As we all know Arsene Wenger was ‘disappointed’ last night, as were all Arsenal fans especially the ones that booed the players off the pitch! But, as the title says, there was one very happy man in the dugout. Step forward Claude Puel – the Southampton manager!
Thanks to some dismal defending by the completely revamped Arsenal back four, the Saints took the lead after 12 minutes and rarely looked like surrendering the lead. He said after the game: “It was a great performance because this game was a different profile,”.
“We were clinical in the first half, with two goals from two chances. I like this.
“After, in the second half, we had many chances to score another goal and make the game safe against a good team.
“It was a fantastic game to achieve that result: good solidarity, good attitude. I enjoyed what my players did.
“We have a chance to play a semifinal, home and away, in the second half of the season. That was the objective.
“[There are some] very important games in the future.”
Looking on the bright side, our reserves don’t have to play two extra games (although they would like to have had the chance) and two of our rivals, Liverpool and Man United, are due for a little fixture congestion in the near future.
Conversely, there were definitely lots of unhappy fans at the match, and Arsene Wenger admitted that the jeering supporters had good reason to vent their frustration. “It’s down to us to give the fans what they want. It is a fact. We have to live with that,” Le Prof said.
“We had a disappointing performance, particularly in the first half. I think we were not good enough defensively and gave cheap goals away.”
There’s that ‘disappointing’ word again. I wonder what Wenger said to the players!!!
Sam P
I don’t mind we were out from League Cup. I don’t like it for years. We can keep our subs and reserves 100% fit for three bigger events now. The idea of making two domestic cup in same season is totally unnecessary. No leagues in the world are doing it. Clubs like us must run four competitions on one season. FA is too greedy.
The fixture congestion is a pain but that is why we have an expensively assembled squad complemented with home grown youth prospects. Its an either In or Out situation. In it to win it or don’t bother. I am secretly pleased we don’t have 8 fixtures in January before the CL resumes in Feb, but desperately disappointed to have gone out to Southampton again at the Emirates just as we did in Sep 2014. Yes it was a pain to lose Walcott and Ox last year at Sheffield, but players like Perez and Elneny (so many back passes) were poor last night. The match was over in the first half!
AW does it every year and never finds the right balance in including more first team players as we progress. This was the QF! Ox was MOTM last round and should have started. Kids like JRA, Willock, and AMN are good for the early rounds but as we progress to the business end, the big guns have to come out I think.
No I think it is a great competition for your youngsters to play in front of big crowds ans see if they can handle the spotlight. We know its a reserve cup and shouldn’t be too upset when we lose.
I am always upset when we lose
We should always try our best to win EVERY competition
Especially losing at Home is never okay
I have to agree I feel kicked when we are beat. This is wengers policy embarrass the young players and fans in this comp year after year.
What annoys more than anything is the performance. Yes, it’s only the league cup, a competition Wenger never takes seriously, but we lost a long unbeaten run, and exited the cup with such a whimper. There was no fight, no tempo, no passion, and almost no tactics whatsoever last night. All of that comes from the manager, and he should be ashamed of that team selection, and performance. I don’t mind him resting players, and using youngsters, but he made too many changes considering the level of opposition. In fact, I thought his team selection was really disrespectful to Claude Puel, and Southampton. One would imagine that Wenger would want to win it, given his embarrassing haul of only two trophies in the last 11 years!
Wenger says so many times that football is business now, so I would be fuming with the product I paid for if I was at the stadium last night. Sat in the freezing cold watching the likes of Ramsey, and Jenkinson play Sunday league football!