The biggest positive following Arsenal's defeat against Fleetwood has just become clear

Where does that rank among Arsenal's worst-ever cup defeats? Well, there are plenty to choose from. The Gunners have previously suffered heartbreak in Wembley cup finals against Swindon, Luton, second division West Ham and Birmingham.

Meantime, depending on your vintage, fans may argue the club's most ignominious cup defeat has come at the hands of Bradford, York, Wrexham, Walsall or Oxford. However, statistically at least, Tuesday's penalty shootout loss against Fleetwood might just be the nadir.

As noted by Opta, this is only the second time the reigning top division champions have ever lost a League Cup tie against a fourth-tier opponent. The other came 52 years ago when Chester City beat Jimmy Armfield's Leeds United 3-0, the same season Brian Clough was infamously in charge at Elland Road for just 44 days.

In either domestic cup competition, it is the first time any Premier League champion have lost against a side from the fourth division since, well, Arsenal themselves were beaten at Wrexham in 1992. Of course, exiting any competition is never good. There are only four trophies up for grabs afterall.

However, could there be one obvious positive? Last season, Arsenal reached the Carabao Cup Final for the first time in eight years, before not really showing up and losing against Manchester City at Wembley. En route, the two-legged victory over Chelsea in the semi-finals clearly knackered this team at.

Following the first leg, a 3-2 win at Stamford Bridge, Arteta's team failed to win either of their next two Premier League matches, drawing 0-0 at Nottingham Forest before a 3-2 defeat against Manchester United. Then, after the victorious second leg too, the Gunners won only one of their next three league outings, battling to a draw at Brentford, before a night in Wolverhampton we shall never speak of again.

So, as Arsenal seek to retain the league title for the first time since 1935, and aim to go one better in the Champions League, a slightly less congested schedule might not be a bad thing. So, which fixture will be directly impacted by these newfangled free weeks?

Arsenal's fixtures around Carabao Cup dates

Removing potentially three EFL Cup fixtures from a hectic late-December/January period could be a real boost. With unexpectedly no quarter-final clash, Arteta's team will have a free week before welcoming Manchester United to North London, as will their opponents.

Meantime, during a jam-packed January, the Gunners will play eight times, including facing Real Betis and Sabah in the Champions League, as well as kicking off their FA Cup campaign. Either-side of the League Cup semi-final second leg, Arteta's team will travel to the Etihad, who knows how many negative points the Sky Blues will have by then, before hosting Liverpool.

Thus, it would probably be ideal if the Reds have an energy-sapping tie before facing a refreshed Arsenal. Of course, losing is never nice, especially against the side currently 18th in EFL League Two. Nevertheless, if the Premier League and Champions League trophies are being paraded through the streets of Islington come 6 June, no one is going to be saying "shame we lose to Fleetwood though".

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