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Arsenal Vs Leeds: Mikel Arteta is right, winning matters
Arsenal embark on their 2020 FA Cup venture when they host Leeds United on Monday night. And as Mikel Arteta rightly says, winning matters, no matter the competition.
Does anyone care about the FA Cup? We have this debate every year, so much so that we have almost forgotten whether any ever criticised the competition in the first place. While the team selections prove that the FA Cup is not the premier competition in English domestic football, there is still a reverence and respect for the oldest club competition in the world.
Find the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal Podcast here — Mikel Guardiola or Pep Arteta?
Typically, Arsenal have fielded a weakened team in the FA Cup, often bleeding several young players into the starting XI and resting the Premier League stars. When they embark on their latest FA Cup adventure on Monday night against Leeds United, I expect the same to happen once again. But that does not mean that they do not want to win the FA Cup.
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In fact, new head coach Mikel Arteta is quite aware of how influential winning the FA Cup. He won two FA Cups with Arsenal, both as club captain. While that Arsenal squad was often derided for only ever finishing fourth, the three FA Cups in four years were the only trophies that the club has won since they last won the FA Cup in 2005.
And now as a manager, Arteta is keen to instil a winning culture among the squad:
"“I think winning brings togetherness. When you have beautiful experiences together and win trophies those experiences stay within that group, you like more the people you work with, you believe in them, you share some fantastic moments. That stays. That habit of winning, winning, winning after when you win you don’t want to stop winning. You become addicts to that. We have to try to implement that at this football club.”"
Arsenal are not close to rivalling the elite in the Premier League. They would do well to finish even close to the top four this year after such a dreadful start to the campaign. And the distance between them and Liverpool and Manchester City is vast.
But make no mistake, Arteta wants to win the Premier League and more. He is an extremely competitive individual. Anything less would be considered a failure, and while it is impossible to reach such lofty heights this season, the underlying culture and expectation of winning can be laid down, starting with winning the FA Cup, the Gunners’ best chance of winning a trophy this year.
Previous managers have often used cup competitions as a gateway to greater success. Jose Mourinho used to take the League Cup very seriously because he recognised the importance of winning trophies. Jurgen Klopp took Liverpool far in the League Cup and Europa League before their Champions League success and now impending Premier League success. Pep Guardiola’s first trophy at Manchester City was the League Cup. And Arteta is now looking to implement the seem steely winning mentality that champion team possess.
Next. Arsenal Vs Leeds: Predicted starting XI. dark
Arteta wants to win at Arsenal. But to do that, he must first create winners. And this season’s FA Cup is the perfect opportunity to do precisely that.