It didn’t really provide great reading for Arsenal fans when they turned into the League Cup result, the Gunners had to face Sheffield Wednesday but were humbled by the Championship side 3-0. The Gunners still claimed over 70% possession against their opponents, but they were extremely lacklustre in the game and Wednesday did take their chances in front of goal.
It has been a rather topsy-turvy couple of weeks for Arsenal, defeating Bayern Munich, just about holding out to a win over Everton, these results should have given them the momentum to pretty much blast past opponents, let alone Championship sides but Sheffield Wednesday must be given credit for battling hard against a team, which on paper should have won easily.
A good result but a poor performance
Before everyone jumps at me for stating that Arsenal should be pleased after getting knocked out of the League Cup, we must all understand that the Gunners have bigger fish to fry this season. Arsenal are vying on at least three fronts, and even if their Champions League dream might remain one, they have a great chance of winning the league title this season or even retaining the FA Cup.
While Arsenal started with the likes of Cech, Debuchy, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Giroud, the loss did come at a cost. Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott both picked up injuries and could not complete the game. They could be out for quite a while and have joined a host of Arsenal players on the injury list.
Getting knocked out of the League Cup would mean fewer games to play and more time to recover, plus they would not have to play some of their stars in these games. Many would suggest that a cup is a cup and Arsene might have wanted to win a trophy, but Arsenal do have the quality to win bigger titles this season.
This loss also should be taken as a wake-up call for Arsenal and Wenger. The club cannot take any game lightly, even if it is against non-Premier League teams. We saw how they performed in the UEFA Champions League against Olympiakos at home and that did give them a bit of a kick up the behind. This could be just the thing needed for Arsenal to get flared up for a couple of important games, one they travel to play Swansea in the Premier League and then have a huge Champions League tie at Munich.
While the Swansea game might not decide the fate of the Premier League title, a win should give the club the lift they need to play against a Bayern Munich side which broke another Bundesliga record over the weekend. The Bavarian giants would also be looking for revenge as they lost the reverse tie and didn’t really do well at the Emirates.
Arsenal should be wary of Bayern’s performances in the Bundesliga, but the German side have shown that they aren’t the best when it comes to facing English opposition and Arsenal had won at the Allianz Arena a few years back. A similar performance isn’t needed, but certainly Arsenal need to avoid a loss. You never know what can be a catalyst for good performances in football and this bitter and disappointing loss could be the thing that brings the focus back for Arsenal in the remaining competitions they are in.