Arsenal Vs Liverpool: Nothing to lose

Arsenal travel to Liverpool on Wednesday night in the fourth round of the EFL Cup. The Gunners have nothing to lose, and Unai Emery’s team selection should reflect that fact.

Last season, Unai Emery has had a worrying trend of playing relatively strong teams in meaningless matches. Throughout the Europa League group stages, first-team players started from the beginning, including the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, while even in the domestic cups, the Arsenal head coach seemed hesitant to throw in reserve and young players.

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That has altered slightly this year, though Aubameyang still started the first Europa League game of the season. Nevertheless, Emery’s underlying tendencies still remain. He wants to win every match — as he obviously should — and that can lead to him not rotating his squad throughout the year. There is a reason Arsenal burned out in the final weeks of last campaign.

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On Wednesday night, the Gunners travel to Anfield to face Liverpool in the fourth round of the EFL Cup. Realistically, this is a trophy that the club would like to win but is far from a priority for the overall season. And this game that Emery’s side will be expected to lose, even if the two managers roll out second XIs and rest many of their stars. And so, with all that being said, there really is nothing to lose for Emery and his players.

Consequently, his team selection should reflect that fact, especially when it comes to resting key players and thrusting young players into a unique atmosphere and situation that they will rarely get the opportunity to experience. What better match — one that everyone expects to you lose ina a competition that no one is that bothered if you win — than to set young talent free? Emery has nothing to lose.

He has already confirmed that Aubameyang, David Luiz, Calum Chambers and Granit Xhaka will not travel with the squad, the latter of which a decision caused due to Sunday’s contention. But what about the likes of Matteo Guendouzi, Dani Ceballos, Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe, all of which have played a lot of minutes or have recently returned from injury?

Contrastingly, what better game to field Emile Smith Rowe as a central attacking midfielder? That would be thrusting him into the biggest contest of his career, at Anfield, but in a way that can release him from expectation and pressure.

I would love to see Gabriel Martinelli play through the middle, Rob Holding and Dinos Mavropanos start at centre-half, Bukayo Saka, Joe Willock and Ainsley Maitland-Niles all play key roles in the team also. But I fear that Emery may veer towards experience and know-how just because it happens to a top-six opponent.

It remains to be seen how Emery will set his side up on Wednesday. But his management of a long and arduous season was exposed last time out. It would be nice, with nothing to lose, if that is altered this time around.