Arsenal managed to scrape through to the next round of the FA Cup against Brighton yesterday, while Chelsea, Man City, Tottenham and Southampton were all eliminated the day before, and both Man United and Liverpool are left to fight out replays. This means that there are fewer big dangers to Arsenal retaining the trophy in May, but Arsene Wenger refuses to tempt fate by saying we are now favourites to win it.
Le Prof said after the game: “With yesterday’s results you would be a bit cautious. The cup is the cup – what you want is to focus on the next round to go through. We have a good experience from last season to know that every round is difficult. The most difficult games were not especially the expected ones last season, so let’s wait for the draw. Of course we’ll fight and we want to retain our Cup but there’s too long to go to say that Arsenal are favourites.”
“I think the results yesterday was a bit of a subconscious warning for us. It wakes you up a bit and you think, ‘okay it’s a Championship team’ but you know that the players in lower-level teams are prepared now – they come out of the academies, do not make it in the Premier League but they are not far from it. They can maintain the pace for 90 minutes and in these kinds of ties they never give up. Even if you look in League One, you look at the games and the teams play good football. If you’re not ready, you can lose.”
As we saw yesterday, even Arsenal were unconvincing against lowly Brighton, and Wenger said that he expected a tough challenge but we won quite comfortably (in his eyes!). “I believe our performance was good and there was room to score more goals with the chances we created. Overall what you want first is the quality of the performance and to go through. They had two shots on target. When you play away from home and the other team had two shots on target – overall I think we produced the performance I expected.”
Well, we got through and most other top teams didn’t, so obviously we MUST be one of the favourites to win the competition. In fact I’ve just checked the bookies, and they make us best-priced 11/4 favourites, with Man United on 10/3 and Liverpool at 11/2. West Ham at 8/1 are the only other team under 20/1.
So are we worthy favourites or not?
I like that the professor is keeping our feet in the ground. I thought we totally bossed the game, but in football anything can happen, they had 3 glimmers of goal and converted 2 of them –
They will prob never achieve that again. But worthy reminder that we always have to keep focussed.
Bring on the next round 🙂
We must to remain humbles! But we keep FA Cup!!
@ButtFlaps
Damn right. Whoever wants it, gotta take it off of US…
And the Brazilian gets work permit. Another defender added.
He’s taking pressure away from us
Have a feeling that with this squad(add Paulista as he has been granted a work permit),players coming back from injury and the performance we have been putting in,we will keep it tight up to the top down to the wire.
Let’s win the FA(no complacencey),go all the way to semi in CL and scoup up a third or second spot in EPL which will provide a base for the next season success.
I luv Arsenal and Yanga
What time will the draw take place?
Starts at 19:00 BBC 1
its going to suck if it’s a Chelsea vs Spurs final in the League Cup
I hope somehow the final is Liverpool vs Sheffield.
Liverpool beating Chelsea is possible (unlikely, but possible)
But Spuds are 1-0 up against Sheffield. I see Spuds winning.
Yeah although Spurs, MCFC, Chelsea are all out, we can still be knocked outta the Cup by any team in any division. Favorites mean nothing. That’s why we gotta stay modest. We were modest when we had leads vs Stoke/Man City, but then let Brighton off the hook in the second half yesterday. So Wenger is right – you never know.
any team can still cause problems. hopefully utd and liverpool draw eachother though. Trophy is far from won, plenty to play for.
I wouldn’t write off Boltons chances.. They drew Poopers at Anfield so I would say they have an excellent chance at home.
Cambridge however at Old Toilet I can’t see them winning..
@juhislihis
After watching the shift they put in at home, I’m gonna take a punt on Cambridge…
the key is to take 1 match at a time.
I don’t think he denies that we are favourites, in fact he he said; ‘We have to be considered favourites…’ and we should be considered favorites, we are the highest ranked team without a replay, and are the holders. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t perform professionally.
a friend to the brother of an aunt of a housemate of the sister to the wife of the cousin of the 6th wife of a reliable traditional seer told me that the seer saw Arsenal winning both FA and UCL 🙂 🙂 🙂
Rejoice guys, our glory days are nigh 🙂 🙂