This weekend sees the return of the Emirates FA Cup and in the way of the Gunners’ third potential cup victory in a row stand Hull City.
The Tigers were Arsenal’s opposition in the final two years ago and were unlucky to end up losing. The two teams met again last season on the way to the Gunners’ second title in as many years, which was another fierce competition. Therefore, going into this weekend’s game, there will be pride as well as the promise of reaching the next round at stake in what is becoming a new rivalry.
Hull have been in fantastic form in the Championship, currently sitting at the peak of the table and looking likely to earn promotion back into the Premier League next season. They also hold the greatest goal difference in the league thanks to their impressive scoring and defensive records. It is plain to see that this time round, Steve Bruce’s men will be a greater challenge than before.
One of Hull’s most impressive players this season has been Abel Hernandez. The Uruguayan endured a very poor first season for the Tigers and there were fears he would be moved on almost immediately. However, this campaign he has shown exactly why he deserves a place in Bruce’s side. Having scored 17 of Hull’s 47 goals this season, it’s fair to say that he has been a massive part of their success and so it will be vital that the Gunners keep an eye on Hernandez. He is very close to being a complete forward; he can pass, hold the ball up well, make space for himself and has a knack for being in the right place at the right time to capitalise on any mistakes made by opposition defences.
The best way to deal with a player like Hernandez is to keep a player marking him tightly at all times. The Uruguayan likes to roam across the back four as well as drop deeper to collect the ball and then run at the heart of defences, meaning that if he is being harassed for most of the game, then he won’t be able to play his natural game as most of his concentration will be focused on getting loose from his marker.
The main thing that the Gunners will have to be wary of is complacency. Once too often in the last couple of seasons, Arsene Wenger’s men have suffered shock defeats at the hands of teams that they should win against. Last weekend, Arsenal claimed a monumental victory over Leicester City to keep their Premier League hopes alive and so should be high in confidence going into this weekend’s fixture. However, they must be wary not to allow their confidence to be turned into arrogance as Hull are no pushovers. With Danny Welbeck back in the side, there should be no excuse that the team lacks pace up front, and he has the aerial ability to rival Giroud meaning that, if anything, he is an improvement on the Frenchman who has looked off-the-pace in recent weeks.
This game is certainly one that Arsenal should win if they are serious about retaining the FA Cup again, and so only a victory this weekend will be good enough. This competition marks the most realistic silverware that the Gunners can win this season and so they should try their hardest to win this trophy as well as the Premier League.
