Is Arsenal FA Cup Match With Hull Good Or Bad?

With the defeat to Southampton still fresh in the mind of many supporters around rolls the FA Cup which could prove once again to be our real chance of silverware, or simply more matches we don’t need. So what do we do this year? Go for the FA Cup again or focus our efforts elsewhere in the hope of more prestigious silverware?

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Results

Looking back at the FA Cup finals since the Premier League began it is clear to see that top teams to take the FA Cup seriously because there is only one final that did not contain at least one of Manchester United, City, Liverpool, Chelsea or Arsenal; that being the 2007-08 final between Portsmouth and Cardiff City.

Early on in the Premier League it was also a sign of strength because between 1993 and 2002 5 of the 9 teams that won the trophy also won the league. However at the time the Premier League was far less competitive and focusing on two competitions was a much simpler task, especially as European teams of any strength were fewer and mimicked the Premier League in the fact that there were only one or two strong teams in the domestic leagues.

However this has not been possible in recent years, and the last team to record a domestic double was Chelsea back in 2009-10; who were also the first team to achieve this feat since Arsenal in 2001-02. Is it becoming harder to achieve cup and league glory?

Form & Morale

However if you’re playing a full strength side, or at least most of it in the FA Cup, surely winning helps? It’s a simple saying that winning leads to winning and many managers simply view the cups as a chance to push their momentum through, you don’y want to have won three games in a row and then lose in the Fa Cup because it just ruins the team morale.

The players love the competition and what’s more important is the fans love it. If a team is able to put together a half decent run in the FA Cup it gets the fans more behind the team and the manager, allowing more confidence and a club that is more galvanised than before.

In my opinion the FA Cup is a vital part of a Premier League club’s calendar and not taking it seriously can really prove to be a mistake if the manager wants to keep the fans on his side. Arsenal have not been knocked out of the FA Cup in the 3rd round since losing to Sheffield United in a replay back in the 1995-96 season, and hopefully they will continue that form today against Hull!

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