One of the four trophies Arsenal can still win this season is the FA Cup, and Arsenal will progress to the Fifth Round if they vanquish Wigan Athletic this Sunday. Undeniably, victory would mean that Arsenal will have to play additional matches, and the FA Cup may rank third among the priorities of most fans as to which trophy they would most like to win, but Mikel Arteta (not to mention yours truly), dearly wants to keep our positive momentum flowing, and beating Wigan would allow us to do just that, as well as keep our four trophied hopes alive, so in the spirit of positivity let’s have at them!
In his pre-match presser on Friday, Mikel Arteta asserted that a change of competition (from League to Cup) could be a good thing for the team in light of dropping two points in our title chase: “Every three days we are playing different competitions (so) we will reflect on the (Brentford) game, take the positive… and go on Sunday again with the energy and the batteries fully charged to go and win the game.”
The opposition
Wigan Athletic spent eight years as a Premier League side between 2005 and 2013 and won the FA Cup 13 years ago when they defeated Manchester City in the final. The Latics then lost the following season’s semifinal to Arsenal, the eventual FA Cup winners, when they played our guys to a valiant draw after extra time but were sent out courtesy of penalties by Arteta, Kallstrom, Giroud and Santi Cazorla. Since those glory years under Roberto Martinez, Wigan have mostly been a yo-yo club between the Championship and League One but they are now threatened by the prospect of relegation to the fourth tier for the first time in three decades. Sunday’s match is the first meeting between the two clubs since that 2014 FA Cup semi-final, when Arsenal went on to beat Hull in the final.
A week ago Wigan sacked manager Ryan Lowe just hours after their 6-1 defeat by Peterborough which left Wigan 22nd in the division after they were 11th at the start of December. Lowe’s Latics were without a league victory in their last seven games, and won only seven of their 29 matches played. Former Stoke midfielder Glenn Whelan was placed in temporary charge, and he presided on Tuesday when the Latics suffered a home loss to Reading. Whelan is the former international teammate of Brentford manager Keith Andrews, who most likely provided the perfect template for Whelan’s game plan to face the Gunners after Brentford battled the Gunners to a draw on Thursday. Since little has been going right for our opponents, and their “new manager bounce” has yet to kick in, Arsenal had best be ready for Wigan’s sudden revival.
Wigan advanced to the Fourth Round after drawing with Hemel Hampstead and Barrow in the first two rounds before dispatching both sides on penalty kicks, before they defeated Preston 1-0 in the Third Round. It is safe to say that Arsenal is the biggest challenge the Latics will have faced in this year’s competition.
Arsenal Team News
Kai Havertz faces another month on the sidelines after suffering a muscular injury. The German had been in excellent form since returning to first-team action last month, providing the spark our attack had needed, while offering additional midfield cover. But now our midfield looks light without him, loanee Ethan Nwaneri, and Mikel Merino, who is expected to miss the rest of the season after surgery. In more positive news, recent absentees Odegaard and Saka did return to the side at Brentford where both made second half appearances as substitutes without stamping an overwhelming impact on the course of play.
In addition to Martinelli’s six goals in four Champions League matches this season, his hat-trick propelled Arsenal past Portsmouth in the Third Round, so he must be nearly nailed on to continue in Mikel’s Cup side. Despite certain inclinations of Arteta’s to choose a senior side no matter the situation, I think he will want to take this chance to rotate his side in other areas, considering the need to keep players fresh for the midweek trip to Wolverhampton, not to forget our trip to Spurs next Sunday, so my predicted team is as follows:
Kepa
White Saliba Hincapie Lewis-Skelly
Norgaard Zubimendi Eze
Saka Jesus Martinelli
Lastly, if there are any readers who plan to reuse the photo of Wigan’s interim manager and his band of merry men above, I should caution you that the photo may not be completely authentic. Just a word to the wise.
Enjoy the game, ‘holics, wherever you may be watching, and may our side put all the seriousness into their effort that this grand old competition deserves.
Nice one, bt8. I hope the tie is as trouble-free as you suggest it will be.
Your team selection looks about right, although I would expect Mosquera to start. He needs the games, and Arteta needs to keep him tuned up as cover for Saliba and Gabriel in the run-in.
I wonder if we will see Marli Salmon or any of the other promising youngsters on the bench. I hear that Max Dowman is back in training, but it would surely be far too soon for him to make even the bench.
Nice preview, bt8, triggering some fond memories. I was at that last meeting in the 2014 semifinal and our progress to the final really was touch and go. The gap in status between the two sides suggests that this meeting, which I believe will be only our second FA Cup meeting with Wigan, shouldn’t prove quite as tense. I think your team is close but Mosquera will probably start rather than Saliba and Madueke rather than Saka. As you observe, midfield now feels quite bereft of options and I would prefer not to see Rice or Zubimendi anywhere near this game. However it does look like one of our key midfielders will have to play – perhaps 45 minutes each might be prudent. Although a lot of regulars will be playing hookie, I shall be there, hoping for a cricket score and some champagne football to match Scotland’s champagne rugby today.
