Arsenal has had an illustrious stay in top flight football. However, such success carries an equally heavy load of expectations. The Gunners have failed to bring home any form of ‘competitive’ silverware since the 2005 FA Cup victory over Manchester United.
Arsene Wenger has urged the Arsenal fans to be patient and not to let their obsession for filling up the trophy cabinet as yardstick for the club’s success. However, with the way things are turning up this season, even he can’t play down the building anticipation
for the Carling Cup heading to the Emirates this term. The Gunners have had a fruitful experience in the local tournament so far as they find themselves in the semi finals with a clash with Championship side Ipswich Town.
Progressing at the expense of the second division side is an even more tantalising prospect owing to the fact that the Gunners lock horns once again with their former Manchester United adversary Roy Keane. The former Manchester United player and Sunderland
manager is now in charge at Portman Road.
Turning our attention to Keane’s side, Ipswich was able to progress to the last four stages at the expense of Premier League side West Bromwich Albion with a 1-0 score line on the day. It was an intense 90 minutes of football being fair to both sides. However,
while the championship side has enjoyed good form in the tournament, life in the championships has been a bit of a struggle – With 9 defeats from 19 games, the ‘Tractor Boys’ find themselves down in 16th spot.
Arsenal, arguably, expected tougher competition at this stage, but Man United’s shock 4-0 defeat against West Ham followed by Aston Villa going down against Birmingham have ensured a relatively clear course for the Gunners to go on and clinch the Cup. West
Ham is set to face Birmingham City in the 2nd semi-final in January.
While the lack of opposition puts Arsenal as firm favourites for the cup and subsequently ending their 5 year trophy drought, Wenger insisted that he was not too concerned about Arsenal’s lack of ‘tangible’ achievements. The French genius argued that every
top division club aspires for two primary things. Firstly, it would want to add silverware to its cabinet and secondly; aim to always be on top. Further adding to that, Wenger claimed that while Arsenal have managed to achieve the latter as they have consistently
mixed it up with the top flight teams over the years, adding trophies was a mere icing on the cake.
Focusing on the Gunner’s current situation, Wenger highlighted:
“The supporters want more always – and that is completely natural. But we have played 14 consecutive years in the Champions League. Many people would be happy with that.”
It would be fair to see reason in the Arsenal manager’s argument. Arsenal has enjoyed the longest uninterrupted stay in top flight football and has always been a force to reckon with. Their participation in the champions league has been due to their ability
in the English League as they have consistently finished 4th or above to attain qualification for the ultimate European event.
Arsenal has reached new heights since Wenger took charge in 1996 and the Frenchman’s contribution should not be undermined that easily. However, while the Gunners have managed to be ‘in the mix’ post-FA Cup 2005, the lack of silverware is still a worrying
aspect. By definition, winning a trophy is far more than filling up the trophy cabinet; it means that the club has arguably been the best in the format. Staying in contention and returning empty handed merely means that the Gunners have been second best and
lack the cutting edge that is essential to be top team – You want to be the best; you have to beat the best!
To be continued...
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