Said
da fazobetai： Since God was a boy Arsene Wenger has looked down at the Carling Cup, believing it to be a competition that is below his team and just a chance for the youngsters to have a run around. Using it to take a swipe at North London rivals Tottenham after they won it “Is it a trophy to finish 12th and win the Carling Cup? The real quality of a big club is to fight for the championship.” Obviously Wenger sees the competition as something that is beneath him and fit only for the other side of North London to be competing for. Even this season he still declare his lack of interest for the competition, despite the fact that Arsenal have now gone five years without winning a trophy of any sort. Insisting it is merely “a competition for our younger players.”
da dobrowin： There is apparently just no getting away from it; first team players will not be involved in an Arsenal team in the Carling Cup. As recently as last year he has been overtly dismissive of it, saying ahead the final between Aston Villa and Manchester United “If you win the League Cup, can you honestly say you have won a trophy?”
Done
However team selections so far in this season Carling Cup tend to paint a different attitude of Wenger towards the competition. In their first match in the competition, a 4-1 away victory at White Hart Lane, first team regulars Wilshere, Denilson, Rosicky were all involved from the outset along with their player of the season so far Samir Nasri. Further reinforcements from the bench came on in the shape of Arshavin and Chamakh in a team that seemed to mix more a great deal more experience with youth than usual in the Carling Cup. Indeed it was a stronger side fielded than their opponents, perhaps a sign of who heralded the competition higher this season?
Yet if that team was assembled so strongly to make sure of no embarrassment at the hands of their fierce rivals, like the 5-1 defeat experienced in the competition the other year, it was certainly successful as Arsenal outplayed Spurs and cruised to victory. But it would not go as far to explain why Wilshere, Denilson, Walcott and Van Persie have made such prominent roles in their continued success in the competition. Along with Koscielny, who after the injuries Arsenal have had at the back, particularly to Vermaelen, has become a mainstay of their backline. Wenger has also contradicted his usual distain for the competition, although not exactly praising it or setting it as a target, by stating “if we can win this competition then we will take it.” Before the Newcastle game in what was a groundbreaking statement basically ending his kids only policy towards the Carling Cup Wenger we will “go for every single competition with every resource we have.” Maybe a sign that after so many trophy-free seasons any tournament is starting to look appealing. Or in the least that it could spur his team on to win other and more important silverware.
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