Arsenal 3-0 Wigan Athletic

By: travis | November 12th, 2008

I know that these titles are boring and lack any kind of originality, but forgive me, I’ve already used the title of The Who song ‘The Kids Are Alright.’ However, like the previous Carling Cup fixture, it applies once again, as a squad of 19 year olds saw off a decent Wigan side. Household names like Jay Simpson and Fran Merida were pulling the strings for the Gunners, and Simpson nabbed a brace while Vela scored a goal that was a thing of beauty.

I’ll confess that I wasn’t able to watch the whole match, but the moments that I saw didn’t surprise me in the least. When you have a group of youngsters like that, playing in such an environment, the odds are that you’ll let them attack, and worry about defending later. There were some shaky moments, clumsy touches, and mistakes that clearly showed their inexperience, yet there were moments of magic and passes that make you realize it’s a matter of it not when midfielder Jack Wilshere will make his way into the first team.

These kids deserve their plaudits, and playing so well in two consecutive games is something to take notice of. But as Gunnerblog points out, these kids are playing in a no pressure situation. If they were to lose the game, Arsenal fans and coaches would be disappointed for about 20 minutes after the match. The Carling Cup is no high pressure cauldron of the Premier League, where a tie here or dropped points there could spell the end to your title run. Wenger himself recognizes this:

To play that team in a Premier League game could be tempting but it is difficult to say as the pressure and the environment is different then. What they do on the pitch is no coincidence though.

That’s not to take anything away from the kids that player yesterday; they deserve to be applauded, and there is certain hope for the future. Heck, the more you watch the likes of Aaron Ramsey or Jack Wilshere (don’t hate me Arsenal fans) the less the possibility of Cesc leaving scares the heck out of me. I’m not saying he’s going, not saying it would be good if he left, only that there are other central midfielders who could be world class waiting in the wings.

Another major storyline from last night was the 76th minute appearance of Amaury Bischoff. The Frenchman/Portuguese international was signed on free transfer over the summer, and by Wenger’s own admission, a complete gamble. Bischoff has struggled with injuries, but is on the mend and has appeared in two reserve matches and last night’s Carling Cup. It’ll be a great surprise and boost to the midfield if he can challenge for a spot in the first XI.

The other injury news is out of Germany – Tomas Rosicky, the oft-injured Czech midfielder had routine surgery to try and fix whatever other problems continue to linger. Who knows what will come of this, but if Rosicky can stay fit (when and if he returns), it’ll be a good boost to the experience factor of our side. I still remember what he did to the US back in ‘06. That attests to his ability.

That’s all for now. Highlights are here, in case anyone hadn’t caught them. More to come before the weekend.