Another round of fixtures in the footballing calendar have come and gone.
Rant Sport writer Joe Jones talks to us about the mind games played by Arsenal during the week and how it ultimately backfired in the FA Cup.
Disrespecting the competition
Arsenal were in the mind games business during the last week or so, with numerous players pulling out of their respective friendly fixtures.
Ultimately, these players ended up in the squad for the Gunners’ visit to Southampton and St Mary’s on Saturday evening – a game in which the current Premier League leaders lost.
The Gunners underestimated Tonda Eckert and the Southampton team, curtailing any chance of a treble at the end of the season.
Rotating in cup games is something I can never quite get behind – not playing your best available players to secure your name in the hat for the next round is always lost on me.
Yes, you can argue that having such a big squad allows for rotation and all players need minutes but surely fielding your strongest XI can allow you to make earlier changes when controlling the game.
Mikel Arteta will hope to put this embarrassing cup exit behind him with the Champions league tie away at Sporting CP rapidly approaching – he will be hoping for a swift response and to get their season back on track after two cup exits with a whimpering performance.
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Bring back FA Cup credibility
The competition is no longer what it once was.
What was once the pinnacle of the English footballing calendar has sadly now been lost in the reshuffling of schedules.
In its pomp the final was a revered day, with everyone around the country tuning in to watch the big event.
I would even argue to move the semi-finals from Wembley.
Getting to Wembley should be a special feeling, having a pointless game there takes it away from that.
I would be very in favour of returning to the old system and having games hosted at a neutral ground for the semis.
It would save fans unnecessary travel and money too.
Another key thing for the FA Cup to restore itself to glory is to have the games return to Freeview TV.
FA Cup games should always be on either BBC or ITV; I think it is disgusting that the competition with so much history is only available to the select view who buy the subscription.
Years of cup upsets and unforeseen results make the competition so special – the decision to remove replays from the tournament years ago was only a benefit for the bigger clubs as it allowed for them to bring on their superstar subs.
Some adjustments to the biggest cup competition in England can return it back to its heyday, when coverage was all day and it started from the hotels the teams stayed in, where managers and players were interviewed on the coach into the ground.
It’s feasible but the way the game is going and teams disrespecting the competition year on year the reputation of the FA Cup is in severe freefall and decline.
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