A fine preview bt8. I too think that Mosquera and Madueke will start and that if things are going well we may see a young Salmon leap on in the second half. I don’t think Zubi should be anywhere near this game. I’d play Mosquera and Calafiori at CB; Hincapie at LB and I’d give MLS a run out alongside Norgaard and Eze in midfield.
I’m hoping for as comfortable a win as Scotland enjoyed at Murrayfield this afternoon. That may require Eze to turn on the style in the fashion demonstrated by the nighty Finn in dark blue today. Ebri was probably watching so he’ll have been inspired.
NLFE
Glenn Whelan is a lumberjack?
Cheers bt8. Let us win, and no extra time, please, especially as I took a huge gamble choosing to book the last train back.
(Cue guaranteed extra time…).
Interesting speculation on the line-ups. I still suspect Mikel will like to have one of Gabriel or Saliba out there. If not, I think he will go for Mosquera and Calafiori as BtM suggested, though I don’t know who would be LB (Mikel seems averse to playing LMS in midfield though I’d like to see that too).
Congrats on the egg-chase win, BtM!
Thanks bt8, an enjoyable preview as always of a game that gives us a good
chance to make the last 16 for the first time since we last won the whole thing.
I think we will see MLS in midfield today as MA has mentioned it as an option
recently though other important questions from the drinks – ie, what is rugby and
why would Finn wearing a nighty inspire Eze – will have to remain unanswered I suspect.
A slightly kinky preview Bt8 and none the worse for that! Excellent stuff!
I think my side would be
Kepa
Salmon White Mosquera Calafiori
Norgaard Eze MLS
Saka. Jesus Martinelli
Saka looked undercooked on Thursday and I’d like to use MLS to spare Rice and Zubi. Expect a mixture of top first team players and promising youngsters on the bench one of which may be Dowman . 4-0 to the Arsenal
Thanks BT8
We do need to get back into the winning groove but some rest for the big boys would also be good. I too would replace Saliba with Mosquera in your team and would drag Saka and Zubi at half time when we’re 2-0 up. A comfy 3-0 would do me fine although 5-0 would be a tonic.
UTA
Enjoyable preview bt8!
For a brief few years Wigan under Martinez was a fun watch. That semifinal was a strange sort of game, and other than Fabianski’s saves and the unlikely Källström (how surreal some of our signings used to be at that time — we had brought him in not when he was at his best at Lyons but towards the very end of his career only to lose him instantaneously to an injury!) stepping up to score in the penalties I don’t remember too much of the match.
My predicted starting line-up:
Kepa
White-Mosquera-Hincapié-MLS
Eze-Nørgaard-Rice
Madueke-Jesus-Martinelli
An untroubled 3-0 would do nicely. Come on Arsenal!
Nice one, bt8 !
No Rice or Zubimendi for me, thank you.
I will go exactly with TTG’s team. It’s high time MLS had a chance in his proper position. We need to protect our big players as much as possible and MLS in midfield could prove invaluable.
It’s mad that, with the squad depth we have, we are having to sail so close to the wind in midfield. Our players still seem to have so little resilience to injury. Is it simply playing every three days (no, not a simple matter, I know); is it the demands of our playing style; or are there still questions to ask about our training / conditioning methods ?
All questions I can’t, of course, answer personally. Am I alone in asking them ? Is it all down to pure bad luck ?
Excellent preview, bt8. As per others above, I think Mosquera will start at centre back and hope to see MLS in midfield, although I expect to see him at left back. I was at the U-21s on Friday night with 21CG (it was bloody freezing, thanks for asking). 16 year old Marli Salmon was excellent, especially when considering we were playing what looked like a considerably older, and certainly physically much bigger team. He went off at half time, having floated serenely across the pitch, putting out small fires before they had any chance to catch. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him play some part today, hopefully starting at right back. An added benefit is that we could then pair White with Mosquera at cb, increasing the chances of MLS playing in midfield as we juggle our resources ahead of another game-packed week.
Team news. Myles in midfield!
Salmon to jump in midstream after the nasty Wigan fishers have given up hope? COYG
Saliba is one I got right, but MLS in midfield I didn’t foresee as one or two drinkers succeeded in doing.
A splendid preview bt8 and a very interesting team. Looking forward to seeing this game. Love the FA Cup!
Strong team from MA and good to see MLS in midfield.
‘Twill be interesting to see if that midfield can gel.
Is Raya being given a complete rest or has he picked up an injury? No sign of him, or any of the keepers, in the training pix.
Calafiori injured AGAIN in warm-up ! What do we do in those sessions? MLS back to left back
MLS in midfield didn’t even make kick-off!
Still 2-0 with a couple of nice finishes and
Eze enjoying himself, so it’s all good and
hopefully Cala was precautionary.
Make that three, unfortunate for the Wigan defender
and it looks like it’s going to be along afternoon for Wigan.
I hope Matt Smith gets on at some point for Wigan
Did I say three, I meant four.
Didn’t think more medals than Harry Kane was going to get on
that quick!
Twenty minutes of motoring and then not so much taking the foot off the gas as getting out of the car and taking a smoke break.
Still, job done. Into the hat for the 5th round, and on we go.
