Arsenal play their next fixture in the Capital One Cup this week, and after having defeated Tottenham Hotspur in their last fixture in the competition, the Gunners take on Sheffield Wednesday. The Gunners come into the game off the back of a solid victory over Everton and still high on confidence from their win over Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League last week. Sheffield Wednesday are in good form themselves, seeing as they haven’t lost a game since September 12 and will be hoping to continue their unbeaten run against Arsene Wenger’s side later this week.
With Fernando Forestieri cup-tied, the player who Arsenal must be careful of is Atdhe Nuhiu. The 6 ft 6 striker offers an entirely different approach to Forestieri. He is likely to dominate the aerial battles but might not be so effective running with the ball. Therefore, the full-backs selected on the day must make sure to stop the Sheffield attackers whipping crosses in so that Nuhiu can’t aim headers at goal. With Per Mertesacker likely to return to the team, Nuhiu’s aerial presence could be limited but he can’t be relied on for everything. Whichever keeper is played must make sure that if they come to claim the ball in the air, they make the ball their own. Arsenal can’t be in the position where the keeper flaps at a high ball and leaves the goal wide open.
In attack, Arsene Wenger’s side must dominate possession. Wednesday shouldn’t be allowed to see too much of the ball, but at the same time Arsenal must make the most of the chances that they produce. As was seen at the weekend against Everton, the Gunners created many chances for themselves but couldn’t convert most of them, leaving the game incredibly tight right until the end.
This game could be an opportunity for the likes of Calum Chambers, Joel Campbell and Mathieu Flamini to get some game time and so they must not get caught out by the heat of the moment. If they do their jobs effectively then they may well see themselves earning an inclusion in the first team at the weekend against Swansea.
Either way, Wenger will be looking to secure a win over the Championship side and see his side progress into the next round of the competition. However, if the Gunners take to the field with an air of complacency then they may well be caught out by the same counter-attacking football that saw them overcome Bayern Munich last week.
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