Arsenal vs Blackpool: 5 key players to kickstart FA Cup campaign

Arsenal’s favorite competition is back underway with the start of the FA Cup, and Blackpool is first. Here are 5 key players to start on the right foot.

Arsenal are still looking flimsy these days, but a good, old-fashioned FA Cup run could be just what the doctor ordered to get the club back into good spirits. The recent 4-1 win over Fulham surely added some boost to their spirits, but truth be told, despite the scoreline, it wasn’t the most convincing performance.

Having been bounced out of the League Cup, the FA Cup is the next chance to get some secondary and youth players out there to continue to test just how important they can be to the team both now and going forward.

This is what made the League Cup so exciting, being able to see all these youth players stretching their legs and getting their feet underneath them with the senior team.

The FA Cup will be taken more seriously, as it remains a premier opportunity to take home silverware in Unai Emery’s first season with the club, but especially in these early matches, we will almost certainly continue to see young players given their chance to prove their merits.

And with that as the theme, let’s dig into the five key players to the opening match against Blackpool. We start with No. 5.

5.  Ainsley Maitland-Niles

Ainsley Maitland-Niles has now had two fantastic games in a row, where he has used his speed and coolness under pressure to wreak havoc on that right flank. As the FA Cup figures to be a predominantly youth competition, it would make sense to see Maitland-Niles called upon to keep doing what he’s been doing, not just because he is still a young player, but because right now, there are no other options.

That said, with each performance, he seems to be getting his confidence back more and more, so the more he can get out there on the pitch, the better off we should feel with him as a regular in the first-team picture.

Wherever he suits up against Blackpool, I’d expect him to be a big time producer, and as we still have to win the match, not just exercise the youth options, he will play a key role.

Speaking of, on to No. 4.