It’s been said before, but the odds of Arsenal putting an end to their well documented trophy drought have never looked better than they do right now. Wrapping up the Premier League season with five consecutive wins to ensure an eighteenth successive top four finish under Arsène Wenger, the Gunners have a great deal of momentum heading into Saturday’s final. However, as we’re all aware, David enjoys much success over Goliath when it comes to the oldest domestic football competition on the planet. Arsenal finished the campaign twelve places above the Tigers – who picked up only a single point from their last five games – and as recently as the 20th of April, emphatically defeated their final opponents at the KC Stadium.
All signs point towards the North Londoners capturing their eleventh FA Cup in the same respect that, on paper, Manchester City taking home the trophy last term was all but a formality. But as we’re all aware, Ben Watson’s stoppage time header was all that it took to slay the giant and this is a lesson must be learnt early in order to circumvent similar catastrophe. In some respects, though, class has already begun after the manner in which Arsenal were contested by the underdog holders at the semi-final stage. Dealing with the pressure and expectation will require immense mental strength, regardless of the game’s complexion, but having passed the test in their last trip to Wembley the bookies’ favourites are in the best shape possible psychologically. One would think, at least.
Injuries derailed Arsenal’s endeavours in the Premier League and in Europe, however Le Professeur will have every player except for Theo Walcott at his disposal on Saturday [Serge Gnabry and Ryo Miyachi are also out of contention, but had very slim chance of featuring anyway]. Many of the absentees who hypothetically may have improved the fourth placed finish and round of sixteen exit in the Champions League will feature and supporters should be treated to an exhibition of what the future may hold, even without forthcoming arrivals set to star next term. Mesut Özil’s spell on the sidelines had an evident influence on the team’s impetus going forward, however upon the German international’s return the fluidity that had seemingly disappeared for good made a correlated return and glimpses of the title challengers have started to appear on an increasingly frequent basis once again.
Fans and neutrals alike have debated for months whether or not Özil has flopped during his first season in English football, doubting his effectiveness and ability to reach the extraordinarily high standards he had set at the Bernabéu, but since Arsenal’s trip to Yorkshire this discussion has cooled down somewhat. If you hadn’t noticed one of the world’s greatest creative minds before the match this year, you certainly would have following the full-time whistle as Mesut simply mesmerised his audience. Arsenal didn’t cough up £42.5m for strong showings against promoted sides, though – the reasoning behind this outrageous piece of business was to deliver what had eluded the club for the best part of a decade in as little time as possible and now the ex-Galáctico has the opportunity to do just that only nine months into his spell at the Emirates. I believe that capturing the FA Cup would spur a hunger within #11 to prove his worth, silence his doubters and take Arsenal to the same level in which he as an individual is capable of reaching himself. Quite the frightening prospect when you think about it.
I would treasure the euphoria of claiming silverware on the day, however the long-term benefits arguably equate to that of winning the cup itself. Many of the current Arsenal side are yet to celebrate major honours and almost all have not picked up a single winners’ medal – ignoring the Emirates Cup – during their time spent at N5. The current crop of Gunners are evidently capable of lining their Arsenal careers with trophies, but without the experience of at least one success the potential number of trophies will only continue to reduce. If Wenger is to oversee the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain fulling their potential, the process must start at Wembley. Capturing only one piece of silverware could be the catalyst for many from seasons to come.
I’ve composed the line-up I’d pick if I were in Arsène Wenger’s position using Read Arsenal’s squad selector tool, follow suit here: http://readarsenal.com/squad-selector/
Wenger’s decision to start Fabiański for the final game of the season can be interpreted in two different ways and this choice for me proved the most difficult to make. Wojciech Szczęsny enjoyed his best season protecting the Arsenal goal, tying with Petr Čech for most clean sheets kept in the Premier League with sixteen. Gone is the erratic and naïve kid and in his place has stepped forward a well rounded and matured shot stopper. However, Fabiański has started every FA Cup game of the campaign thus fat and is entering the final month of his contract. After years of service to the club as a quietly committed back-up, what better way is there to thank him for his work than to send him off to future endeavours with a start? On the other hand, it could be argued that the experience of playing in the final and subsequently winning it would have more to value to the club if it were his international team-mate in the line-up. It’s crucial that Szczęsny overcomes his mistake from Arsenal’s most recent final, against Birmingham, and leaving him out whilst Fabiański laps up all the plaudits before riding out to another side would be of further detriment to his mindset with regards to playing in finals – something Arsenal are almost guaranteed to depend on in the future. As much as I’d like to bid farewell to Łukasz in the most romanticised manner possible, the cons of dropping Wojciech should make this decision for Arsène on their own.
Bacary Sagna is also set for imminent departure after seasons of consistency and hard work, and Saturday’s meeting with Hull will in all likelihood represent his final game in an Arsenal shirt. Despite his recent comments on Instagram, there is no way the 31-year-old can miss out on the starting XI. Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker have made up one of the most resolute central defensive partnerships in Europe this year and have proven their credentials by nullifying some of the best attacking talents in the country. Hull’s January arrivals, Nikica Jelavić and Shane Long, are cup-tied having made appearances with Everton and West Brom earlier in the competition, leaving the door open for Sone Aluko and Yannick Sagbo – who have combined for six goals in all competitions this term – to start. Kieran Gibbs is essentially a lock for the left-back spot stipulating fitness, victory on Saturday would mark the first senior trophy of the Arsenal youth product’s career.
Aaron Ramsey and Mikel Arteta arguably represent the strongest double-pivot at the club right now, so it’s a relief that the two are fit after rediscovering their cohesion as a double-pivot over recent weeks. The mass hysteria surrounding Mesut Özil’s arrival was unparalleled to anything ever experienced at Arsenal, with everyone involved with club foaming at the mouth at what the impact of this monumental signing would have, but it’s months for one of the main subplots of this excitement to come to fruition: his dynamic partnership with Santi Cazorla. Recent fixtures have suggested that this duo is forming at the same rate anticipated back in September and if I were Steve Bruce I would be frantically searching for means to tackle this creative dynamo at the moment, the danger looms large.
Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud have experienced similar seasons in many aspects and fill the remaining slots in my line-up. Whilst both made solid starts to the season, their stock plummeted as Arsenal’s season collapsed around them. Questions arose over their futures and criticism was rabid among the stands, however the latter stages of the season have marked significant improvement. Podolski has hit the back of the net four times in his last five appearances, including a brace at Hull, and Giroud boasts a similar ratio with two in his last three. It’s not clear whether either will feature in Wenger’s plans for the future, but the chances of prolonging their stay in the capital would only be boosted by an impact on Saturday.
It has hurt watching former players leave in search of success, listening to the endless number of taunts from rival fans and being punished on an annual basis for our naïvety, however all of this disappointment would be forgotten with the sweet smell of success on Saturday. All of the sacrifice has lead to opportunities such as this, and in some respects so has the scrutiny surrounding Arsène Wenger. That being said, after ensuring qualification to the most financially rewarding competition as means of competitive survival through the Emirates Stadium project, the time when that security justified other shortcomings as sufficient success is well and truly over. Hull represent the first obstacle of many on this road to redemption for failures past, but ninety minutes stand between the club and the possibility of returning to former heights.
Up the Arsenal!
