Are Arsenal’s second string good enough to win the Caraboa Cup?

It is a well-known fact that the League Cup has never been a top priority for Arsenal, and Arsene Wenger normally uses it to give his reserves and youngsters the chance to play more regular football if they go far in the competition, which is not usually the case in recent seasons.

This season is different though as we have many more experienced players in our reserves, especially in our forward line, and the fact that they are getting used to each other after playing together for three Europa League games and one previous League Cup game and we have won every one. Even Wenger himself thinks this team could go further in the League Cup than normal. “That’s the luxury I have at the moment and the difficulty I have as well,” Le Prof said. “All these players do well, play well and they deserve to play.

“Fortunately, we have important games every week, so I can give competition to everybody. We have so much offensive force on the bench as well. It’s really a strong point of the club at the moment.

“I always used [the League Cup] to give a chance to young boys,” he added. “We went to the final with a very young team and nearly won it.

“I always focus on winning trophies in the Premier League and FA Cup domestically, and always used the League Cup as an education for our young players.

“But with this team I have the squad to go further, so let’s see. Let’s focus on winning the match against Norwich and then we’ll see where we will go.”

This is the team that I am predicting for this evening…

Macey
Debuchy, Elneny, Holding
Nelson, Coquelin, Willock, Maitland-Niles
Walcott, Wilshere, Giroud

That starting XI looks to have more than enough top class players and very promising youngsters to beat any Premier League reserve side and could maybe even win the League Cup and the Europa League, or at least get them into the latter stages of both competitions. If they stick together as a team surely they can only improve?

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8 Comments

  1. ______________Cech

    _____Debuchy___Mert___Holding

    Iwobi____Elneny____Wilshere___Coquelin

    _________Nelson____Walcott

    _____________Giroud

    Second half bring on Niles and push Wilshere further forward. Wanna have a look at Wilshere in CM v no10. Could also swap around a couple of others if things are not going to plan .

  2. By playing MN at left wing back Wenger is being unfair to the player and more importantly the team loses balance it would have with Kolacinac in that position . Wenger should play both against Norwich but he is unlikely to do so. Our new Bosnian does not seem the type who needs to be rested in fact he probably needs more games to gain full match fitness.

  3. The answer to the question is a simple NO!

    When we get to latter stages Wenger must learn and pick stronger sides to stand a chance against the big boys.

    Hope he does as I like to win this thing!!!!

  4. I would play:

    —————— Macey
    ——- Holding – Mertesacker – Elneny
    Debuchy – McGuane- Wilshere – Maitland
    ———- Nelson – Walcott
    ————— Giroud

    Sub Mertesacker, and possibly Wilshere at some point so they can play against Swansea.

    That’s actually only 4 players NOT part of the senior squad.

  5. Fed up of seeing Nelson as wing-back! If Wenger isn’t going to play him in his natural position, then what is the point? How is he supposed to learn his ‘natural’ position in professional games? Was Messi played in a defensive role when he came through at Barcelona, so he could learn that side of the game? Of course he wasn’t!

    If Wenger is going to continue with a wing-back role for Nelson, then he needs to get Nelson playing in that position in the reserves as well.

    1. I can only conclude Wenger is playing a young natural attacker as a defender purely out of malice. There is just no possible explanation why Nelson should persistently be played out of position as a defender and ruin his confidence. Anyway, playing people out of position is what Wenger lives for….saw him destroy Arshavin’s career with it. Almost destroyed Oxlade chamberlain too. Tried to turn Gervinho, a winger, into a striker and failed. El Neny is next…if he accepts that CB position.

      1. QD, TOTALLY CORRECT POST. imo Wenger is still living in la-la land from ancient history when he successfully converted Henry from wide player to central striker. This success clearly went to his arrogant, way past it head and he has failed every time since, when trying to convert players and only succeeded in playing then out of their natural comfort zone and true position, thus demoralising and regressing them as players. His fixation with playing central midfielders on the right wing is pathetic. Reiss Nelson is clearly a special talent but we can be sure that Wenger will ruin his progress by his usual nonsense of playing players out of position. Other, GOOD, managers, if they had no quality players in such and such a position, would visit the transfer market and spend some effing money. But Scrooge Wenger with his phobia about spending real money would, every time, rather force wrong shaped pieces into the team jigsaw with predictably wrong results. Most of us have regularly seen this charade happening for the last decade but stll fossil Wenger persists in his stupidity, effectively sabotaging our hopes of success. The man needs to be sacked today- better still, were it a decade ago – but we can only play the cards as they are now . Wenger and his cretinous obstacies must go! NOW!!!

  6. Macey

    Debuchy Elneny Holding

    Nelson Coquelin Wilshere Maitland-Niles

    Iwobi Walcott

    Giroud

    = make way for the trophy

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