Hello everyone.
So, it all comes down to this. A cup final. The first one in three years. And, just as it was back then, we're overwhelming favourites to lift the cup.
However, that's where I'd like to stop drawing comparisons with that fiasco. I remember I wasn't able to watch that game, because it wasn't broadcasted (can you believe this?), but I was quietly confident we'd win. You can imagine my surprise, anger and sorrow as a late mess-up saw Birmingham win the cup.
This is what Arsene said on that final:
Look, you can always slip or have a lack of communication. You can never guarantee that will never repeat. The only thing is that what happened to us was in the last minute of the game and that leaves you very, very little time to respond.
Little time indeed, that's why I hope there won't be any such thing tomorrow.
There's also no room for complacency. Hull may have finished sixteenth, we may have beaten Steve Bruce's side twice, and they most definitely will play without both their top strikers (I remind you, Nikica Jelavic and Shane Long are cup-tied), but they are still a Premier League team. Hull have still got to that final, therefore taking them lightly can be costly.
Arsene acknowledges that our status as favourites doesn't guarantee us anything and should not lull us into a false sense of security:
“To be favourites doesn't guarantee you anything. It just means if you turn up on the day of the game with a good performance you have more chance of winning. So let's focus on turning up with a great performance.
“I don't believe we need any warning [about Hull]. We know that a final is a final, that Hull are a Premier League team, they can pass the ball, they can create chances. It's just down to us to perform well on the day of the game.
“I honestly don’t feel there is any danger of complacency - we know the difficulty of the task. If you look at our run in the FA Cup, we’ve had a hard run."
A hard run is a mild word. It could have been made harder only if we had to play City in the semi-final, but then again, didn't we nearly go out at that stage? Wigan proved more than capable opposition by demonstrating they hadn't beaten City earlier at the Etihad for nothing. The Latics sat deep against a disjointed Arsenal side, took their chance on the counter and went within 8 minutes of going through. Only our character and grit prevented it. Then Fabianski did the rest.
Oh, by the way, Fabianski. Should he play? Way I see it, there are two possible variants. I would not be surprised at either outcome.
First one: Fabianski starts the game. It's not like there's no reason in this decision. The elder Pole is our cup goalkeeper and, more importantly, he's why were got into the finals in the first place. His match-saving performance against both Liverpool and Wigan saw us through. Moreover, a good day at a sunny Wembley may just convince the Pole to stay. Which will be wonderful, cause it'll save us the pain of finding a back-up keeper of his standing. No small feat.
Second one: Fabianski doesn't start. Instead, Szczesny, as our №1 goalie, regains his place between the sticks. Again, the benefits are clear. Wojciech has featured in roughly 45 games this season, he's been near impeccable and, more importantly, he will definitely stay at Arsenal beyond the final. Far beyond. The younger Pole will definitely itch to help his team win a final, it'll mean a lot to him, not the least because of that three-year-old mistake.
Apart from this dilemma, the squad should be pretty straightforward. Vermaelen and Oxlade-Chamberlain face a race against time to make it, everyone else is available. Sagna will play and, when asked whether the Frenchman's contract situation can affect the way he (Sagna) performs, Arsene said:
I told you many times for me a professional is to give your best until the last day of your contract. That's for me the real professional. I don't doubt his integrity, his desire to win and his commitment at all.So, I expect our usual back four, Arteta and Ramsey as DMs, Ozil under Giroud and Cazorla and Poldi on the flanks. It's our optimal line-up and I think we should stick to it.
Speaking of Arteta, he is another player, whose future is not secure. Along with Thomas Vermaelen and Lukas Podolski, the Spaniard is soon out of contract, but, unlike these two, his contract will expire in a year. Our de-facto captain will hold talks with the club this summer and I really do hope they go well. Arteta has become an integral cog to our machine since joining from Everton three years ago and, despite his age, still has a lot to offer. He may sometimes be slow on the ball and not able to track runners, but his brilliant positioning and near-perfect passing ensure he almost never needs to. Another thing to consider, is the sheer number of players leaving. Fabianski, Sagna and Viviano will most definitely leave, while we also need at least a striker and a centre-back to challenge for the title next year. It's already four players to buy, do not let this situation get out of hand by allowing Arteta or Vermaelen (and Podolski) to leave.
Anyway, it's a topic we can discuss on a summer day, when we have nothing better to do, for now let's concentrate on the cup. And win it. End this goddamn trophy drought.
Come on you Gunners