FA CUP BLOG: WIGAN PREVIEW

An FA Cup game against Wigan is just the kind of distraction we need right now. Like a lovely french pastry before the guillotine. Too negative? Am I spiralling about Man City already? MAKE THEM STOP, PLEASE.

Just kidding. This is a positive zone for the next seven days. Wigan are relegation fodder in League One right now. That means Arteta has two choices: go all-in on the kids, so we can watch Marli Salmon at right back and Max Dowman on the wing… or, he might have some thoughts about playing some first-teamers into form.

That latter idea is dangerous, especially when you’re on a hot streak of breaking important players. Would it be fun to see Gyökeres batter lesser mortals? Yes. But if he picks up a hamstring injury, we’re in trouble. There always has to be a balance of first-team players, but for this game, I’d really rather us lean as hard into the second string and academy kids as possible. We cannot be in the game of taking risks, and I really don’t like the idea of being in a quadruple race after watching that dreadful display during the week.

So, what can we expect? Well, we have a few players who need the minutes. Bukayo Saka will probably get 60 minutes. I’d imagine Jesus will start as the nine. Martin Ødegaard looked very slick when he came on against Brentford, so he might also get a start.

From there, I want to see some mad shit. Myles and Nwaneri pinning the midfield. Max Dowman as the left eight. In defense, let’s see Salmon at right back, White and Mosquera in central defense, and Hincapié on the left. Kepa in goal all day long. I don’t even care about a strong bench for some of the better players; let Declan, Gabriel, Gyök, and Zubi stay at home.

It is worth noting that City played Salford, scored very early on, and were utterly insipid—to the point that Pep had to bring on Semenyo, Rodri, and Cherki to kill the game late on. If Arsenal fans were watching that, spleens would have been vented regardless of the team selection. We are certainly in a moment in time where the biggest losers on the internet are looking to scream “BOTTLE JOBS” at the slightest hint of something going wrong.

Arsenal have been sputtering this year, no doubt. But I think we’re so inward-looking we barely notice that most teams are in a bit of a funk. Is that because the league is so competitive? Is the season’s brutality taking a toll on squads? Who knows. But no one is knocking it out of the park right now—not even Man City.

Arteta is seeing this game as the chance to reboot:

“It’s an opportunity for the team, again, with another competition, and the history that we have related to that competition, it’s amazing. We’ll play at home again. I’m really excited to recover and go again.”

One would suspect Arteta can feel that the team isn’t quite where he wants them to be. The football has been inconsistent, a little bit labored, and margins have begun to tighten again. Wigan is a chance to bring a little bit of joy back to a home crowd that also needs to get back into “belief mode.”

Back in the banter era, Arsenal would release a “war chest” story to get fans excited. In the early Arteta days, we’d get a merch line. These days, the one solve that can unite us all… Max Dowman. Give me 55 minutes of him tomorrow and I’ll be ready to believe again.

In all seriousness, if he’s available, what better game to play him in? He can play on the right, in the hole, or as a left eight. We saw so much of him in preseason and next to nothing this season. Time to unleash him. Why couldn’t he be our secret weapon from the bench? He won’t be carrying any mental baggage, and he has enough of that wonderful youthful naivety to believe he can be a difference-maker.

Am I clutching at straws? Maybe. But he’s in the squad because Arteta thinks he’s good enough. Call me a dreamer; I shan’t be offended. But it is clear I need an injection of the finest grade copium… and I promise, if Wigan give it to me, you won’t be hearing “but it’s only...” when I wax lyrical about a 4-0 win tomorrow.

Right, that’s all I’ve got. See you in the comments. x