Mansfield Town at home in the next round please, FA.
It can’t hurt to ask, BtM. 🤞
BtM@21: plus Scousers v City and the Chavs against the Barcodes.
TTG @16.
While having a nice pre match meal (highly recommend La Taberna nearish H and I), as we were seeing the line ups and speaking injuries, I very nearly remarked ‘at least Calafiori has been mostly fit this season’…. So on seeing the actual starting team once in the ground, I was going…WTF!
At least my travel gamble on no Extra Time was never in danger….
Ollie, Calafiori mostly fit ? He missed 9 games after going off injured in the warm up last time !
Unfortunately, this is exactly what I was saying @9 above. What is going on with our conditioning. It’s not as though there was no alternative to Calafiori today as I’m guessing Hinkapie was still fit. Therefore, Calafiori must have been deemed “fine” before the game…..
I share the concerns of Trev @26. Calafiori has exhibited great fragility ( for a hulking great Italian stallion!) ever since he joined us. He has been available for just over half our games this year but missed huge chunks of last season. He has been injured twice recently in warm ups . This may suggest our warm ups are too severe as Saka was injured at Leeds in the warm up there or that Calafiori is exceptionally injury prone . It’s a huge pity because he is a very good defender indeed .But given the intensity of our programme ( which will hopefully continue to the end of the season ) we need a huge squad .
The monks may have precise records but I think the only first team squad members who haven’t suffered a significant injury this season are – Raya , Kepa, MLS, Zubimendi , Eze and Trossard . Nineteen outfield players have picked up injuries and some like Havertz , Merino , Dowman, Madueke, Saka , Gabriel and Odegaard have picked up very serious injuries.
Injuries derailed us last season so we increased the size and depth of the squad . But it looks like we still have an underlying problem
Well, it’s all relative. ‘Mostly fit compared to last season’ would have been more accurate….
TTG @ 27, when you put it like that re: injuries, t’s quite scar(r)y.
…. and possibly decisions to make. You can’t keep competing for the highest trophies with so much of the squad unavailable at any given time. We seem to have some brilliant players who are slipping into a cycle of recurring injury. I don’t want to lose any of them but Ben White, Calafiori and even Kai Havertz are getting injured too often. Great players and great characters but …..
Calafiori had a serious knee ( I think) injury when he was 16 at Roma. Ultimately he as released and, I think, went to Swiss football. Eventually he was bought by Bologna where he played for a season or two. Arsenal knew that there was a risk there. Top young Italian players don’t tend to leave Italy unless there is an underlying personality or health issue.
A good outing in miserable conditions. A thirty minute masterclass then foot off the gas for an hour of training ground routines during which we were unlucky not to score 4 more and we should have had a penalty for handball to boot. Lots of tired legs were rested and we got minutes into underused legs plus a couple of yoofs getting an outing.
All good.
Home draw for the next round, please.
TTG@27: Crocks everywhere!
Raya missed the League Cup game against Bolton last season because of a muscle injury, but that is the only game he hasn’t played in apart from those he was rested for and the two against Brentford when he was ineligible because he was on loan. At Brentford, he had three months out with a knee injury and at Blackburn Rovers, he got that horrendous injury that required reconstructive facial surgery.
Kepa missed a CL game last November due to injury, but has otherwise been an ever-present on the bench in league games or as the cup keeper.
MLS missed three games with a knock in November and December last year. He has not made the matchday squad on multiple occasions, and it is impossible to know whether any of those were due to injury or just because there was no room on the bench.
Zubimendi hasn’t missed any games for us for injury, as opposed to being rested. As I mentioned before, I am concerned that he may not last until May, as this is his first season without a winter break. At Real Sociedad, where he made his debut in 2018-19 but didn’t establish himself in the team until 2020-21, he missed at least 10 games with injury, including a hip injury in three different seasons. He also had a run of games out with a hamstring injury.
Eze had an Achilles injury when he was at Palace that kept him out from May 2021 to the following November, and he didn’t play a full 90 in the league until May 2022. He missed 10 league games the following season in three bunches (hamstring, ankle and unspecified muscle) and then missed another three games in November 2024 with another hamstring injury.
Trossard missed a couple of games last November due to an ankle injury, and many have missed another in September 2023. At Brighton, he missed 11 games over three and a half seasons, due to two groin injuries and a minor hamstring strain. However, at Genk, he missed most of the 2017-18 season due to a muscle tear and suffered a number of short-term injuries the following season.
I think Gunnersaurus never missed a (home) game. And he beat Crusty the Pie on penalties today.
Goodnight.
At half-time yesterday I decided to go to bed as it was past two am
and I could watch the second half today, feels like a good decision today 😃
Is there any injury problem? Maybe, but looked at in isolation I think it’s hard to tell.
It seems many PL clubs have a lot of players out sometimes these days.
I like this new end product Noni by the way! And wot Bath said @31.
On to Wolves
It occurred to me that I ought, reluctantly, to add Martin Odegaard and Gabi Jesus to the list of too often injured. Everything g crossed that this is all down to pure bad luck. That would be a hell of a list to replace.
>>>>>>>