It’s been sixteen years since the Gunners lifted the League Cup, yet after their 3-0 demolition of Wigan Athletic, one of their youngsters has claimed that this could be the year where they finally get their name on the trophy again.
Jay Simpson had an Arsenal debut to remember, scoring a brace against the Latics to help his team into the last eight of the competition for the fifth season running. However, despite the North London club faltering at the business end of the competition for several seasons, the midfielder has told the Daily Mail that they have every chance of beating the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool to win the first piece of silverware this term.
Simpson said: ‘I don’t see why we can’t win it – everyone’s confident and the boss believes in us so hopefully we’ll win the next game and take it from there.
‘All of us want a big side in the next round as we want to test ourselves. That’s what it’s all about – playing against the big teams and seeing what you can do against them.
‘I’d be delighted if Manchester United or Liverpool put out their first team against us. If they draw us and put out a strong side it would show they’ve got respect for us.’
Presumably, Arsenal fans wouldn’t regard the season as a success if they were to simply win the Carling Cup and land another place in the Champions League next season? Yet it’s possible that this competition represents their best chance of winning some silverware this term, despite the fact that Wenger is happy to field a second-string team. Do the Gunners stand a chance against the first team of Liverpool or Manchester United?
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