2. Playing the Kids
On the one hand, it is admirable that Arsene Wenger puts so much faith in the clubs younger players however it is also one of his downfalls. For a club that havent won a trophy since 2005 it seems a bit strange that the manager continues to treat the League Cup as a competition for the reserves. This attitude is one of the reasons Arsenal fans have not had more to celebrate come the end of the season. Whilst it may seem acceptable to play the likes of Sanchez Watt against a League One side at home on a Tuesday night when Arsenal have bigger fixtures to prioritise, there are occasions where Wenger must be held accountable for his stubborn team selection. For instance, in the 2008 League Cup Final against Chelsea, Arsenals team had an average age of under 21 and included the likes of Hoyte, Aliadiere and Traore with Adebayor a sub in the 80th minute. Arsenal lost the final 2-1. To look at a more recent example, a North London Derby with Spurs 10 months later saw Wenger play a second string team of Hoyte (again), Fabianski, Bendtner, Traore and Denilson, as the Gunners were smashed 5-1, and a defeat to Tottenham for the first time since 1999. Wenger must be held accountable for these mistakes in team selection, and if he hadnt messed around playing the youngsters towards the latter stages of cup competitions it would not be unfair to claim Arsenal would not still be looking to end a trophy drought stretching 8 years.