Doncaster and Norwich City at home, but now we face our first Premier League outfit in the competition in the shape of West Ham.
If last week, and the weekend is anything to go by then we could be in for quite a long night as David Moyes’ side kept us to a goalless draw at the London Stadium before dominating Stoke City away from home.
We, on the other hand, have been struggling against sides who decide to sit and soak up pressure but in our 1-0 win over Newcastle we looked a bit more like our normal selves.
Quick, intricate passes in and around the box to get us in behind the Newcastle defence were very pleasing on the eye and were pulled off very well but whether we can expect the same tonight, I’m not sure.
With this being the Carabao Cup rotation should be expected, which I personally like, but that would also mean the players on show tonight won’t be as in sync with each other as our regular starters.
Despite that, this will be a great experience for youngsters like Ainsley Maitland-Niles (who is hopefully played in midfield), Reiss Nelson and Eddie Nketiah who, if selected, will be up against Premier League opposition.
In the last round, Nketiah showed what he could do with an instant impact off the bench against Norwich, scoring twice to put us through so I’d imagine he’s got a good chance of featuring tonight.
Also, with Mathieu Debuchy now settled in at right wing-back that’ll give Wenger a chance to move Nelson into a more natural attacking position.
The 18-year-old has been impressive down the right flank when called upon, but he burst onto the scene in the Under 23s as an attacking midfielder where he is yet to play consistently for the first team.
Hopefully tonight’s game goes to plan but as we’ve all been reminded of in recent weeks, we’re still Arsenal so it’s best to expect the unexpected.
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