I might be wrong but I think we are going to see a very strong Arsenal side in the FA cup today and I am also expecting them to put on a strong show to give Burnley a proper taste of what the Gunners can do. Arsene Wenger certainly seems to be determined to see his Arsenal side progress to the next round, although progression in the cup does not appear to be foremost in the Frenchman’s thoughts.
From what he said to Arsenal Player this week I got the sense that the manager, and most probably the players as well, feels a strong sense of injustice right now. It is hard to argue that Arsenal have got what we deserved over the last few weeks, with that late goal by Liverpool denying us a well deserved win and with the injury problems we have had all season finally hitting us hard.
But the sense of injustice after seeing another Gunner sent off against Chelsea and having to swallow another defeat to the knuckle draggers from across London has really sharpened the manager’s mind and that is why he is so determined to get us back on track as soon as possible, starting with the visit of Burnley today.
Wenger said, “We have to swallow the difference between what we could have achieved and what we have achieved, and learn and respond very quickly from that.
“We are still in a very strong position but we have to be objective enough and analyse enough that we didn’t get the number of points we could have got out of these three games.
“The secret is that you are rewarded for your consistency of the attitude and your focus at the end of the season.
“The fact that your perseverance comes out is why I’m positive, because I feel this team has been on board since the start of the season. That will become stronger in the final part of the season.
“The squad should all feel more confident and they should also feel more competition for places. My problem for selection will be bigger but when you look around you, you have players on the bench who can change the course of the game. That makes the squad stronger.
“The squad has responded remarkably well to play so many big games and win them. The fact that we suddenly have more choices at this crucial point in the season means that you can sometimes rest a player who needs a breather and that is an important luxury to have.
“If we want to compete on all fronts, that will be very important.”
So will today be an important day for the Premier League title challenge as well as our defence of the FA cup trophy?