If you asked fans of ‘top’ clubs in the Premier League how they would prioritise the EFL Cup, almost all of them would say it’s the fourth most important trophy of the season, behind the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup.
It is a state of mind that is unique to a small number of teams, as below that fans of other clubs would bite your hand off for a trip to Wembley and the chance to lift some silverware. The question of how it works in the minds of players is different though, and ahead of the 4th round tie against West Ham, Mikel Arteta was asked how he and his staff convince players that this is on the same level as the other competitions.
“I don’t know if we can convince them,” replied the Arsenal manager, “because if you ask about the priority what it will be, it wouldn’t be for sure the Carabao Cup.
“But for us it’s more internally how we use it, what are the demands we put on ourselves and how we approach every single game.”
The Gunners’ exit to Brighton last season was met with relative indifference by the fanbase, perhaps in part because it was a game that didn’t get televised anywhere in the world, but Arteta insisted players think differently about the results, and their involvement in the team for games in this competition.
“I don’t think the players think like that,” he said. “I think they get really upset when they lose.
“After you are out, you try to look at the bigger picture and say, OK, now we’re going to use it in a different way. That’s OK. But if you ask somebody what they want to do tomorrow, for sure it’s win the game.
“I don’t think I have three World Cup winners in the squad that can think like this about the Carabao Cup. I might be wrong but I don’t think nobody can think like that.
“I think that would be very, very arrogant.”
A cup we haven’t won since 1992? Agreed we cannot be arrogant.
1993 cup double?
Adams suplexed Morrow. Or was that the FA Cup?
No, you’re right, it was the League Cup Final (the Coco-Cola Cup, at the time, I think).
A superb Paul Merson screamer to cancel out Sheffield Wednesday’s opener – and then Steve Morrow with a well taken Wembley Cup Final poacher of a goal.
Then ‘Rodders’ lived up to his nickname after the final whistle…..😂
You got my downvote for talking about Merson screamer.
Why?
It was a fucking cracker from the Merse. How the actual fuck can you downvote a post because it mentions an Arsenal Wembley Cup Final goal – and a very well taken one at that….?
FFS……..
I meant 1993 my bad on the typo. But we arrogance thing still stands.
“I don’t think I have three World Cup winners in the squad…”
I might be losing the plot but pretty sure we don’t currently have any world cup winners in the squad? Mayne he said or meant champions league?
what’s the issue. he’s correct to not think he has three world cup winners in the squad
The World Cup winner thing all depends. I mean, Messi is one thing, Christian Romero quite another. Mesut Ozil is one thing, Mustafi another.
This is an “asbestos-free cereal” moment! So Arteta wasn’t wrong in what he said, but the fact he specified “3” World Cup winners rather than just saying “any” World Cup winners meant he fell foul of Grice’s maxim of the cooperative principle and made the sentence ambiguous. It’s basically a hidden rule of conversation that Arteta has breached, and there’s a Tom Scott YouTube video called “The Hidden Rules of Conversation” that goes over it (and where I learned about it). The basic psychological explanation being if Arteta says there are “3” players our conversational instinct is to assume there… Read more »
Well, that certainly cleared things up.
Clearly there’s a difference between how the players feel and how the manager should prioritise the tournament.
The best way to put out a motivated team is to use the league cup matches to give the fringe players their starts and opportunity
Agreed. The two-legged semi final in January after a hectic Christmas schedule is not ideal for a club that will contesting in Europe in the new year.
Agree but that has been done every year and these fringe players has always produced fringe performances.
Last season we had a fanbase that was dismissive of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup, and we ended up with nothing. It’s bloody hard to win any cup these days, let alone the League and Champions League, so if it’s silverware I want us to win it. Obviously I want us to win big things but I think this season we have a strong enough squad to fight for everything.
Agreed. City are out, a couple more bigger clubs could go out tonight. (I also heard a rumour that some small club from North London are also out, some people think that’s relevant for some reason)
There’s also a chance the dreaded 2-leg semi could even be against a lower division side, draw dependent.
This is a young team & a lot of them have never won a trophy. It could do wonders for them.
I don’t think we were dismissive It was that anything that decreased the chance, even slightly, of winning the league, was disfavoured. We have a much bigger squad now, and genuine depth of quality. Giving more time to players like Trossard, Smith Rowe, Jorginho, and Kiwior will probably *increase* our chances of winning the league.
Last season, we lost both Saliba and Tomiyasu in a freaking Europa league match, and it can be argued that those injuries (especially Saliba’s) cost us the EPL title. We have enough depth now to play the fringe players in the Carabao cup.
Duff? Around here we only serve Fudd
Duff is going to be the sleeve sponsor for next year. Visit Duff.
Does this also mean gunnersaurus is going to be replaced with duffman
I realise that my opinion here of the League Cup is going to be one that is shared predominantly by ‘old school’ guys like myself (Gen X etc) but I would absolutely love to see this club win the League Cup again. Arsenal’s relationship with the competition hasn’t always been successful in terms of actually winning the thing – indeed that has only happened twice. We have a long history of disappointment, particularly the Leeds final defeat in 1968, the disastrous final defeat to Swindon Town in 1969 (which led, however, as Bob Wilson will tell you, to the ‘birth’… Read more »
I’d accept a peshwari naan for a ring
Congratulations.
I’d mud wrestle Queen Camilla for a peshwari naan and a paneer masala right this minute.
I’m an idiot. I liked some of the Maharishi Arsenal gear. I bought the jacket, it looked sharp! Understated and I could tell it would fit well. Got the package and was horrified to see the atrocious graphic on the back, I had no idea, the ads don’t show that part or I didn’t look closely enough. Now thinking of getting a black panel over it. Did they think Arsenal fans want biker gang apparel?
Just checked it out. I feel your pain. You’re getting random bag inspections at airports wearing that bad boy
It is very “small time drug smuggler”. All I know is I can’t pull it off! I take comfort knowing that not many could. At least not in good taste.
Heading to the game tonight. Hoping to get a new Declan Rice chant going which only works against West Ham (I’m sure it’s already been thought of).
To the tune of “Push the feeling on” by Nightcrawlers aka The we buy any car.com jingle:
“Just Sold your Star to Mikel Arteta!” on repeat….
Bottom line: the Carabao is a trophy- let’s win this, guys.
Carabao Cup*