It is almost three years since Arsenal’s last FA Cup defeat but the 1-0 loss against Blackburn Rovers back in February 2013 remains arguably the nadir of Arsene Wenger’s entire 20 year reign. It was not so much that it was his only FA Cup loss to a lower league opponent but that it effectively confirmed an eighth consecutive season without silverware.
Wenger’s annoyance manifested itself several days later in his angry response to a story about a potential contract extension at a time when, frankly, a growing proportion of the fanbase would have been happy for him to say goodbye.
Arsenal lost to Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup in February 2013
Yet having previously also won four finals between 1998 and 2005, it is the FA Cup which has provided Wenger with renewed legitimacy in since winning 12 straight matches in the competition. “Vital”, says Wenger, when asked to assess the specific importance of the 2014 victory.
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“I never forget that we were two down after 20 minutes and could have been three down. It was vital because you had that pressure to win trophies. For me, it was an important step.” The irony of twice making that step in the FA Cup is that progress in this season’s competition suddenly feels less essential.
Winning the FA Cup in 2014 ended a nine-year trophy drought
Arsenal currently sit top of the Premier League and, in a season where their main rivals have rarely been so inconsistent, it is the strength of this particular challenge that is likely to define the season. Wenger remains adamant that prioritising between the three main competitions is simply not practical.
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“At our level, you do not choose when you commit and when you don’t,” he said. “The FA Cup is something special. You cannot imagine how big it is abroad. In England you cannot be a big club and say we don’t care about the FA Cup. It’s the biggest cup competition in the world. I’ve won the FA Cup six times. That means I take it seriously. In the whole history, nobody has won it more. In the League Cup I have always chosen the youngsters but never in the FA Cup.”
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A debate, though, has been provoked by Sam Allardyce’s claim that the prospect of midweek Premier League fixtures threatens to “destroy” the FA Cup third round. Wenger countered on Friday by saying that it was no different to handling midweek European fixtures and he still expects a strong Sunderland line-up.
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“I’ve been in the job long enough to not expect any weaknesses from Sam Allardyce,” he said. “With Sunderland what is at stake with the Premier League teams is that they are scared to go down with the new TV deal coming in next year. I don’t see why the FA Cup should be ostracised or be neglected because of the Premier League. When you play in the Champions League, you play midweek. Why should you not play Saturday, Tuesday or Wednesday? It’s no problem.”
The reality of Wenger’s decisions will still slightly contradict those words. The team are already without Alexis Sanchez for at least another week while Petr Cech will be rested. Mesut Ozil is unlikely to play while Nacho Monreal, Hector Bellerin, Laurent Koscielny, Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud may very well also be spared from the starting line-up ahead of Wednesday’s Premier League fixture against Liverpool at Anfield.
There will be a particular focus on goalkeeper David Ospina. His last Arsenal game was the shock home Champions League defeat against Olympiakos when his mistake directly led to the winning goal and prompted deep recriminations over why Cech had been left out. Wenger has already decided that Ospina will play the entire FA Cup campaign and, in arguing that he is equipped to succeed Cech as the club’s regular goalkeeper, also admitted that the Colombian had been treated unfairly over this past year.
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“If you look at the whole of 2015, everybody neglects he played six months,” said Wenger. “I personally think he is world-class. I did not take Petr Cech based on the performances of Ospina. Petr Cech was just an exceptional opportunity. Unfortunately, Ospina has been punished by that decision. We are lucky because he has a top attitude, very intelligent, brave, quick. The difference with Cech is he has less experience and his size. I think he can be the goalkeeper of the future here as well.
“It is a special position, an under-rated and unfair position. A striker always gets more credit. Which is most important? You need both but maybe over a longer distance the goalkeeper.”
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