It must be true what they say; the League Cup just isn’t a big deal to fans anymore. It took little more than a brief listen to the crowd at Tuesday’s Carabao Cup quarterfinal showdown between Arsenal and West Ham to realise the apathy with which the competition is now greeted. Even after the game’s only goal that put Arsenal in the lead for good, there was a near silence that engulfed the Emirate Stadium for most of 90 minutes, only breaking after the traveling West Ham fans belted out a song of their own, prompting retaliation from the home support. Disinterested fans aside, Arsenal now find themselves just two more games away from lifting their first trophy of the season after defeating West Ham 1-0. The glut of fixtures this time of year can test the depth of any good squad, but thus far, Wenger and his team have risen to the occasion, and are still fighting on all competitive fronts heading into the holidays.
Doing What The Starters Could Not
Tuesday’s Carabao Cup matchup between Arsenal and West Ham came less than a week after the two teams met in a Premier League showdown at the London Stadium, but featured a whole host of players that didn’t feature in that match. Arsene Wenger, as he has all season in the minor competitions, went with a mix of established veterans who don’t get the minutes they would like in the league and youngsters eager to make their mark. The deadlock that lasted for 90 minutes last week continued for almost an entire half before Danny Welbeck latched on to a ball sent in from Mathieu Debuchy to give the Gunners the lead moments before halftime. The goal proved to be all they would need, as the match was seen out in relatively simple fashion and with few tense moments.
David Moyes has rapidly brought a stability to the West Ham defence that had been severly lacking under Slaven Bilic, and he has frustrated the Chelsea attackers as well as the Gunners twice since taking over with a resilient low block. Welbeck’s goal was a bit fortunate because the attack had shown little initiative before the goal, and wouldn’t show much more the rest of the way, but in the end was enough to send the Gunners through to the semifinals.
The Future Lions
While it may not have been the sort of match you might tell your children about one day, there were still positives to be found for the Gunners faithful. Perhaps the two most impressive players on the pitch were young England internationals Rob Holding and a Calum Chambers, who deftly handled the few threats that West Ham threw in their direction with ease. First it was former Manchester United star Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez, whose quickness was easily neutralised by the pair before an aggressive Andy Carroll got his turn. The young duo completed 90% of their passes and win 11 aerial duals between them, giving goalkeeper David Ospina one of his least stressful days as an Arsenal player at the back.
Holding and Chambers looked comfortable as the last line of defence, recycling the ball efficiently in possession and sweeping away any speculative long balls before they could threaten. With Laurent Koscielny, Per Mertesacker and Nacho Monreal on the wrong side of 30 years old, Arsene Wenger will have been relieved to see the players he has tipped for future stardom with the club put in such a masterful performance. With the price of even mediocre players quickly spiraling out of control on the transfer market, Wenger’s acquisition of both players for less than £20 million combined could end up being one if his greatest ever coups. It will be a pleasure watching both players grow together for club and country in the foreseeable future.
A Demotion?
Perhaps the most surprising inclusion in Tuesday’s starting XI was summer signing and a new favourite of the fans, Sead Kolasinac. The Bosnian, who was named the best left back in the Bundesliga last season, got off to a flying start this season, especially in attack, where he has contributed to some of the biggest goals in the biggest games for the Gunners. His hulking presence at wing-back has added a level of physical intimidation to the position that hasn’t been seen for a long time at the Emirates. He is surprisingly nimble with the ball at his feet as well, toe-tapping through would be challengers on a freight train of forward momentum. A collision with the former Schalke man is one that his opponents likely remember for a while.
However, despite his impressive contributions to the attack, his defending has not been quite up to par in recent weeks. He is not an overly agile defender, as his top heavy frame lends itself more to straight-line pace, so he can struggle against some of the more dynamic wingers in the Premier League. His aggression can sometimes leave the Gunners badly exposed at the back, as he will often be moving toward an attacker when he they are able to get by him. It remains to be seen if his time with the squad players and the kids is a temporary move, or if he has already lost the confidence of his manager, but one thing is for now for sure; Ainsley Maitland-Niles-Niles has made the last two Premier League starts at left back on merit, not because of an injury to his Bosnian teammate.
The Kids Are Alright
As has been the case in all of the Gunners’ League Cup matches so for this campaign, there was a distinctive youthful flavour to the team that Arsene Wenger named for the match. With Ainsley Maitland-Niles appearing to have earned a promotion to the starting XI for the near future, he was not named to the team against West Ham, but his fellow youth products were given another opportunity to show what they could do. Joe Willock played the entire match in the centre of the park, but was joined later by a Reiss Nelson, Ben Sheaf and Josh Dasilva to close out the match. Willock was solid, if unspectacular, showing more of a forward-thinking initiative than his midfield partners Francis Coquelin and Mohammed Elneny, while Nelson looked typically dangerous and crafty with the ball at his feet.
While some fans may be hoping that Wenger takes the end of the competition a little more seriously than he has thus far with his team selection, the relative low priority of the Carabao Cup and its apparent value to the club as a way of giving meaningful experience to youngsters means that it isn’t likely. It is far more likely that the Frenchman sends out a more competitive starting XI should Arsenal get within striking distance of the Europa League crown, as that might represent the path of least resistance for the Gunners to make it back into the Champions League next season. That being said, if the squad players and youngsters keep getting the results, perhaps it won’t even be necessary to use the starters in the League Cup to win the whole thing. Regardless of what happens, however, this will still have been one of the most productive seasons for the progression of youth that the club has had in years.
The Cost Of The Cup
If Tuesday’s match was a largely lifeless affair, it did not stop the match from exacting a toll on the team, with Francis Coquelin and Olivier Giroud both going down with muscular tweaks. Of the pair, Coquelin’s looks far less serious, with the French midfielder having seemingly perfected the art of dramatically injuring himself only to heal miraculously for the next match. However, Olivier Giroud’s injury could be a costly one for the Gunners. His importance in coming off the bench to close out games can not be overstated, as there is no other player in the league quite so good at making an impact after subbing in. The striker will have a scan on his hamstring on Thursday to determine the severity of his injury, but the early indication from a Wenger is that he will likely miss the rest of the festive period. The team could have used all of the reinforcements they could muster during such a frantic part of the schedule, but more than one fan likely thought of Alexandre Lacazette, who might be allowed to actually finish a match or two while his international teammate recovers.
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