Why the Weakened Team Mr Wenger?

26Feb07

One of the benefits of Chelsea’s multi-million pound backing over recent seasons has been to revive the ailing League Cup after several seasons of decline. With trophies at such a premium, teams are forced to take the tournament seriously again, and we only have to look at what winning the competition meant to Manchester United last season to see how important it has become. Without their League Cup victory last year United would currently be on a three year run without a trophy. The League Cup means something again, especially if as in 2005, the final is between two of the ‘big four’, which is why I was very surprised by Arsene Wenger’s team selection yesterday.

Whilst his opposite number Jose Mourinho picked the strongest side available to him, Wenger opted to stick with the weakened side of hot prospects that had served him so well up until this point in the competition. Now of course in many ways this decision is to be applauded – after all why should Thierry Henry or Tomas Rosicky suddenly waltz into the team for the final – and certainly not a single one of the players that Arsenal put out yesterday let the side down (at least not until the very end), yet I cannot help thinking that in a massive game against a massive rival it’s sheer stupidity not to pick your strongest side.

If you’re going to pay £100000 a week for a player like Henry surely he has to play in a match like the one yesterday. Okay, so Chelsea’s current starting eleven is a bit of a case of reputation over substance, but in virtually every position Mourinho’s team looked set to overpower the Gunners. Clearly Wenger was relying on Arsenal’s trademark quick passing and team-play overcoming Chelsea’s dependence on individual skill. However surely this plan would have been even more effective with Henry, Rosicky, Gilberto and Gallas in the team. When Chelsea pegged Arsenal back after their storming start, the whole team looked in need of some level headed guidance. In the minutes that followed Drogba’s equaliser, Jose Mourinho’s men managed to play the same damaging ball over the top two or three times with only a combination of offsides and poor control letting the Gunners off the hook. With Gallas or Gilberto marshalling things I really doubt that this would have been allowed to happen. Why, oh why, were they not on the pitch?

My only suggestion is that unlike Sir Alex or Jose Mourinho, Wenger still sees the League Cup as the ‘Mickey Mouse’ cup – akin to the Community Shield – a jumped-up friendly. If so, I really cannot understand why. There are realistically only three trophies that Arsenal can win this season and by discounting the League Cup, that only leaves two. All I can think is that Arsene Wenger does not like settling for second best, and that he’d rather have one Champions League trophy than a whole host of League Cups. Which is a fair enough philosophy I suppose, however as Jose Mourinho likes to remind us Arsene still hasn’t got that trophy that he so coverts. And if Arsenal go on to have another season of Champions League disappointment will Mr Wenger regret not picking a team to win the game in Cardiff?

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Tags: arsenal, arsene wenger, chelsea, football