Newcastle United recently ended a 70-year wait for a major trophy by defeating Liverpool in the final of the Carabao Cup.
The Magpies were determined to win the competition, particularly after suffering disappointment in the 2023 final, where they were beaten by Manchester United. Their perseverance paid off, securing a long-awaited piece of silverware.
Eddie Howe has been an outstanding manager for Newcastle, and he has long deserved a trophy to reflect the progress he has overseen at the club. Beating Liverpool—widely regarded as the best team in the Premier League this season—was a remarkable achievement, and this success could serve as a platform for further progress. Expectations are now high that Newcastle will also secure qualification for the Champions League.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are eager to end their own trophy drought and have developed an intense focus on winning the Premier League. While securing the title is a natural ambition for a club of Arsenal’s stature—given their reputation as one of the best teams in Europe—this singular obsession may be working against them.
By prioritising the Premier League above all else, Arsenal have gone an extended period without securing any silverware. A key lesson they could learn from Newcastle is the value of targeting a more attainable trophy as part of their broader strategy for success.
Newcastle have made a concerted effort to compete seriously in the Carabao Cup, reaching the final in 2023 before finally winning the competition this season. Their approach demonstrates that focusing on a domestic cup can yield success, providing a valuable morale boost while reinforcing a winning mentality within the squad.
Had Arsenal adopted a similar approach in recent seasons, they may have already secured multiple FA Cup or Carabao Cup titles. Such triumphs would not only have added to the club’s honours but also helped alleviate the mounting pressure on Mikel Arteta to deliver success.
A more balanced strategy—one that includes prioritising domestic cup competitions alongside their title aspirations—could prove beneficial for Arsenal in their bid to return to winning ways.
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Prioritising the Premier League above all else? Is that really true and if you think so what is your source as if you can’t name it , I believe you are talking utter rubbish!
Let Newcastle or whichever club have the Carabao Cup. While it’s nice to have an extra party, put something in the trophy cabinet, and feign a new winning mentality, in any season, the players know they rarely had to perform at their best to achieve it.
I don’t know if Newcastle targeted the Carabao Cup any more than Arsenal did. There are plenty of spaces up for grabs in the CL next season, so they may well be there. It would be interesting to see how they would prioritise their season in that case.
They probably didn’t prioritize the Carabao Cup any more than any other club which is in the running for the UCL spots but to me that just goes to show the true lack of importance attached to winning it by anyone including I believe many if not most of the fans.
I personally don’t go for all this prioritizing rubbish. As far as I’m concerned if you enter a competition you try to win it. Otherwise what’s the point of entering.
And lets face it from our clubs recent history of not winning trophies, we’re hardly in a position to prioritize are we!. 😉👍
Spot on Derek.
Fair point Derek and I agree with your sentiment
How do you rationalise going for the most prestigious prize- the league – and not over working the players ? This season has shown how fragile any squad is when facing injury and multiple games. There must be, I’d have thought, that an element of prioritising the focus of the season. In my recent memory, only City have been in a position to go for the lot
Supposedly the best manager in the world, Guardiola, said his first priority every season was to qualify for the CL.