I may have overreacted last night when I posted that Arsene Wenger should be sacked before the next match. Now that I’ve had time to cool down, I can say that sacking a manager because of a Carling Cup loss may be a bit harsh. I will say that if Wenger cannot win any of the other three competitions (FA Cup, Champions League, Premier League), then the board should really consider whether to bring him back or not.
Arsene is still optimistic for this season.
Let’s get to some reactions and other news coming out of the Arsenal today. Here is Wenger on what lies ahead for the Gunners: “The Carling Cup is four or five games, but a championship season is 38. We will not throw 38 games away because of one game.
“I am confident we have the character and this is a good opportunity to show it. We have to be proud of our attitude, continue with our belief, pick ourselves up and face the other challenges we have.
“We will face a lot of questions after that mistake, but we have to be strong enough to stand up. It is a good opportunity to show that we have the mental strength to respond to the situation.”
The second happiest team yesterday after the final was Leyton Orient. Maybe the crushing loss at the weekend will carry over until Wednesday. Let’s hope that we won’t suffer two surprising losses in one week. It could be a huge [...]
Birmingham City have won the Carling Cup final after beating the sorry Gunners 2-1 at the new Wembley Stadium. Our trophy-drought will continue as our best chance to end it has just gone by. Birmingham took the lead on a header from Nikola Zigic in the 28th minute. Robin van Persie equalised ten minutes later on a beautiful volley. Wengerstupidly took out both Arshavin and RVP in the 2nd half. Birmingham’s winner was handed to them. Mistakes by Laurent Koscielny and the keeper lead to an easy goal from Obafemi Martins.
Martins (pictured here when he played with Inter) scored the late winner for Birmingham City
This loss is devatating for Arsenal and I think the manager needs to be held accountable. Arsene Wengershould be sacked. He has stuck along too long with this club and not won anything in six years. The Gunners have lost in three cup finals in that time and failed to win the league. Arsenal have let Manchester United and Chelsea breeze by them andcapture trophies while were stuck with a lame-duck manager trying to win his way.
Some may think firing Wenger after a league cup loss is extreme. I don’t. If you cannot beat Birmingham City in a final, who can you beat. They certainly won’t win any competition this season. In fact, they will not win another competition until the Frenchman leaves the club. Mark my words.
We did miss Fabregas but we still had quality players out on the pitch. [...]
Arsenal will battle Birmingham City for right to hoist the League Cup at Wembley Stadium. Can the Gunners end their six years of misery or will Birmingham provide a stunning upset? We will be without skipper Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott, who could miss more than just the final. Arsene will field his top side against Birmingham and the pressure will be on the Gunners to secure the silverware. Sunday is cup final day.
Will RVP be able to captain Arsenal to glory?
It is really a shame that Cesc will have to sit out Sunday. He was so eager to captain this Arsenal side to their first trophy. No one wants to risk damaging that hamstring further though. As for Walcott, he will be missed. His pace on the outside adds a lot of width to the side. RVP will be playing up top, which is great news.
Birmingham City will not be an easy opponent. They are sitting 15th in the table and looking to avoid the drop. Will coming off a 3-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cu will inspire the confidence they need to get a big victory over a top club?. Just ask striker Cameron Jerome: “Will the lack of trophies put pressure on them? I think it is going to.
“They are overwhelming favourites and everyone is writing us off outside of our camp. That is going to add the pressure on them, and also them not winning a trophy for a while.
Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas desperately wants to play in the Carling Cup Final on Sunday. Cesc suffered a hamstring sprain last night against Stoke City. Medical staff will evaluate the injury over the next couple of days and make a decision on whether the Spaniard is fit enough to play. Fabregas may not take no for an answer.
Fabregas is eager to play in a cup final.
Here is what Cesc said on Twitter: “I dont know if I’ll make Sunday or not, but all I know is that from this moment to Sunday I won’t sleep if it’s necessary. I’ve waited too long to captain a final for Arsenal and I won’t give up till the last second.”
We’ve all waited far too long to see Arsenal win a cup final. The Gunners have lost their last two cup final (The 2006 Champions League Final and the 2007 League Cup final). It’s time for a trophy, even if it is the League Cup. It can provide confidence for the players and hopefully lead to more silverware this season.
Still, Cesc, please get some rest. We don’t want sleepy captain on Sunday. But seriously, Cesc is key for Sunday, escpecially if RVP misses the match. Fabregas is one of the best midfield players in the Premier League, if not the best. He makes everyone around him so much better.
Laurent Koscielny and Robin van Persie may not be able to play Sunday. Both were ruled out for last night’s [...]
Arsenal beat Ipswich Town 3-0 tonight to advanced to the Carling Cup Final. The Gunners came into this game at the Emirates down 1-0 on aggregate. At the half, it looked as if Ipswich may be able to hold Arsenal off for just enough time. But the Gunners came out blazing in the second half, torching the Ipswich defence for three goals. Arsene and his players will have a chance to win the first trophy for our beloved club since 2005.
Arsene Wenger decided not to start the reserves in the second leg of the semifinal. Van Persie sat up top with Arshavin and Bendtner on the wings. Fabregas played in an attacking role behind RVP and Jack Wilshere and Denilson played as centre midfielders. The defence was anchored by Johan Djourou and Laurent Koscielny with Sagna and Clichy on the outside. The presence of van Persie surprised me a bit because Arsenal played just three days ago. It’s save to say that RVP is 100% back and in form. The lineup showed the Wenger is serious about the Carling Cup. The players proved it on the pitch.
The match started off with a bang. Ipswich fired the ball at the Arsenal goal right off the tip off. It was an ambious effort from Grant Leadbitter but it did give Sczcesny something to think about. The first half started with back-and-forth oppurtunities for each team. The Arsenal back four were forced to panic at times, but the Ipswich defenders were sometimes left only [...]
Arsenal will be facing off against Ipswich Town tomorrow night in the second leg of a Carling Cup semifinal. The first leg, played at Portman Road, saw the Gunners fall 1-0 to the Championship side. Arsene Wenger knows he is terribly close to his first trophy since 2005 but his side will need to beat Ipswich by two goals or more tomorrow at the Emirates if he hopes to hoist the League Cup trophy.
It will be very interesting to see who Wenger will start tomorrow. He usually gives the kids a run in the Carling Cup, but will he when a chance at the final is at stake? The starting eleven tomorrow will tell us how much Wenger really cares about the tournament. Of course, the League Cup is the fourth most prestigious competition Arsenal are in at the moment, but how desperate is Wenger to get his hands on another trophy?
Now onto some transfer news and rumours. Some reports have said that Tottenham defender Jonathan Woodgate will leave Spurs and join Arsenal. Well, Spurs manager Harry Redknapp had this to say about the rumours:
“Is he going to Arsenal? No, not a chance. We wouldn’t let him go to Arsenal. I think they are after taking Sol Campbell back again.” The Sol Campbell comment was obviously a joke, but the part about Woodgate clearly wasn’t. Doesn’t look like Spurs are going to give us any defensive help this month.
Arsene Wenger have confirmed that Arsenal are trying to make [...]
