In today’s depressing world of Arsenal, it’s easy to forget we have a semi-final to think about this week and although the timing isn’t the best after the way our football results have worked out lately, it’s still a semi-final. The penultimate round of the premier English domestic cup tournament, the League Cup formerly known as The Ratners Cup, The Rumbelows Cup, The Milk Cup and the Donald Trump Trophy.
This prestigious tournament, watched by billions around the world captures the imagination of the footballing world despite it’s final being played in February at Tottenham’s temporary home ground. We face Chelsea this Wednesday night at Stamford Bridge, and the team news, like ahead of the Forest debacle, isn’t exactly great.
The only piece of ‘good’ news is that Granit Xhaka and Shkodran Mustafi will have fitness tests ahead of the game, and that Wenger might just remember we have players such as Jack Wilshere, Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Alexandre Lacazette in the wings who could play in the game, something he seemed to forget as he rested them against Forest, a move which spectacularly backfired as we crashed out of the FA Cup on Sunday.
Wenger confirmed this morning that we have no one ‘recovered’ and that we still have ‘5 or 6 injured players’, these would definitely include Santi Cazorla, Giroud, Monreal, Ramsey, Koscielny, Mustafi, Xhaka, the list goes on.
Despite it being the League Cup, this game is now huge for us and a way we can at least restore some pride after drawing three of our last four league games (Liverpool, Chelsea and West Brom) and losing to Forest in the FA Cup.
Hard to work out how Wenger rallies the troops, but he gets paid enough to at least give it a good go.
Come on you REDS!