After Premier League side Everton had whipped Arsenal 3-0 in the EPL clash, Gunners’ player, Santi Cazorla evoked the sentiments of a team that are dreading for a win.
After Premier League side Everton had whipped Arsenal 3-0 in the EPL clash, Gunners’ player, Santi Cazorla evoked the sentiments of a team that are dreading for a win. He was quoted this week saying he may consider leaving because his team-mates “haven’t got a winning mentality”. And rightly so, Arsenal Football Club has gone from EPL challengers to fighting for the fourth spot.
With Everton on their heels, it seems, Arsenal’s season is in for an implosion. But fear not you Gunners, as they still have a chance to end their thirst for lack of silverware when they meet reigning champions, Wigan Athletic in the semi-final of the FA Cup in Wembley on Saturday. Manager Arsene Wenger has challenged his players to use Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Wigan to lift their shattered spirits. Gunners go into this contest with their confidence in tatters after a miserable run that ended their hopes of winning the Premier League and left them fighting to secure qualification for the Champions League.
In a season where the Emirates side has seen them fall behind the pecking order to the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea and now Everton, which could prove costly as the Toffees can climb above them into fourth place if they beat Sunderland on Saturday. In the circumstances, Wenger knows Arsenal desperately need the confidence boost of moving a step closer to winning a major trophy for the first time since they last lifted the FA Cup in 2005. In 2011, they had a chance to bring back the silverware but were denied by Birmingham City who was later relegated the same year.
Prior the kick-off, Arsene spoke to the media about the mood in the Arsenal camp and how are the players reacting to the semi-final. He said, “What is important after our performance against Everton is to respond well. That’s where our future lies, is our capacity to respond with a strong performance and that is the next game and the next game is the FA Cup. We have lost a little bit of confidence; you could see that against Everton because it all went bad for us.”
Arsenal has not been aided with the injuries to their key players – the likes of Mesut Ozil and Jack Wilshere remain sidelined, while Mathieu Flamini is suspended and, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Tomas Rosicky both facing late fitness tests. The only good news is that Welsh midfielder; Aaron Ramsey is set to start for the first time since December after recovering from a thigh injury.
The pressure is on Arsenal to deliver. Their fans and players are craving for that elusive trophy since 2011 but luck was not on their side. Never underestimate Wigan as they have been massive underdogs in this tourney so far. After beating Manchester City, Wigan is on a high too and can deliver heartache to the Gunners. Can Wenger do it? If he can’t, sadly, we will see the last of him.
